Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne

The Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne: A Major Global Design Event

Since its creation in 1998 by Jacques Bonnaval, then director of the École des beaux-arts de Saint-Étienne, the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne has established itself as a must-attend international design event. Born from a desire to reconnect with the city's industrial and creative heritage, it has evolved into a space for reflection, experimentation, and meeting between designers, architects, researchers, companies, and the general public.

13th Edition: Resources, Foretelling Tomorrow

The 13th edition, held from May 22 to July 6, 2025, explored the theme 'Resources, Foretelling Tomorrow.' Under the scientific direction of Laurence Salmon and the general curation of Éric Jourdan, this edition questioned the notion of resources in all its meanings: material, human, and intellectual. How do designers mobilize their resources in the face of ecological depletion, climate change, and the questioning of modern certainties?

A Choral Exhibition at Halles Barrouin

The flagship exhibition, spread over 2,000 m² at Halles Barrouin, gave a voice to nine invited designer-curators, each exploring a facet of resources:

• Déjà-là — Anna Saint Pierre
• Terres promises — Isabelle Daëron
• Le devenir industriel — Frédéric Beuvry
• Minimum/Maximum — natacha.sacha
• En mode hybride — Laurent Massaloux
• Créer avec l'IA — Étienne Mineur
• Le design des communs — Sylvia Fredriksson
• Design climatique — Philippe Rahm
• Les autres vivants — Marlène Huissoud

The scenography, entrusted to Joachim Jirou-Najou, combined monumental architectural elements, suspensions, and colored grids for an immersive experience.

The Right to Dream — Cité du design

At the Cité du design, in the La Platine building, the exhibition 'Le Droit de rêver' (1,000 m²) presented the results of workshops led by ESADSE during the 2024-2025 academic year, highlighting young talent and design research.

Armenia, Guest Country

As part of the twinning between Saint-Étienne and Kapan (Armenia), the Biennale showcased the Armenian creative scene through the exhibition 'En relief, créer en Arménie.' Curated by Jean-François Dingjian, Eloi Chafaï, and Nairi Khachadourian (director of Art Station), with scenography by Normal Studio, this exhibition offered a contemporary panorama of creation in Armenia and the diaspora around the notion of resources.

A UNESCO City of Design

Saint-Étienne has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network since 2010, the only French city recognized in the Design category. The Biennale is the highlight of this dynamic, bringing together cultural institutions, schools, businesses, and residents around contemporary creation. Each edition welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, professionals from around the world, and hundreds of events: exhibitions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and performances.

The Cité du design and Halles Barrouin

The Cité du design, inaugurated in 2009 on the former site of the Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne, is the beating heart of the Biennale. Its emblematic building, La Platine, designed by the LIN agency, houses exhibitions, workspaces, and meeting areas. The Halles Barrouin, a former rehabilitated industrial hall, hosts the main exhibition of each edition in a raw and spectacular 2,000 m² space.