Ronen Kadushin (b. 1964) is an Israeli designer and design educator living in Berlin since 2005. He taught furniture design and design creativity courses at leading Israeli and European design academies since 1993. In 2004 Kadushin developed the Open Design concept, where the designs of his products can be downloaded, copied, modified and produced, much as in Open Source software.

Based on this concept, he formed Open Design, a design and production company for furniture, lighting and accessories which are produced in Berlin and sold in Europe and the USA. Open Design products are regularly presented in solo and group exhibitions world wide, and published in professional literature.
Kadushin is a creative consultant in the field of marketing and brand strategy,  teaches Open design courses in universities and speaks at conferences. In 2019 he founded the FIT Furniture brand and collection. He is the author of the Open Design Manifesto.

Professional work
2020 - Chief Design Officer, partner at 2ulfab and New Edge Furniture (USA)
2019 - Founder and designer of FIT Furniture. An Affordable, minimalist, sculptural and easy to assemble furniture brand.
2013 - Creative consultant for various companies with ..And Dos Santos Agency, Berlin
2012- Guest professor, Open Design corse at HTW - Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Berlin
2011 - Open Design lectures and workshops at various universities.
2010 - Guest professor at Burg Giebichenstein - University of Art and Design Halle, teaching Open Design.
2006 - 2009 Lecturer at the Universität der Künste (UdK), Berlin.
2005 - Moved to Berlin. Forms Open Design company.
2004 - Designer of domestic furniture as part of IDSK for Shomrat Hazorea.
2001 - 2005 - Lecturer of Furniture Design at the Shenkar School of Engineering and Design.
2000 - Designer of contract seating for Tzora Office Furniture.
1999 - 2001 - Co-founder and design director of Design To Work Ltd., focusing on office systems design.
1998 - 2001 - Lecturer of three dimensional design and furniture design at
Vital Center of Design (Tel Aviv).
1997 - 2000 - Designer of office chairs for Paltechnica.
1997- Lecturer of furniture design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, (Jerusalem).
1996 - Lecturer of three dimensional design at Ascola Academy (Tel Aviv).
1995 - 1996 -Founder, Manager and Designer of Pere furniture (Rishpon).
1993 - 2005 - Senior Lecturer of three dimensional design, design creativity and furniture design at the Hadassah College (Jerusalem).
1992 - Designer of domestic furniture for Znobar (Tel Aviv).
1991 - Designer of Hi-Tech industrial products and furniture at Studio Shaham (Tel Aviv).
1989 - Apprentice at Ron Arad’s One-Off studio (London).

Education

2004 - Awarded an M.Des degree with Merit in Industrial Design from Middlesex University (London).
1991 - Awarded a B.Des degree Cum Laude in Industrial Design from the
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design (Jerusalem).
1987 - 1991 – Studies Industrial Design at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design(Jerusalem).     

Exhibitions

2016 - “Digital Cyrcus” Design d’autore in digital fabrication, Vicolo Folletto Art Factories, Reggio Emilia
2016 - Do It Yourself Design, Bröhan-Museum Berlin
2016 - State of Design Berlin
2016 -  Brutal Beauty-Violence and Contemporary Design, MARTa Herford contemporary art museum, Curator Max Borka, Herford DE
2015 - Do It Yourself Design, Museum für Gestaltung – Schaudepot, Zürich
2014 - Download Design, curated by Denis Santachiara, Palazzo dei Musei, Reggio Emilia
2014 - Italian Design Beyond the Crisis, Triennale Design Museum, 8th edition, Milan
2014 - Ménage à Quatre " Let's talk about"- Sarpi Bridge Gallery, Milan
2013 - Refugium group exhibition curated by Max Borka, DMY festival, Berlin.
2012 - Helmrinderknecht Gallery exhibition at Vienna Design Week, Vienna.
2012 - DMY tour- Group exhibition in New York and Miami.
2011 - Mythos Original - Universität der Künste, at DMY International Design Festival, Berlin
2011 - The form of Co-Creation: reality in the“Creative Commons Era” at theCity University of Arts Art Gallery, Kyoto.
2010 - Recent Uploads, Solo exhibition at Appel Design Gallery, Berlin.
2010 - "Prototypes and Experiments" 4, group exhibition at the Aram Gallery London. Curator: Daniel Charny.
2009 - "Prototypes and Experiments" 3, group exhibition at the Aram Gallery London. Curator: Daniel Charny.
2008 - Hard Copies, solo exhibition at Appel Design Gallery, Berlin.
2007 - Designmai07,Open Design, Appel Design Gallery, Berlin.
2005 - The first Gwangju Design Biennale, main exhibition "Future Life". Gwangju, S. Korea.
2005 - Open Design, solo exhibition at Designmai, Berlin (at Josetti-Hoefe).
2005 - “Promisedesign”,New Design from Israel, at the Triennale, Milano, and Designmai, Berlin. Curators: Ely Rozenberg and Prof. Vanni Pasca.
2005 - “Darkness”, Group exhibition at the Experimental or New Work Gallery, London. Curator: Daniel Charny.
2004 - “Design Matters”,contemporary Israeli design collection, Felissimo Design House, New York.
2002 - “Industrious Designers”, second edition of an exhibition of young Israeli
Designers, at the Abitare il Tempo Fair, Verona, Italy. Curators: Ely Rozenberg and Prof. Vanni Pasca. Also exhibited at Tendence fair, Frankfurt and Stockholm furniture exhibition.
2001 - “Industrious Designers”, an exhibition of young Israeli Designers, at the
Abitare il Tempo Fair, Verona, Italy. Curators: Ely Rozenberg and Prof. Vanni Pasca. Also exhibited in Prague, Riga and Vilnius.
2000  - Thinology, solo exhibition of furniture and accessories at the Periscope
Gallery, Tel Aviv. Curator: Kenny Segal.
1999 - “Pgam- Defective by Design”, a group exhibition at the Jerusalem
Theater organized by the Hadassah College. Curator: Kenny Segal.
1998 - “50 Years, 50 Designers”, group exhibition of Israeli Designers since the establishment of the state of Israel to the present. Tel Aviv Electric Company Historical Building.
1997 - “50 Years of Israeli Furniture Design”, Group exhibition,Fair Gardens, Tel Aviv. Curator- Galit Gaon.
1997 - “Keter Plastic Chair”, Group exhibition, variations and ideas on a
banal chair. Hamumhe Gallery, Tel Aviv.
1991 - Young Artists Exhibition, Group exhibition, America-Israel Foundation
Award winners, the Ramat Gan Museum of Art.

Lectures, Presentations, Workshops

2019 - Open Design presentation, Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Tel Aviv
2018 - Open Design presentation, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem
2016 - Maker Faire Vienna, Open Design workshop and presentation
2015 - Open Design presentation and workshop, DOERS event at Etopia, Zaragoza
2014 - Open Design presentation, Demanio Marittimo.KM-278 event, Senigallia, Italy
2014 - Open Design presentation and panel member, Re-Work Tech Conference, Berlin
2014 - "Your Design-Your Way" workshop, ThingsCon Conference, Berlin
2014 - "Fast Furniture" workshop,  Kunsthochschule Kassel
2014 - Presentation and workshop leader at IaaC, Barcelona
2013 - Workshop leader, Hunter- Gatherer- Designer, at HTW- Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft, Berlin
2013 - Presentation and Jury member at Vienna Open, Open Design Festival, Vienna.
2013 - Presentation and workshop at Plymouth University, Plymouth.
2013 - Pilots: Navigating Next Models of Design Education at the Stanley Picker.  Gallery, Kingston University, London
2012 - Presentation and workshop at Open Design Month, Vienna.
2012 - Presentation at Sweedish Design day, Stockholm
2012 - Presentation at BIFE, Bucharest International Furniture Exhibition, Bucharest.
2012 - Presentation and workshop at FABFUSE, Amersfoort.
2012 - Open Design / Shared Creativity- International conference, Barcelona. 
2012 - Open Design Symposium at the Art University of Linz, workshop with designer Greg Saul as part of Linux week, Linz.
2012 - Workshop and Open Design presentation in ESADSE, Saint-Etienne.
2011 -  Shanghai Academy of Art and Design, Shanghai.   
2011 - X treat #3- Open Innovation conference, Berlin
2011 - Istanbul Design Week.
2011 - Creative Industries Styria- Open Design Conference, Graz
2010 - Culture 2.0 conference, National Audiovisual Institute, Warsaw.
2010 - Institut für industrial Design,HS Magdeburg Stendal.
2010 - Creativ Wirtschaft Austria, Vienna.
2010 - (Un)Limited Design Forum, Amsterdam.
2010 - Social Media Week- Berlin.
2010 - IDZ, Designers Accord town hall meeting, Berlin
2010 - Kingston University, London.
2010 - Goldsmiths University, London.
2010 - RCA, Design Product- Platform 10, London.
2009 - “Know How”, the 5th Tallinn Applied Art Triennal, Estonia.
2009 - Volksport Design,Symposium zur lage der Designprofession, Berlin.
2009- Open Design and Architecture, Vienna design week, Vienna
2009 - Hacking at Random 09, Holland.
2009 -„My, You & I“ - Vernetzt, verbunden, verknotet. Designtransfer,UdK, Berlin Panel member.
2009 - DMY 2009 symposium, Berlin.
2008 - DMY 2008 symposium, Berlin.
2008 - Open Everything conference, New thinking, Berlin.
2008 - BMW advanced design studio, Munich.
     
Selected publications

2019 - Paolo Deganello, Design politico, Altreconomia, Milan
2017 - Denis Santachiara, Download Design - Manutenzione straordinaria della cultura materiale, 24 Ore Cultura, Milan
2017 - Iryna Kuksa, Tom Fisher, Design for Personalisation, Routledge, Abingdon, UK
2016- - Leon Cruickshank, Open Design and Innovation: Facilitating Creativity in Everyone, Routledge, Oxford UK
2015 - Anna Yudina, Furnitecture, Furniture that Transforms Space, Thames & Hudson, London.
2014 - Rainy Wong, Material+: Creative Products, Artpower Int. Publishing, Hong Kong
2013 - Dezeen, http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/22/nokia-is-the-first-global-company-to-have-a-go-at-open-design-ronen-kadushin/    
2011 - Bas Van Abel et al., Open Design Now, BIS Publishers, Amsterdam.
2011 - Diana Budds, Dwell Magazine, Kadushin's Laser Cut Chairs, http://www.dwell.com/articles/kadushins-laser-cut-chairs.html
2010 - Annika Bauer,Video: Recent Uploads live production of chairs, http://vimeo.com/17419550
2010 - Inna Alesina , Ellen Lupton, Exploring Materials : Creative Design for Everyday Objects,Princeton Architectural Press, New York.
2009 -  Jimmy Stamp, Dwell Magazine, Open Source furniture, http://www.dwell.com/articles/open-source-furniture.html
2009 - R.Klanten et al., Once upon a chair: Design beyond the icon, Die Gestalten Verlag, Berlin.
2009 - Tim McKeough, Wired Magazine 17-04, Mod That Table: High-End Furniture Goes Open Source.
2008 - Victor Cheung, Simply Material, Victionary, Hong Kong.
2008 - Alex Steffen, Albert Gore, Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century, Abrams, NY
2007 - Jude Stewart, The Open Hand, Nextbook online magazine ,interview.
2007 - Sophie Lovell, Furnish-Furniture and Interior Design for the 21st century, Die Gestalten Verlag, Berlin.
2006 - Mel Byars, New Chairs. Design, Technology, and Materials, Laurence king publishers, London.
2006 - I.D. Magazine,The I.D. Forty:Undersung Heroes,Jan./Feb. 2006 issue.
2004 - Dagmar Steffen, Jochen Gros, C-Moebel, Anabas verlag, Frankfurt.
2004 - Mel Byars, The Museum of Modern Art Design Encyclopedia, Museum of Modern Art publications, New York.
2003 - Mel Byars, Design in Steel, Laurence king publishers, London.

Awards

2000 - Arthur Goldreich foundation grant.
1997 - Contemporary Design Award, sponsored by the Wood and Furniture Producers Association.
1996 - Contemporary Design Award, sponsored by the Wood and Furniture Producers Association.
1994 - Crate & Barrel Design Award, hosted by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
1991 - Meizler Award for excellent Design, hosted by the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design (Jerusalem).
1991 - America- Israel Foundation grant.
1991 - Bezalel Prize for excellence in studies, the Department of Industrial Design ,Bezalel Academy of Art and Design (Jerusalem).