DESIGN

Pennie Taylor on big exravaganzas in brussels and Vienna, plus an art trail in london

Brussels: Design September

If you have an penchant for cutting-edge design, Brussels is the place to be this month. The city's sixth annual Design September festival of creativity is taking over the city from 6-30 September, presenting exhibitions, lectures, special markets, workshops, pop-ups and access-all-areas open-studio events.

From food design to urban planning and illustration, all cultural bases are covered, and there is a special emphasis on young creators, textiles and graphics. Highlights include a masterclass with members of Finland's top graphic design agency, TSTO, who designed the striking image pictured above.

The Design September programme is described as "the annual meeting for people passionate about design". Between heady encounters with culture, visitors can take a break at the event hub, D-Platform, a specially designed space for activities, refreshments and festival information.

D-Platform, TAG city, Tunnel Brabant passage Charles Rogier 23D, 1210 Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Tuesday to Sunday, 12-6.30pm; TSTO masterclass, 21-22 September, Recyclart, Gare de Brussels-Chapelle, 17 Rue des Ursulines, 1000 Brussels; www.designseptember.be

Vienna: Design Capital

Autumn is synonymous with design in Austria's capital city, and this year the season kicks off with Vienna Design Week 2012, which is taking place from 28 September to 7 October.

Showcasing a variety of design: product, industrial and furniture, VDW brings together international talent, to share the creative spark, by presenting their work in galleries, shops, museums and special exhibition spaces across the city.

Local ceramicist Hedwig Rotter will be in the thick of it in Vienna's Ottakring district, where she will be welcoming visitors to the studio where she creates delightful handmade porcelain pieces including this antler tealight holder, €19.

Mano Design, Grundsteingasse 36/ 1-3, A-1160 Wien, open Tuesday to Friday 12-6pm, or by appointment; +43 (0) 699 1924 78 24, (www.manodesign.at).

London: Art In E17

It has been a busy old year for the London borough of Walthamstow. Fresh from hosting the 2012 Olympics, this city community is now hard at work curating its eighth annual E17 Art Trail (1-16 September). Begun as an artist led project for E17's artists and craftspeople to exhibit and promote their work, it's since opened up to the wider community. Art, in all its forms, will be on display in private homes and gardens, galleries, studios, in shops and pubs, and even hanging from the trees.

This year, under the collective title Bestow, 3,000 of the many professional and amateur artists who make this east London borough home have got together to organise the 350 events in 180 venues. The 2012 Art Trail programme includes drawing and painting, architecture, ceramics, textiles, live arts, photography, printmaking and puppetry.

There is an information hub for visitors at Walthamstow Central Library, and the full programme is available online at www.e17arttrail.co.uk

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