The Sustainable Scenography of COLLECTIBLE 2019

Founded by art and design professionals Clélie Debehault and Liv Vaisberg, COLLECTIBLE provides a global platform for established and emerging galleries and designers to showcase the best in contemporary collectable design. The fair also collaborates with leading design institutions to push the boundaries of creativity through commissioned works and special projects. Located at the heart of Europe in central Brussels, COLLECTIBLE aims to create a spotlight on Belgium as an international luxury design destination and a place for innovation. With over 10,000 visitors at their first edition, this year’s COLLECTIBLE not only follows their successful original recipe — but also adds some new exciting ingredients to it.   

A notable addition to this year’s fair is its exemplary scenography created by the Rotterdam-based Studio Verter. Since 2014, the studio has been a collaboration between Claudio Saccucci and Roxane van Hoof . 

Featuring an inventive use of standardised construction materials with a particular focus on the sustainability and reusability of their contents, their strong aesthetic shines throughout the entire layout of the fair and provides excellent framing to showcase the multitude of designs presented.

“Our two areas of focus were the entrance hallway and the fifth floor. At the entrance, we’re going to feature an exhibition related to the topic of sustainability and present new ideas on how we can make more room for that within design. We’re strong believers in being aware of the materials that our designs use — and we try to limit our waste as much as possible by e.g. giving them a second life, or by avoiding to cut certain materials so they can be returned to the original producers instead of thrown away. As for the fifth-floor area, a lot is happening there. The bar and restaurant are there, there will be a kids corner, and on top of that a design advisory will also be hosted there. We think we’ve created an interesting space in which people can come together and also have a moment for themselves apart from the hectic activities of the fair.”

Last year, the duo also created an archetypal “city square” for the 50th anniversary of Biennale Interieur in Brussels. When asked about their approach to COLLECTIBLE, the duo expressed the following:

“The Vanderborght building is quite a powerful presence in itself. Many other fairs have been held there, and we wanted to make sure that we’d create a different experience for the multitude of people that have been there before. Our mindset is all about creating simple gestures that become radical statements within the space. We’re really enjoying working with COLLECTIBLE because they wanted to make their unique approach to design and impact on the design world clear. We wanted to do the same with our scenography, as we continue to attempt to differentiate from the status quo.”

COLLECTIBLE will be held at the Vanderborght building from March 14 to 17, 2019.