BE OPEN Creative Think Tank Announces the Winner of its First Video Open-call, Devoted to Exploring Design and Nature

LONDON, February 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The BE OPEN Foundation is happy to announce the winner of its first ever video open-call BE OPEN Design Nature. The open-call - held from 7 November to 20 December - aimed to address the creative transformation of the world around us, by exploring the interconnection between design and nature in the most general sense.

More than a hundred videos were posted to BEOPEN's Instagram page over the course of the project, submitted by creative people from 23 countries around the world. The participants were asked to examine and visualise the ways in which design and nature can intertwine, complement and supplement each other, create opposition or harmony, or even make the perfect match.

The winner was chosen by a jury comprised of members of the BE OPEN Community, Herbarium team and the founder of BE OPEN, Yelena Baturina. Of all the incredible entries, the jury selected the video best representing the idea of #BEOPENDesignNature, which had been submitted by Michelle Bondesio (@michbondesio). Michelle lives in England and explores her creative talents through illustrative works, writing and photography.

Yelena Baturina said: "It is fantastic to see our open-calls reaching all parts of the world and encouraging very different people to engage with their creative side. Their responses display profound approaches to design. Each one revealed a unique way of interpreting nature as a source of inspiration for all sorts of human activities, while demonstrating the importance of striving for a harmonious interrelation between people and the natural world. We believe that creativity is the way to make that change, and we thank all the participants for supporting our belief."

BE OPEN's official partner for this project was Herbarium, a unique bar in Austria, which draws its inspiration from local flora to create unique beverages that have a positive effect on people's wellbeing. Herbarium provided EUR 1,000 in prize money, to be awarded to the winner of the open-call.

BE OPEN is designed to foster creativity and innovation - a think tank whose mission is to inspire people of today to build solutions for tomorrow. It is a cultural and social initiative supported by the Russian philanthropist and businesswoman Yelena Baturina. BE OPEN has been set up to harness novel ideas and promote creativity through a system of conferences, competitions, exhibitions, master classes and events.