• The Ciba Modul-box at the Kölner Passagen
• Review of the Passagen 2007
• Preview of Passagen 2008
• Invitation to the XYMARA.com Passagen Interviews
• Ciba and XYMARA.com at the Passagen 2008
• The Passagen Interviews - Doty Horn of Color & Design
• The Passagen Interviews - Doty Horn of Color & Design

By Ania Dardas

For the 18th time since 1990, Cologne is once again opening up its galleries, shops, cafés, museums, art schools, exhibition rooms and ad hoc meeting spots in the inner city in the service of design. The Kölner Passagen design fair takes place between January 15 and 21, 2007 and everyone who is anyone in the world of design will be there.

The Passagen fair represents an annual Mecca for interior designers, designers, architects, and manufacturers where they can find out what’s new in their world, which way the trends are moving and who the young creative spirits to watch out for are. It is the annual fair for providing fresh impressions for sometimes jaded eyes and inspiration for innovative ideas.

It is also a chance to see the great names in design up close. Design legends such as Jasper Morrison, Gaetano Pesce, Ingo Maurer, Marcel Wanders, Philippe Starck and Tom Dixon will all make an appearance. Also present, at the other end of the designer spectrum, are those designers who are in the process of making a name for themselves in the field. They include designers from the Designspotter network, BLESS, Bär und Knell, and Design Bazaar, as well as many design schools.

The Passagen takes place at the same time as the annual international furniture show in Cologne, and more than 120,000 visitors from Germany and abroad stream through the city’s streets. As well as professionals from the world of design, these also include design-hungry members of the public who are simply fascinated by the myriad design possibilities on view.

Over the years, the number of permanent venues has grown and many of them are grouped together in various parts of the city. The Belgisches Viertel (Belgian quarter) is a particular draw with the Spichern Höfe, KAP am Südkai, Stylepark in Residence as is the Vulkan complex in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, which was the second largest Passagen venue in 2006. The “furniture mile” on the city’s ring road is also a regular place of pilgrimage.

At this year’s exhibition, Ciba will present their “Modulbox”, which will showcase new advances in the wide world of visual effects materials.

The more than 150 venues will be showing the newest developments in lighting, accessories, and materials in the form of exhibitions, presentations and installations – all in all, simply design at its most exciting best!