About the Biennial

Utrecht Manifest is a biennial cultural event in and around the city of Utrecht that is multidisciplinary in character. At the heart of the biennale stand the disciplines of design and architecture, which play a guiding role in the event’s programming. The Utrecht Biennale Foundation seeks to establish associations with other cultural domains in its programme of activities: the performing arts, literature and also socio-political debate.

Position
This programmatic choice stems from the development that Utrecht Manifest has undergone since the initial impulse in 2003 and the inaugural event in 2005. Taking a bird’s-eye view, the following line of development is starting to emerge. The event was born from a reorientation as regards modernism – an artistic movement that has been sending a shockwave through culture and society since the early 20th century. Utrecht’s close ties with modernism are still perceptible today, in the figure of Gerrit Rietveld as well as in the products of the furniture manufacturer Pastoe. In the early years of the 21st century in particular, there was a revival of interest in modernism among many artists and designers. These were the people who reflected on the relevance of that legacy in the ‘NU. Pastoe 90 jaar’ (NOW. Pastoe 90 years) exhibition in 2003. This exhibition, staged at Utrecht’s Centraal Museum, laid the foundations for Utrecht Manifest.
This was followed by the inaugural biennale in 2005: an exploration of topical themes in design, in which Utrecht Manifest emphatically chose to focus on the domain of engaged design practice. On the basis of which legitimacies do designers and architects approach their work? To what extent do they allow themselves to be guided by historical examples or, on the other hand, by the pressures of the modern-day market? How does a designer adopt a stance in the pursuit of products with a certain sustainability and significance?
During the preparations for the 2005 edition it was decided to imbue Utrecht Manifest with the character of an investigative event. Whereas many biennials primarily offer a showroom, Utrecht Manifest wants to establish itself as a biennial that prefers to pose questions rather than present answers, prefers to examine rather than instruct. That is why the event very specifically endeavours to fulfil a critical and reflective brief, alongside a more public, exhibition-oriented approach. Research and reflection must contribute to the development of new themes and fields of interest for the biennale.

In 2007 this led to a slightly modified definition for Utrecht Manifest, as expressed in the subtitle: the Biennale for Social Design. This introduced the following intrinsic refinement: the positioning of modernism was initially focused on engagement, and in the second place on design with a social ambition. That is what Utrecht Manifest 2007 was about, in the symposium and the workshops within the Research and Reflection programme organised by Hestia Bavelaar and Gert Staal as well as in the exhibition programme that was formulated by Ed Annink.

The point of departure for both programmatic lines is the state of affairs in disciplinary development. Utrecht Manifest endeavours to reveal cohesion and development in contemporary culture, with a nod to the immediate future rather than by pursuing a historicising line. Utrecht Manifest’s organisers coordinate their activities with existing institutions and initiatives in the Utrecht region; with established parties such as theatres, museums and the university, as well as with young artists’ initiatives and platforms. The breadth and multidisciplinary scope that is thus achieved provides the best guarantee that a wide-ranging public feels drawn to Utrecht Manifest.