Georgia's capital Tbilisi marked the launch of three exhibitions to mark the annual celebrations of Italian design and architecture in the country this week, with scientific, academic and business communities involved alongside dignitaries from the two states.
At the city's Museum of Modern Art, a display organised in collaboration with the National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservatives was unveiled with a look at design, technologies and sustainability.
It involved the Georgian edition of the prestigious Domus magazine - launched in December - taking the question "Can History and The Future Cohabit?" to form the exhibition, while a creative competition was also unveiled to identify young Georgian designers via their projects.
Set to be awarded by the Italian Embassy and the European Institute of Design, the winning entrants will be featured in the programme after the conclusion of the main display, with a full scholarship at an Italian institution designated for the outright winner, a spot in a Smart Creativity course awaiting the runner-up, and a "surprise award" drawn up for the Jury Award winner of the contest.
On Tuesday, a workshop was hosted for architecture and design professionals from companies, academia and other sectors to present their ongoing projects and discuss new technology for preservation of cultural assets. The event also presented the latest updates in plans for boosting tourism potential of western Georgia's long-standing Tskaltubo resort.
The workshop featured representatives of the University of Florence, the Master of Poly Architecture Design (founded by the Polytechnic of Milan), the Academy of Fine Arts of Georgia and the Centre of Architecture, Design and Creative Industries in Tbilisi, as well as the IED and the editorial office of Domus Georgia.
Dignitaries and officials involved in the two-day programme - organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Foreign Trade Promotion Agency - included Ambassador Enrico Valvo and Irakli Karseladze, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia.
The displays opened as part of the programme will be open for visitors until Friday.