- Scotland's national festival of design announces new commissions which see Timorous Beasties, Donna Wilson, Gabriella Marcella and Alicia Storie create interactive installations transforming an area of the former factory space at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc.
- Running from 23 to 29 September 2024 the free festival aims to be the world's most sustainable design festival showcasing the work of over 100 designers through a host of exhibitions workshops talks and events
- Dundee Design Festival celebrates Dundee’s 10th anniversary of UNESCO City of Design Status by launching an open call inviting Scotland's design talent to showcase their work
Dundee Design Festival 2024 photo by Grant Anderson
Marking 100 days until the opening of Scotland’s national celebration of contemporary design, Dundee Design Festival has announced the first elements of its week-long programme running from 23 - 29 September. This year’s theme is MULTIPLICITY celebrating the multiplicity of ways that design shapes our world. Powered by clean and renewable energy, the festival’s ambition is to be one of the world’s most sustainable design events.
The 10,000 sq metre former factory space at Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc will host 100 designers in a variety of exhibitions, workshops, talks and events. As part of the programme the festival will host bespoke large scale design installations by four of Scotland’s most innovative design studios.
MATERIALISE will invite visitors to step into the worlds of Donna Wilson, Timorous Beasties, Gabriella Marcella and AdesignStorie and experience the power of colour, pattern, tactility and movement in a series of specially designed environments each with a completely unique atmosphere. Using sustainable methods, each installation constructs a unique story about design from a tactile forest of knitted trees, to the latest innovations in bio-materials. The installations will be accompanied by a range of participatory activities and workshops suitable for a variety of ages.
Timorous Beasties are a surreal and provocative design studio creating a diverse range of products, collaborations and unique design projects internationally. Their installation offers a unique insight into their archives and contemporary designs spanning 30 years. Using wallpaper and textiles the studio will demonstrate their diverse range of patterns, ranging from design that echoes a golden age of copperplate engraving, to examples of a distinctly edgy nature where elegant transgressions are displayed with chic irreverence.
Donna Wilson has designed a woolly wonderland featuring a tactile forest of knitted trees, mushrooms and flowers. These whimsical creations are bursting with character and joy. The forest is also the home of a mysterious creature with an ever-growing rainbow mane of long hair. Visitors can help to knit the creature’s hair into a never ending scarf at the Knit Shop pop-up and see a range of Donna’s eponymous knitwear, creatures, cushions, ceramics, fine art, furniture and more.
Gabriella Marcella’s installation Challenging Uniformity allows visitors to experience how uniforms can be transformed into canvases for creativity, celebrating the dynamic interplay between conformity and individuality. Gabriella employs design to demonstrate creative expression, improvisation, activism, and customisation. Visitors are invited to engage with the interplay between conformity and personal expression, exploring how individuals navigate and negotiate their identities within the constraints of a uniform.
Alicia Storey of AdesignStorie has created the House of Wellbeing, a climate conscious tiny house installation that encourages the exploration of healthy materials. The house is designed to nurture physical, mental, and environmental wellness. Alicia has designed a bespoke materials library showcasing innovative and sustainable products for interiors and a complementary garden lounge offering a sensory calming experience for visitors to enjoy alongside a range of biophilic workshops and activities.
MATERIALISE is just one of the programme elements announced at this stage which include:
Exhibitions:
HYPER LOCAL, a hyper-local insight into design culture from ten cities and three continents. HYPER LOCAL marks the 10th anniversary of Dundee’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design. The exhibition presents over 60 objects or ideas that illustrate a wide variety of design cultures from across the global creative cities network. The diverse display honours and celebrates the UNESCO values of international collaboration, friendship and peace. Participating design cities include: Cebu, Bilbao, Dundee, Detroit, Graz, Kortrijk, Nagoya, Queretaro and Wuhan.
FRAMEWORK features contemporary design selected from across Scotland through an open call. Illustrating the myriad ways that design overlaps and intersects with other artforms and industries, FRAMEWORK acts as a unique snapshot of contemporary design.
Emerging Design x Real World Projects is an exhibition of graphic design resulting from close partnership working with Duncan & Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD). 14 students contributed visual concepts for DDF festival signage and marketing with the winner receiving £2000 and a work placement with the festival team. To celebrate the graphic designers of tomorrow and to mark the partnership with DJCAD, the competition entries will be exhibited in a display of highly distinctive and expressive concepts for Scotland's design festival.
Events & Activities:
THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL AGAIN hosted in partnership with Abertay University, this special interactive event explores whether AI-generated images could be seen as expressions of possibility or spaces that prompt us to question ourselves and our environment. During the event designers Sebastian Schmieg and Lina Schwarzenberg will receive images from the audience and will start “repairing the world” with AI.
Design as a Language - a panel discussion with Gabriella Bennett. “Design is the ultimate expression of culture” says Gabriella Bennett. The award winning writer and journalist will explore the way that design is encoded by different cultures internationally with a special line-up of guests, including designers Jennifer Gray and Adam Johnston and writer and journalist Eilidh Akilade.
The full Dundee Design Festival 2024 programme will be announced in mid July with further exhibitions, workshops, events and talks all sharing a unique insight into Scotland’s creative design sector and exploring sustainable approaches, fresh ideas and fun activities.
Dundee Design Festival 2024 is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Dundee City Council and the Northwood Trust.
Speaking as the 100 day festival countdown begins Dundee Design Festival Creative Director Stacey Hunter said: “Our exciting exhibition programme brings over 100 designers from every design category together under one roof and is brought to life by demonstrations, workshops and talks. So we’re delighted to be able to share details of part of the festival programme at this early stage. The generosity and ambition of the immersive installations planned by Gabriella Marcella, Alicia Storie of AdesignStorie, Donna Wilson and Timorous Beasties perfectly reflect the festival’s values of being playful, fresh and accessible with sustainability at its heart. By choosing MULTIPLICITY as this year’s theme I want to share and celebrate the multiplicity of ways that design shapes our world. From the potential of A.I. to platforming emerging design talent and hosting panels discussions, talks and workshops Dundee Design Festival 2024 invites visitors to engage with designs in so many ways.
One of the questions we asked ourselves: What are our leading designers, makers and thinkers currently developing? And where is design headed in the future? So we have launched an open call to Scotland’s designers for a new exhibition FRAMEWORK featuring contemporary design selected from across the country. This diverse exhibition celebrates 10 years of Dundee’s designation as the UK’s only design city with a multiplicity of ideas and objects for you to enjoy and be inspired by.
As preparations for the festival continue I look forward to sharing the full programme of events including some very special design commissions. Join us in September for a unique insight into Scotland’s creative design sector and explore sustainable approaches, fresh ideas and fun activities.
Designer Donna Wilson said: “The Dundee Design Festival is a unique opportunity for us to tell the story of what we do at a local and international level, in the city in which we exist. It’s so important for the next generation that we encourage and nurture creativity and we show people what’s possible, and what can be done in Scotland, and in Dundee!
The aim for our festival installation is to communicate our design practice in a playful way to show we are accessible, fun and sustainable. We want to tell the story of our production line and the Knitshop in a simple, whimsical way which invites the public to interact with the installation by having a part in knitting a long continuous scarf.
The Knitshop was set up in 2019 in Dundee and is an independent knit factory bridging the gap between design, industry and education. As well as manufacturing knitwear and accessories, its purpose is to share skills, encourage innovation, and to invest in the regeneration of the Scottish textile industry.”
Designer Alicia Storieof AdesignStorie said: “We're looking forward to welcoming Dundee Design Festival visitors to AdesignStorie's House of Wellbeing, a tiny house concept showcasing the material of the future. From mushroom mycelium to hemp textiles, we'll be welcoming visitors to take a tour of the compact tiny house layout, pull up a chair at the dining table to join an eco home design workshop and rest in the sensory garden lounge.
This tiny house space is designed for the wellness of both people and the planet. Our aim is for guests to leave feeling nourished and recharged having experienced firsthand the benefits of nature-inspired design for wellness."
Clive Gillman, Director of Creative Industries at Creative Scotland said: “The Dundee Design Festival has grown to be a smart and engaging response to Dundee’s status as UNESCO City of Design highlighting the remarkable success of Scotland’s design community, which brings a turnover of over £3.4 billion and nearly 4,000 creative businesses.
“However, the Festival has always showcased Scottish design as more than just an economic success story. It demonstrates design as a way to solve challenges, a way to express who we are, and most importantly, a way to think about who we might be.
“This year’s edition is shaping up to be an exciting and highly relevant event, building on a rich legacy of activity over the past decade and signalling a strong vision for the future of design in Scotland."
Listings Information:
- Dundee Design Festival 2024
- 23 - 29 September
- Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc, Baldovie Rd, Dundee DD4 8UQ
Full programme of free events and exhibitions announced in July 2024. dundeedesignfestival.com
Background
About Dr Stacey Hunter
Stacey Hunter curates, writes and produces within a contemporary design context; her collaborative exhibitions and projects are known and appreciated for their unconventional approach and broad appeal. She is committed to the development of design culture in Scotland and enlivening design and craft discourses. Stacey founded Local Heroes to present the work of outstanding designers working in Scotland and collaborates with a diverse range of organisations from airports and cultural hubs to hotels, hospitals and design-led businesses.
Her PhD was awarded by The University of Edinburgh’s Architecture School in 2015. In 2017 V&A Dundee named her a Design Champion; in 2018 she won Creative Edinburgh’s Leadership Award and in 2019 she was selected by Cove Park; Arts Initiative Tokyo and Creative Residency Arita to visit Japan for two months as design curator in residence. Later that year she was a designer in residence at The Suttie Art Space in Aberdeen. During lockdown Hunter was a curator in virtual-residence at Edinburgh’s Design Informatics / Inspace Gallery. In 2021 she produced the critically acclaimed The Future of Home exhibition in Brompton Design District as part of London Design Festival. In 2022 Craft Scotland commissioned Hunter to produce ‘Sustaining Curatorial Careers’ a research report exploring the key role curators play in sustaining and innovating Scotland’s ecosystem for contemporary craft.
In 2023 Hunter launched PROCESS, a professional development programme for a cohort of five designers. Visit www.localheroes.design and www.staceyhunter.com.
Stacey is on twitter @stacey_hunter_edi and instagram @stacey_hunter_edi
Local Heroes is on twitter @LocalHeroesScot and instagram @localheroesdesign
About UNESCO City of Design Dundee
Dundee Design Festival 2024 is delivered by UNESCO City of Design Dundee. UNESCO City of Design Dundee is delivered through the Dundee Partnership and hosted by V&A Dundee.
Dundee was designated a UNESCO Creative City in 2014. As the UK’s first and only UNESCO City of Design, Dundee upholds the values of UNESCO and publicly champions our city’s commitment to placing design at the heart of our local development plans and to global cooperation working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Dundee’s title recognises the small yet dynamic city with a strong cultural identity and a history of design, innovation and creativity. The city has time and time again focused on design and creativity to build sustainable economic growth. From the jute industry of the 19th & 20th Century through to post-war electrical and mechanical engineering, the city's design story includes household favourites the Beano and the Dandy, marmalade and Grand Theft Auto.
Today, Dundee is home to a cutting edge life sciences sector, a dynamic digital media industry, world-renowned higher education institutions and a vibrant creative industries sector. Dundee is a city which is bold, ambitious and committed to using design to help solve the challenges we face - locally and globally.
Currently there are 49 UNESCO Cities of Design, including Bangkok, Bilbao, Detroit, Graz, Helsinki, Kobe, Mexico City, Montreal,Singapore, Seoul and Wuhan.
UNESCO City of Design Dundee: https://cityofdesigndundee.com/.
@designdundee
UNESCO Cities of Design Network: https://www.designcities.net/.
About Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc
MSIP is a dynamic and creative home for innovators, manufacturers and skills leaders who are actively working towards reducing carbon emissions and fostering a cleaner, more sustainable future. They offer space to manufacture and scale up; business, skills and innovation support; and access to green energy from sustainable sources.
A joint venture with 3 partners: Michelin, Dundee City Council, and Scottish Enterprise. Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) was created to generate economic growth in Scotland and support a fair and just transition to a net zero economy. The 32-hectare site offers excellent physical and digital connectivity, and dynamic space for all sizes of businesses to locate.
Hosting Dundee Design Festival as a venue partner is the organisation’s latest commitment to working in partnership to highlight Dundee as a centre for design and innovation.
About UNESCO Creative Cities
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. It is a global network of cities working towards the joint mission of placing creativity and cultural industries at the core of their urban development to make their cities safe, resilient, inclusive and sustainable.
There are 7 Creative City categories: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music and 13 UNESCO Creative Cities in the UK. Their work supports local communities and creates international opportunities, bringing an estimated £2.6 million in economic value to the UK. Recent research by the UK National Commission for UNESCO shows UNESCO projects can help build a greener, more equal and more peaceful world, while also creating financial value.
The cities form part of a larger global network made up of 350 member cities spanning seven artforms, with the city of Edinburgh, UK being the founding member of the Network.
Creative Cities work to strengthen the creation, production, distribution, and enjoyment of cultural goods and services at the local level, to promote creativity and creative expression especially among vulnerable groups, including women and young people, to enhance access to and participation in cultural life as well as enjoyment of cultural goods, and to strengthen the integration of cultural and creative industries and cultural tourism in local development plans.
UNESCO Creative Cities Network: https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/home.
UK National Commission for UNESCO: www.unesco.org.uk.
Media contact
For further information and updates about the festival go to dundeedesignfestival.com @dnd_designfest
For further information, interview and image requests please contact Owen O’Leary, on 07815992658 or email [email protected].