On October 11–12, Lviv hosted the youth forum "Disarium" - one of the most significant design events of the year. At !FESTrepublic, professionals from various fields gathered to discuss the challenges faced by designers in wartime.
This year, the event attracted over 9,000 participants, including:
- men - 1800
- women - 7200
- internally displaced persons - 500
- people with disabilities - 10
The main theme of the forum was identity: personal, professional, and cultural. Discussions highlighted design as not only an industry but also a vital element of social development.
In addition to lectures and workshops, this year's forum introduced new formats. For the first time, a design competition took place where specialists solved real problems live. There were also "ironic talks" - stories about failures that turned into valuable lessons, as well as morning workouts by the BetterMe team.
Among the events, joint recordings of the podcasts "Chumaky" and "What’s the Challenge?" were held. Concurrently, the Creative Practice team created a special season titled "Creative Practice about Creative Practices," where forum speakers discussed identity. Nearby, the Dysarium Market operated - a curated market featuring over 30 top Ukrainian brands shaping the modern visual culture. Participants included JUL, Gushka, Tsvite Teren, and others.
The event was organized by the Pixlab design space in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, as well as with the support of the Emotion Holding "!FEST" and KredoBank. The conference was co-organized by CASES, a super app for creative industries. Support was also provided by MacPaw, WIX, Excited!, ELEKS, and others.
