A chair, a telephone, a glass vessel: everyday objects bear traces of how a society works, lives and produces things. The BIO 29 design biennial offers a chance to explore Ljubljana with a question in mind: what do everyday objects reveal that the city’s façades and squares leave unanswered?
The biennial is entitled “Soft Fields” and, according to its organiser, the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO), runs from 3 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. Its projects connect design with industry, science and other fields of knowledge. BIO 29 is curated by Martina Muzi, with Ro Pérez Gayo serving as Associate Research Curator. The programme is spread across MAO and Mala galerija Banke Slovenije in Ljubljana, as well as the Libertas cultural centre in Koper. The opening at Mala galerija is announced for 2 December, with the main opening at MAO on 3 December. Final exhibition details have yet to be confirmed.
From everyday objects to society
For an exploration of everyday design, MAO offers a historical context of its own. Its collection encompasses architecture, industrial design and visual communication from the 20th and 21st centuries. The museum describes its holdings as records of ideas and objects that have shaped everyday life. They allow visitors to trace the history of Slovenian products and their design: which materials and manufacturing methods became important? How did ideas of comfort, function and the modern home change?
BIO 29 provides the current occasion for this exploration, rather than a promise of an exhibition devoted exclusively to household objects. Its announced focus is broader, covering processes, knowledge and the connections between design and other fields. It is precisely this framework that makes the comparison interesting: a product can be considered as a form, but also as the outcome of research, infrastructure and manufacturing.
Collections beyond the biennial
The National Museum of Slovenia offers a second perspective. Its holdings range from archaeological finds to furniture, ceramics, textiles and everyday objects. This creates a broad sweep: from tools and vessels as objects essential to survival through to industrially manufactured products. Such collections show how everyday life can be read not only through major political events, but also through materials, techniques and things.
Ljubljana’s history also remains part of the picture. MAO is housed in Fužine Castle; the museum has been responsible for organising the biennial since 1972. BIO was established in 1963 as a biennial of industrial design, bringing together an engagement with design and production from an early stage. The current edition carries this history into a present in which design raises questions about the environment, work and social systems.
Travelling to Ljubljana by train
From Germany, the rail journey usually passes through Austria and requires a change depending on the departure point. The Slovenian Tourist Board lists connections via Villach or Graz, among others; engineering works may alter routes and connections. Up-to-date timetables and connecting services should therefore be checked for specific travel dates. Nor are all three venues in the biennial programme located in Ljubljana: anyone planning the excursion to Koper should allow extra travel time.
On a cultural break, it is worth shifting your attention between the biennial and the collections. The exhibition provides a contemporary framework for thinking; the museums bring earlier uses of everyday objects and histories of production to life. In this way, the question guiding the trip becomes tangible: which unassuming objects have shaped everyday life — and what do they tell us about the society that designed, made and used them?
Original reviewed by the editors · 13 November 2026
