From 16 to 25 September, Kuala Lumpur will be a hive of creative activity as a slew of art and design programmes descend on Malaysia’s capital city as part of KL Design Week.

The annual event, which will be held at various venues, is aimed at connecting local creative minds with global participants via conferences and exhibitions.

Placemats by multidisciplinary design studio vit-e for KL Design Week 2011

The theme this year is “Reaching for the Stars” and since 2009, one of the event’s goals has been to unearth local talents and catapult them onto a global platform while rewarding standouts in its very own Seven Bintang Awards. As one of the most prominent design festivals in Kuala Lumpur, the event fosters networking opportunities for design communities and individuals across the country.

Last year’s KL Design Week

This year’s conference series, to be held from 16 to 18 September, will cover subject matters such as Photography and Creative Entrepreneurship, and will include a diverse lineup of speakers from Egypt, Germany, Lebanon, Poland, Indonesia, Cape Town and more.

Also presented last year…

Many different exhibitions are also being planned, from Pecha Kucha nights for creatives to meet, network and show their work in public; to a performing arts project supported by the British Council that explores the relationship between identity, ritual and place. Showcases of art and creative forms of expression are also being organised, along with a campaign to promote local fruits such as the durian, duke, nangka and jambu!

Conference tickets and master classes are already available for sale and a complete listing of events can be found on Kuala Lumpur Design Week’s website – kldesignweek.com.

Hero image: Table by it-e