After Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Sweden Europe’s fifth material library has opened in Hungary
In cooperation with the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency has set up a material library in the university building, which fills a much needed gap in the Central European region. The Budapest Design Material Library is curated by Material ConneXion, a New York-based material science consultant known for the curation and aggregation of material innovations and material database.
The collection displays the latest and most innovative material samples from all over the world and makes them widely available to innovation, research and development professionals as well as to design industry stakeholders and students. The ever-expanding collection and on-site online database provide an opportunity to learn about the innovative use of a wide variety of material samples. They also create an opportunity to connect the design industry with other industries.
The Budapest Design Material Library was opened on Monday the 18th of October 2021 in Budapest by Zsófia Bata-Jakab, CEO of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, Mr. József Fülöp, dean of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design and Dr. László György, State Secratary for for Economic Planning and Regulation at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA), together with the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), has established the Budapest Design Material Library (BDML) based on international examples, which can help industry stakeholders to exploit the potential of combining design and technology.
The material library, which has been established as a unique initiative in the Central European region, is housed in the building of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, so the facility can put Hungary at the centre of materials and innovation processes. The Hungarian capital providing a home to the Budapest Design Material Library is significant, as Italy, Spain, Denmark and Sweden are the only other European countries to have material libraries.
In addition to university students, manufacturers, designers and Hungarian design industry SMEs, the Budapest Design Material Library is also open to large companies as well as material and product development firms. Thus, it forms a bridge between non-traditional industries (healthcare, automotive, construction, food, etc.) and design.
The Budapest Design Material Library in the MOME building has currently 300 material samples for anyone looking for information in the fields of design, product development or other creative professions. Among the materials of BDML we can find Hungarian innovations as well. For example, the sound emitting textile material of Judit Eszter Kárpáti and Esteban de la Torre, researchers at the Innovation Center of MOME. In addition to the materials on the sample racks, there are QR codes that can be scanned to learn more about the main characteristics of the materials and other information about them. This is complemented by an on-site, online database of nearly 10,000 materials and manufacturing technologies to provide material information in five languages, complete with images and descriptive texts of the samples for easy browsing from the on-site workstation – The Budapest Design Material Library will serve as a Material ConneXion satellite location and will give visitors access to a variety of material samples including polymers, metals, glass, ceramics and natural materials, ranging from sustainable, recycled materials to flexible, architectural textiles.
In the global design industry, the latest materials science, technology and IT innovations are needed to keep industry players competitive. With the Budapest Design Material Library, which has been established in cooperation with the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, we are launching the fifth material library in the Europe, making Budapest an indispensable player in the field of material innovation among the countries of the region. The innovation centre can contribute to the development of the innovative mindset of Hungarian design brands and designers as well as to the success of R&D projects aimed at developing innovative material solutions in different industries.
Zsófia Bata-Jakab, CEO of HFDA
“MOME welcomes this special facility, which fills a gap that needed filling. Our goal is to provide our students and researchers with access to a world-class collection and database of materials to open up new ways of creation, contributing to their increasingly competitive knowledge. We are just as open to people from the design industry and other industries coming to our university, which provides space for new kinds of collaborations. We believe that the material library will become an essential knowledge base and a regional hub for supporting innovative thinking and introducing creative technologies.” said József Fülöp, rector of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design.
”We Hungarians are considered creative all over the globe. Creativity is a physical and mental phenomenon, which comes to life and turns socially beneficial through materials and tools. That is why the Budapest Design Material Library, established by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency and Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, is extremely important. It is the first material library in our region. This library will enable creativity and creative ideas come to life.” said Dr. László György, State Secretary for for Economic Planning and Regulation at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
The library also serves as a community venue for industry players, who with professional guidance during product design workshops will have the opportunity to learn about different material samples and their innovative uses. As a connecting element of economics and education, the library also provides students with useful knowledge as they can learn about current trends and technological innovations while they are studying. Thanks to this, this traditional industry in Hungary can move towards digital transformation.
One of MDDÜ’s top priorities is to build long-term professional relationships with domestic and international educational actors and organizations in order to make a wide knowledge base and professional network available to Hungarian fashion and design stakeholders, which will help them to operate successfully in the future. As part of this, in 2021 it joined the MOME Course Week as a professional partner on the topic of circular management, then deepened this by supporting an RDI course that is part of the university’s educational program. The material library was created as the next step in the collaboration, with which the agency would like to provide a perspective for design industry actors to facilitate the emergence of innovative and digital solutions in all segments of the sector.
About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency
The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was established as a subsidiary of the Hungarian Tourism Agency in 2018, with two key divisions: fashion and design. The aim of the agency is to increase international awareness and recognition of the Hungarian fashion and design industry, and through this to strengthen the country’s image. Its most important tasks include increasing exports, strengthening and developing domestic manufacturing, and developing creative and professional knowledge with tradition. As an integrative organization, its main goal is to achieve effective professional coordination between domestic and international stakeholders in the fashion and design industry, which is essential for long-term success.
About the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design
Over its 140-year history the main value of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) has been its open approach to the world, including both respect for tradition as well a quest to promote development. MOME has played a decisive role in shaping Hungarian design culture, and is still an essential institution in Hungarian creative and design life. Our history has made the university one of the outstanding representatives of Hungarian cultural and artistic life. A significant proportion of our graduating students play a key role in their field, and the university is also a hub for representatives of the creative industry in international terms. Our mission is to find solutions to the challenges of our time through art and design, in cooperation with representatives of other fields. MOME aims to be the leading creative and innovation workshop in Central Europe by 2030.
