Budapest exhibition, July 2007

COMPOSITES-ON-TOUR-2
2006-2007

The aim of the 'Composites-on-Tour' project was to confront the general public with the question whether and how science can change their daily life.  In this project, composite materials served as the example of a recent, research based innovation that has strongly shaped and influenced our environment.  The science behind composites was explained in an attractive and diverse way, and the growing interest of the general public in design and "life style" was used as an additional "entrance gate" to scientific innovations.

The project was a combined scientific and design exhibition, on show in six European design or science centres in Belgium, Holland, France, Spain Hungary and Slovenia. Out of 97 applicants, 20 objects were selected for the travelling exhibition, along with 5 products by the jury-members.

At the Award Ceremony in Brussels, the two winners received 7500 Euro each:
  • Sébastien Dubois (Canada) in the prototype category.  His prosthetic foot is a revolutionary redesign for developing countries were many victims of landmines are waiting for affordable leg and foot prosteses.
  • Poul Christiansen & Boris Berlin (Denmark) in the product category for the Design design company Komplot for their 'Big Bench', modulable composite outdoor benches produced by an ingenious adaptation of a highly industrial, mass-production pultruded beam.

The exhibition showed the results of the International Composites Design Competition that aimed at awarding the best designed consumer goods made of composites.  It was obvious that the innovative products shown in this exhibition raised questions to the visitors on what composites are, how they can be so light and strong at the same time; in other words questions on the science behind composites.

The scientific part of the exhibition attempted to answer these questions, by showing in a concrete and interactive way how composites are composed (fibres + plastics) and how they are produced. 

The 'Composites-on-tour-2' was very successful in achieving its initial goals: to appeal to a large audience by attractive and interactive exhibitions.  These exhibitions were completed with workshops (7 workshops in 6 countries with 264 participants), congresses, meetings.  The whole exhibition tour received wide press coverage in the (inter)national and local press.  The website received in 2006-2007 12000 visitors.

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