Biennial of Industrial Design (BIO), Ljubljana

BIO, the Biennial of Industrial Design, was officially established in Ljubljana in the autumn of 1963, with BIO 1 opening its doors in 1964. As the first biennial of its kind in the world, BIO was one of Europe’s most important design events during the 1960s, rivalled only by the Milan Triennial. Designers from both Western and Eastern European countries attended in large numbers. The event was meant to bring together modernist ideas about the importance of design in the industry, the promotion of quality industrial products in everyday life, the development of the profession, and the educational role of design. As an international comparative exhibition, it showcased high-quality design and technology products from Europe’s leading industrial design countries as well as those just starting to introduce design into their production processes.