Anyone who has become accustomed to striding across Cologne in January every year, half freezing to death, can look forward to something really special in June. From June 20-24, Cologne is now showing its design profile in the summer, too, and in the form of Rheindesign has kicked off a summer festival in which creativity will conquer the city and the general public be given every reason to enthuse.

Rheindesign will transform public space into a field for designers and producers to experiment, for art and culture to blossom, thus giving rooms and plazas a new look, carving new routes through town, allowing you to discover places and opportunities. "We deliberately chose a creative and innovative festival," says Andreas Grosz, KAP Forum Manager and the driving force behind the event.A glance in the program online at www.rheindesign.eu soon reveals that design in Cologne will breakout of the cocoon of the initiate and instead interact with art, music, literature, architecture and philosophy to create an expanded cultural space. The projects that thus arise and set the stage of the respective location in a unique manner will be real eye-catchers.

The mutual inspiration and networking will also extend beyond the city's limits. Partnerships with metropolises such as Brussels, and in coming years with Istanbul, Barcelona and Copenhagen, will ensure ideas get exchanged across Europe. For the first event, Brussels is sending shooting design stars Ora-Ito, Jean-Marie Massaud, Matali Crasset, Piero Lissoni and Alain Berteau - the creative delegation will travel by Thalys train to Cologne.Given this diversity of makers, opinions, and content with over 40 different special items on the agenda, Cologne is once again showing itself to be a vibrant hub of culture, design and new ideas.

Be inspired by this network, to the sound of a washing machine concert on Neumarkt or the lively discussion forum at "Platz nehmen" outside the Gerling head office. There'll be a host of ideas on offer between June 20-24 around the city, to kindle the curiosity of both the tourist and the expert alike.

Rheindesign
Cologne International Design Summer 2007
20-24 June 2007
Cologne
www.rheindesign.eu