www.business-review.eu Business Review | October 2021
FESTIVAL 37
Diploma’s creativity takes over Bucharest Diploma recognises some of Romania’s most exciting emerging design and fine arts talent, providing a unique curated environment for young designers to exhibit their graduation projects. Business Review talked to Andrei Bortun, the founder of Diploma, about the highlights of this event. By Oana Vasiliu of visitors, including
ro, a project aiming to reconvert the extraor-
architects, curators,
dinary infrastructure owned by the Union
gallery owners, advertis-
of Visual Artists, under the current name of
ers or designers. That's
Combinatul Fondului Plastic, at 29 Baiculesti
how we came up with
Street in Bucharest.
the idea: starting from a slightly unpleasant premise and trying to
What are some of this year's festival highlights for you?
build a more valuable
I think the exhibitions themselves are very
context around it.
valuable, because they are not just the sum of the works on display, but artistic projects in and of themselves. And I believe that the dis-
We are very close with the creative universi-
Diploma has now reached its eighth edition. How has the festival changed over the years?
ties, and that includes both students and
The first editions only targeted vocational
it has been a well-kept secret of the city.
academic staff. As a result, I am aware of how
universities in Bucharest, but the content
much work students put in for their Bache-
wasn’t limited to theses from Arts and Archi-
lor’s Diploma or Master's theses during gradu-
tecture students; it also included works by
ation years. I thought all this content that was
Theatre and Film and Conservatory students.
Where did the idea for Diploma come from?
being generated every year deserved a better
(…) There have been many positive effects,
covery of the venue itself can be a surprise for 99 out of 100 people in Bucharest. Until now,
What do you expect from the creative industries in the future after looking at all the applications for this edition of the festival?
fate and more exposure, especially the best
including the fact that young graduates from
I have never had any doubts about the talent
works by the most talented artists, designers,
all over the country are able to meet their
of my fellow citizens. It has also been proven
and architects of the new generation.
peers, that mature organisations in each
that our performance is far superior to other
creative industry, seeking to refresh their
countries’ when it comes to film, electronic
project that would make it easier for a wide,
teams, have access to top talent from across
music, plastic arts, advertising or IT.
unfamiliar audience to engage with painting,
the country, and that it generates positive
sculpture, graphics, clothing or product de-
competition between universities in terms of
inspired trust for me. It’s a state that does not
sign, architecture, and photography. We say
attracting the interest of future students.
ask itself how it could turn the excellence of
(…) With this in mind, we thought of a
it’s easier because Diploma is more than an
This year we’re making a major change,
It is the Romanian state that has never
some of the fields listed above into real indus-
exhibition; it is a festival. Each edition means
following a survey carried out among more
tries that can bring jobs, money, and prestige
dozens of meetings and events in various
than 300 graduates who have passed through
to the entire country. It does not ask itself
public places with various functions. And it’s
our festival in recent years: we are opening an
how it could retain more of these talented
full of young people.
exhibition space for emerging artists, design-
people or how it could attract talent from
ers, and architects at Combinatul Fondului
Europe or the rest of the world. But I think
all these people a chance to get to know
Plastic. Last but not least, two years ago, we
the future of creative industries in Romania
each other, collaborate, exchange ideas; an
asked ourselves what else we could do with
sounds good, because it builds itself.
opportunity to know and be known by the
Diploma, other than to organise it. And one
Diploma takes place between October 8-17 at
seniors of the creative industries who are on
of the answers was that Diploma, along with
Combinatul Fondului Plastic, UNAgaleria,
our creative boards or among the thousands
other initiatives, will contribute to Combinat.
SENAT, and The Institute.
I thought of a project that would give
