Maribor, 16. June (STA) – Cutting-edge design from the first two decades of independent Slovenia will be displayed at the Maribor Art Gallery tonight in another in a series of events held under the banner of the European Capital of Culture.

“Silent Revolutions” will open for visitors in Maribor after being mounted on a smaller scale at the London Design Festival in September 2011 and in Milan and the Netherlands earlier this year.

The idea for the show was floated by Slovenian designers and the companies that are aware of the importance of design, said Matevž Čelik, head of the Ljubljana-based Museum of Architecture and Design, which prepared the display.

“We want to show that we have cutting-edge products in Slovenia that can compete on the global markets, that we have set new records and standards in many fields,” Čelik told a news conference ahead of the opening in Maribor.

The show is also important economically. “On the one hand we want to show these quality products abroad and help companies get into new markets, but we’also d like to send out a message to Slovenia that good design is the only right way to competitiveness and out of crisis,” the official said.

The showpieces include the legendary Rex chair by Niko Kralj, who is considered to be the pioneer of contemporary Slovenian design, and ultralight planes by Ivo Boscarol.

Also displayed are the filigree-design record players by Franc Kuzma, attractive Black Cherry Lamps by Nika Zupanc and the Greenline 33 Hybrid, the world’s first large hybrid vessel by Seaway.

Further displays include award-winning products such as revolutionary WaveFlex skis by Elan, Racing Elite cross-country skiing boots by Alpina and the Simplicity household appliances by Gorenje.

The show will run until 15 July, whereupon it is to be presented in Helsinki, this year’s capital of design.