Product design group For Use was formed in the year 1998. Two members studied at the School of Design in Zagreb, the third studied at High School for Applied Arts in Vienna. Since then the group designed furniture and objects for companies such as Cappellini, ClassiCon, Desalto, Interlubke, Magis, MDF Italia, Moroso, and Zanotta. In 1999 the group realized several important exhibition design projects and established Numen as a group name for projects realized outside of the field of industrial design. In 2004 Numen / For Use started developing set design projects for various theater companies which led to a major breakthrough in 2005 with set design for Infierno in Centro Dramatico Nacional in Madrid. In 2005 Numen / ForUse established the first design oriented brand for quality furniture in former Yugoslavia – Element, designing visual identity and initial furniture collection. Numen / For Use has simultaneously developed interior and exterior design projects, usually working with 3lhd and Imarea architects. The most important is the integral design of the waterfront in Split, realized in 2007. From 2008 on Numen / For Use has been designing objects and concepts without predefined function, resulting in Numen-light and Tape Installation projects. Besides these prominent realizations, the group has been awarded several international prizes for their work in the fields of set and industrial design. www.foruse.info.

Dominic Wilcox is a British designer who creates unique and innovative objects, drawings and installations. After studying a degree in Visual Communication at Edinburgh College of Art, followed by a period of time living in Japan, Wilcox later undertook an MA at the Royal College of Art on the renowned Design Product course led by Ron Arad. Since 2002 Wilcox has worked on his own projects as well as major art and design commissions for organisations such as Nike, Vipp and Esquire. In 2009 he started a Webby award nominated ideas site called Variations on normal, where he puts his sketchbook ideas and observations. His work has been exhibited and published extensively worldwide. www.dominicwilcox.com.

CriticalCity Upload is one of the best-known startups of the last years. With the help of an online platform, they have created a pervasive game about “urban transformation, a virus that lets people on the streets meet and get to know each other, provoking them to accomplish missions and to change the city”. The driving force behind Upload are Focus, alias Augusto Pirovano, who graduated in Economics of Arts, Culture and Communication at the Bocconi University of Milan, and Matteo Uguzzoni, who graduated in Architecture at the University of Ferrara. Since the launch of their platform, CriticalCity has been internationally recognized as one of the best and most innovative startups. Amongst the numerous awards are for example the Kublai Award of the Ministry of Economical Development, the 100 Talents Prize given by the Board of European Regions, and at the competition of TechGarage 2009 the Public Choice Award, the Wired Geek Award and the First Prize of the Jury. www.criticalcity.org.

Demian Conrad is a Swiss designer. In 2007 he founded his studio in Lausanne where he mainly works for cultural and social institutions as well as for famous brands. Characteristical for Demian’s work is the research based approach – his major interest is on the relational modes between technology and process, form and meaning. Demian Conrad is exploring continuously alternative methods: he uses not only traditional printing but also new advanced techniques in digital printing. He’s been recently working on a secret project concerning organic inks based on bananas. In 2009 and 2010, Demian won an award in the “100 Beste Plakate” competition and he was  also honored by the President of the Swiss Confederation for a stamp designed for the Swiss national mail service. www.demianconrad.com.

As a composer and improviser, Andrea’s work is concentrated on algorithmic methodologies in the field of electro-acoustic and instrumental music. He participated with his projects to many events in Italy as well as abroad. With IVVN (ex AMP2), an artist lab dedicated to improvisation of electronic music, he has published “Hopeful Monster (Die Schachtel)”. Furthermore, he composed the soundtrack for Marcellì Antuñez Roca’s feature film “Cotrone”. Andrea Valle works as a PhD in a research position at the Faculty of Semiotics at the University of Bologna and at the Research Center of Multimedia and Audiovisual, University of Turin(Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sulla Multimedialità e l’Audiovisivo, Università di Torino). At the same university he teaches additionally at the graduates’ seminar on Multimedia, Art, Music and Entertainment (Multimedialità e Discipline Artistiche, Musicali e dello Spettacolo (MultiDAMS)). www.fonurgia.unito.it.

Natascia Fenoglio develops her researches exploring and investigating food capabilities, foods and their aggregative power, their adaptability as material and the infinitive aesthetic solutions we can evoke. Managing food in its technical and mechanical characteristics, Natascia seeks to create curious worlds, mountings, eatable objects mixing art and game language with the food design one, she’s working merging areas, overturning situations, changing materials and functions of things. www.natasciafenoglio.com.

Love Difference – Artistic Movement for an InterMediterranean Politic – is an association founded by Michelangelo Pistoletto. Its activities include the creation of a network of cooperations which, with the help of art, promote an intercultural dialogue and create synergy effects with other associations in the Mediterranean region. Love Difference supports the research on and diffusion of methods which emphasize the creativity of the individual in a team. The association furthermore realizes projects which include groups of persons that show alternative points of view in their works and therefore set processes of cultural growth. www.lovedifference.org.