BE OPEN is a creative think tank whose mission is to promote people and ideas: a cultural and philanthropic initiative that aims to harness the brainpower of the global creative minds in the arts, education, design, business, and the media – and asks them to imagine and then build solutions for the future. BE OPEN is cultivating a unique environment in all areas of human pursuit: intelligent living, new forms of urban development, housing, innovative industrial design solutions and new communication forms from around the world. Behind the creation of BE OPEN, stands an international team united around one of the most successful Russian businesswoman, entrepreneur, celebrated maecenas and philanthropist Elena Baturina.

We met Mrs Baturina during the Milan Design Week 2013, for the launch of the BEOPEN 2013 partecipation.

“The inspiration to create BE OPEN came from a quote I found when I was reading “In Search of Lost Time” by Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes”. I thought this was a perfect reflection of how I like to view the world: seeing things with new eyes. BE OPEN is my way of having new eyes and finding collaborators who see differently too. I created BE OPEN to allow millions of other people to experience this new way of seeing. The aim is to help brilliant young creatives, architects and designers to shape the future. It is crucial that young people are exposed to inspiring ideas today, ideas they can evolve to improve on our future. Our commitment is to become a bridge between the great minds of our time – philosophers, sociologists, designers, architects, art- ists, publishers, writers, businessmen and opinion leaders— and the promising new minds of the next generation. BE OPEN is also a way to promote and support projects that could eventually be realised and have a pos- itive impact on the future. I would like to give the possibility to have a fertile piece of land and see if what grows there makes sense. We are planning a whole series of activities to support young creatives, helping to realise their projects and gathering ideas for innovative start-ups. Our approach is unconventional: we want to promote growth and progress not through engineering or science, but through creativity – and design in particular – which could become a key component to social development and is integral to so many industries.”

Elena Baturina discovered so many unexpectable results since the creation of BEOPEN: “it’s been such a satisfaction for all of us with people and artists from about 50 different countries all over the World! This means we’ve worked following the right directin and talking about questions people want to explain much more! We suggest a theme, this year’s about the five senses and how in that particular period of full immersion of sight with the new media and devices, they cand be so important, frm taste to hearing and smelling. It’s an exploration on how the senses can be in our daily life. For example Massimiliano Alajmo explains us here how gastronomy can be shown from touching and hearing the sound of the food. Amazing!”

And what about creativeness today? ” I think that one of my best fortune is to get in touch, with BEOPEN, with creative people, artists and not only. And to be able to spread out their genius to common people and to the talented young ones of today!”

For the Milan Design Week 2013 there was the BE OPEN Talks, a panel discussion moderated by italian critic Philippe Daverio at the Milan University, addressing on how the whole World relationship with design has evolved over the years and how it will change over the next thirty years; how influences from world cultures have cross-fertilised and altered the way we live our lives, cook, dress and create; how digital technology has revolutionized communication and how our workplaces have changed, becoming more efficient and user friendly. Importantly the talk is investigate how it has become even more important for people to meet in person and share information, ideas and emotions.

Supporting the main theme on the Five Senses, here also the installation by Christopher Pillet, part of the Hybrid Architecture & Design Exhibition, organized by Interni magazine.

This project reflects the BE OPEN mission through the juxtaposition of the installation and a series of interactive design works displayed behind the XV century portico surrounding the courtyard. The works created by young designers specialising in multimedia will be a result of the competition. Also, the Food Experience, using Kvadrat’s textiles and Moroso’s furniture, celebrated designer Patricia Urquiola create a ‘stage’ for Italian Massimiliano Alajmo, the world’s youngest chef to be awarded 3 Michelin Stars and the Danish duo I’m a Combo, in which they create work on the theme of the senses.

Elena Baturina continues: “I’m a woman, but forst of all a human being. That’s the important value! I come from Russia, one of the most important power in commerce, trading, finance and art too, today. I’m so proud of that, and i’d love russians abroad to come back to our country!”

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