"At DMY Berlin we want to support young designers"

Dezeen and MINI World Tour: DMY Berlin founder Joerg Suermann gives us a guided tour of this year's design festival in our second report from Berlin.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Our MINI Paceman outside Berlin Tempelhof Airport

This year's DMY International Design Festival Berlin took place from 5 to 9 June in two hangers inside the disused Berlin Tempelhof Airport.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Strange Symphony by Philip Weber

The first part of the show Suermann takes us to is DMY New Talents, an area focussing on young and upcoming designers, including German designer Philipp Weber, whose glassblowing trumpet we featured on Dezeen last week.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Melodic Scribe by Victor Gonzalez and Ji Hye Kang

"We do New Talents because we like to support the young designers," Suermann says. "Normally it's very hard for them to get into the big fairs. We do this New Talents area, with a low price, to give them the chance to show their products to a big audience."

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Pressed vessels by Floris Wubben

Suermann then shows us the main exhibitor area where "around 300 international designers from more than 30 nations" showcase their products, before taking us to an exhibition called Refugium: Berlin as a Design Principle focussing on work by Berlin-based designers.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Main exhibitor space at DMY Berlin

"The Refugium is curated by Max Borka, a journalist and curator for contemporary design," Suermann explains. "This year we have a cooperation with him to organise the Berlin part of our festival."

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Like Paper lamps by Miriam Aust and Sebastian Amelun

Next, Suermann shows us the pieces that are up for contention for the annual Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. "The German Design Award is open for German designers of course, but also for international designers," Suermann says. "To apply you need to have won a prize before."

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
3D-printed ceramics by students from HBKsaar university

Finally, Suermann takes us to the area of the festival where university students showcase their projects, from 3D-printed ceramics to hand-woven textiles.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Weaver from Strzemiński Academy of Fine Art Łódź

"This year we have around 20 universities from ten different countries," Suermann says. "We are one of the biggest platforms in Germany for the universities."

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Joerg Suermann

We drove to DMY Berlin in our MINI Cooper S Paceman.

The music featured in the movie is a track called Reso Dream by Simplex. You can listen to the full version on Dezeen Music Project.

DMY Berlin 2013 tour with Joerg Suermann
Our MINI Paceman outside Berlin Tempelhof Airport