This year's dates are announced - the new Rabotilnica workshop will start on the 15th and finish on the 25th June 2011.

How does it work?

The manufacturers give assignments(task briefs) based on which the designers/teams develop conceptual proposals. If a project is approved, the manufacturer and the designer/team continue with the product's joint development until the new design goes into production. A non disclosure agreement is signed in advance by the manufacturer and the designer/team.

On the workshop this year the participants can choose to work as a team or independently.

The application deadline is: 15/04/2011

If you want to participate, please send your CVs and portfolios at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Once again, this year CHERGA will take part in the World of the Furniture '2010 show - the biggest furniture show in Bulgaria. Many thanks to the Bulgarian Timber chamber and Bulgarreklama agency for this opportunity!

Please feel welcome to come at stand A19, hall 2 to say HI and to see our last projects and prototypes.

If you want to register for free entry to the show, please follow this link:

Free entry registration

After ten days of hard work and loads of emotions on the 22nd of June 2010, workshop Rabotilnica'2010 was completed.

Twenty-eight projects in total from 7 teams were shown at the final presentations. It is expected soon to be known which ones exactly will be chosen for manufacture and mass production.

Twenty-two designers in total took part in workshop Rabotilnica'2010 – 15 from Bulgaria and 7 from Austria, Poland, France, Germany and the Netherlands:

Boris Simeonov
Valentin Vodev
Velichko Velikov
Vladislav Vassilev
Volen Valentinov
Gloria Angelova
Diana Lazarova
Elena Draganova
Evgeni Kralev
Irena Pamukovs
Krassi Dimitrov
Martin Naydenov
Nikolay Mihaylov
Nevena Mitkova
Svetlana Stancheva
Brit Leissler 
Johem  Faudet
Marco Dessi 
Macjek Wojcicki
Maja Ganszyniec 
Olivia Decaris 
Rainer Mutsch

On the manufacturers’ side 5 companies took part with 10 briefs in total:

Valinor LTD - www.valinordesign.com
Ideal Standard Vidima Plc. - www.idealstandard.com
Nikrom Mebel Plc. - www.nikrommebel.bg
Tesy LTD – www.tesy.com
Total-M – www.total-m.com

Official sponsor of the event is LIGNA Consult LTD – Bulgarian furniture cluster and business consultant – elected for top entrepreneur in 2010 for Bulgaria - http://ligna-consult.com
In the beginning of the workshop presentations of the designers taking part were made, as well as of the companies from the cluster, regarding manufacturing opportunities, work on joint intentions and ideas on future collaboration. We created many new and useful contacts and exchanged impressions and thoughts on the development of the industry in Bulgaria and over the world.

On the presentations of the projects at the end of the workshop Rabotilnica, the manager of Total-M – Mitko Gatev praised the designers Olivia Decaris, Brit Leissler , Maja Ganszyniec, Johem  Faudet, Evgeni Kralev, Martin Naydenov, Elena Draganova and Velichko Velikov for respectively – most creative solution, best design, best presentation and  total solution. Mr. Peter Peryanov from Nikrom Mebel Plc expressed his enthusiasm and full support from his company to the conduct of the upcoming workshops Rabotilnica, and pointed this way of collaboration as a real working and interesting one to the Bulgarian manufacturers.
The main goals we had in front of us as organisers were reached – promotion of the Bulgarian designers and manufacturers, teamwork, exchange of experience, good outcomes and an effective relation between designers and manufacturers.
As main conclusions from this workshop, I can summarise in few words the impressions from the designers – this form of collaboration is interesting and useful to both sides, the results showed good understanding of the matter and effective work, despite of the short term. The interaction between designers and manufacturers will continue even after the workshop in different ways and on different projects.
The final products and for more information regarding their development, you’ll be able to see on www.rabotilnica.com and www.cherga.org


Velichko Velikov
Cherga Co-ordinator
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Workshop: ‘Project Rabotilnica’

www.rabotilnica.com

When: 11.06 – 22.06. 2010

Location: Shkorpilovtsi, Bulgaria - 20km south from Varna by the Black Sea

When it all started….
The idea started in 2008 when a group of motivated Bulgarian designers organized a 10-day workshop to develop design concepts together with furniture manufacturers. The project won the hearts and the minds of some of the most talented products designers in Bulgaria and solidified their cooperation with the national furniture industry.

For the second time, design will meet manufacturers, a collision of talent with business that promises to be an exhilarating experience. Set within the Sofia Design Week but outside the capital by the Black See coast the ‘Workshop Rabotilnitsa’ will be the nook for creative thinking and constructive interaction in an inspiring and relaxing setting.

Mission statement
The ‘Project Rabotilnitsa' is dedicated to forging long-term relationships between national and international designers as well as Bulgarian manufacturers. The idea is to create a win-win situation for businesses who need to innovate to stay on the top of their competitors and for designers to get exposure to manufacturing companies and to see their creations in production. While there is not such a long tradition of collaboration between product designers and high-end manufacturing in Bulgaria, there are strong indications that it is changing.
The aim is thus to make Bulgaria a vibrant place for design, where businesses are more than ever willing to take risks and where designers are keener than ever to demonstrate that they can create and innovate, as elsewhere in the world, to international standards. 

Objectives
1. Forging an environment for creative interactions
2. Supporting relationship building between design talent and furniture manufacturers in Bulgaria
3. Strengthening the collaboration between national and international designers
4. Creating a new working experience in the design world and establish Bulgaria as an international design hot spot.

The ‘Project Rabotilnica’ challenge
At the beginning of the workshop, eight Bulgarian manufacturers will provide a brief for a product they wish to see included in their production palette. Designers will be divided into 8 groups of each 3 people based on the desired product challenge/theme. They will have 10 days to elaborate the one concept or multiple concepts and, at the end of the week, to present to the manufacturer the final concepts including drawings, 3Ds, or physical models. It is also expected that designers put some thoughts into the saleability in an international market and production costs (materials, etc).
On the final day the groups will make a presentation of their elaborated concepts to manufacturers, who will select, for which products they will make prototypes and to eventually manufacture them for mass production. It is expected that selected designers and manufacturers will form a solid partnership to jointly develop the product, bring it to market fruition, and present it at international and national exhibitions (e.g. Cologne, Milan, Sofia, Paris, London).

Participants
The participants will be invited from Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, United Kingdom) and from other countries. All travel costs, accommodation as well food & drinks will be provided based on availability. Further logistical information on the workshop should be expected by the end of April.

Provisional schedule of events (11/06 – 22/06/2010)

Friday, June 11: Arrival and check-in
19:00 Reception at the beach

Saturday, June 12: Start at 10:00 Presentation of workshop programme. Manufacturers present the briefs, teams are set-up and start working on projects
15:00 Press conference

Sunday, June 13 until Friday, June 18: Product development (sketches, CAD drawings, first models)

Friday, June 18: 14:00 Stocktaking: First presentation to the manufacturers, feedback received

Saturday, June 19 – Sunday, June 20: Concepts and models refined

Sunday, June 20: Start 09:30 presentation to manufacturers

Monday, June 21: 19:00 Cocktail & party with the manufacturers

Tuesday, June 22: End of the workshop. Departure to Sofia and return to home base

SUPPORTED by
Sofia Design Week
PureAustrianDesign

Media Partners
Ideal House, MD, etc

Organizers
Cherga (Bulgarian Design Group);

Co-organizer
DIBLA

PROJECT CORDINATORS
Velichko Velikov - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. tel. +447738431674; velikov-design.com
Valentin Vodev -  http://www.pixstudio.net/

Get a glimpse of the rawest design talent at the Black Sea!