With his project THE WEAVER’S SEAT, Dini Berati from Albania is the winner of this year's CEI Award at the 15th edition of the International Design Contest “Trieste Contemporanea”.
Held under the theme “Seats of Understanding”, the contest invited applicants to submit an urban furniture and potentially iconic object: a seating installation, such as a functional bench, to be placed in both Nova Gorica and Gorizia (Slovenia; Italy), representing symbolic meanings related to the historical location of both cities. The idea is in line with the project “GO! 2025 – Nova Gorica and Gorizia European Capital of Culture 2025” bringing the message of being the European Capital of Borderless Culture. The competition consisted of several prizes including the CEI Award addressed to designers from non-EU CEI Member States.
Born in Tirana in 1987, Drini Berati is an architect, planner, and landscape designer with over a decade of experience creating sustainable, community-oriented public spaces and buildings. As explained by the international jury “the curved shape of his project mirrors the flow of the Soča River, symbolising the intertwined destinies of Nova Gorica and Gorizia. At dusk, the bench undergoes a metamorphosis, lighting up with a warm glow, inviting moments of quiet contemplation.”
The CEI awarding ceremony took place on 31 August 2024 at the Municipality of Gorizia in connection with the presentation of the catalogue of the eleven selected projects and the opening of the exhibition with the participation of Sarah Filisetti, councilor of Gorizia Municipality; Nicla Indrigo, ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale; Giuliana Carbi Jesurun and Alice Debianchi, Trieste Contemporanea; Barbara Fabro, CEI Senior Executive Officer.
Open to designers from CEI Member States and other European countries, the International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea is a biennial event established in 1995 by the Italian scholar of aesthetics and design Gillo Dorfles. It is organised by the Trieste Contemporanea Committee, with the support of the CEI, the BEBA Foundation (Venice), L’Officina and Studio Tommaseo (Trieste), the Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the partners of the international network “Continental Breakfast”.
More info: https://www.triestecontemporanea.it/en; fabro@cei.int
Photos by Agnese Divo (courtesy Trieste Contemporanea)
