Design in Dublin #4: The Lifeline

Here we are! The fourth and final part of my Design in Dublin series, published in full in Iterations issue 3. Enjoy the last of the series, which looks at Kaethe Burt-O'Dea's work on the Lifeline and other projects as examples of citizen design, and read back on parts #1, #2 and #3 if you haven't already.

Design in Dublin #3: DCC Beta

Welcome to part #3 of my Design in Dublin series, looking at the work of Dublin City Council Beta as civic design. This follows on from parts #1 and #2, and stay tuned for the fourth and final part. Design in Dublin is published in full in Iterations issue 3, an Irish design journal available from the IDI.

Design in Dublin #2: Framework

Following on from part #1, which looked at the Dublin Honey Project as an example of agile design in Dublin, here is part #2 of my series of posts on Design in Dublin, this time looking at some of the work being done by Dublin City Council which I class as being responsive design. Design in Dublin is also published in full in Iterations issue 3, available from the IDI.

Design in Dublin #1: Dublin Honey Project

To round off my studies in Curating Contemporary Design last year I undertook some research into (surprise, surprise) contemporary Irish design. More specifically, I looked at design in urban settings in Ireland, as I was getting a little frustrated at just how often Irish design was presented as being rural in exhibitions at home and abroad (you can read some of that research in a three-part series here on I Like Local called Design, Exhibitions and Irish Identity). As my research into contemporary Irish design in urban settings progressed, I honed in on Dublin, and began to see some patterns emerge. I documented these in an essay which I'm sharing here now, in four parts. You can also read this essay - in full - in the third edition of Irish design journal Iterations, which is available to buy through the Institute of Designers in Ireland. Without further ado...

Producing Better Production: Den Danske Keramikfabrik

I recently wrote a piece for the Irish Times about craft and cooperation in Danish design, looking at a number of different design collectives in Copenhagen and elsewhere. One that got a brief mention is Den Danske Keramikfabrik (DDKF), an initiative by 18 ceramicists and ceramics studios to bring ceramic factory production back to Denmark. I only wrote a small amount about it in the Irish Times, but it deserves much more than that, as it really is a cool project. So here goes...

The Vitrine Project

Cropping up around Dublin on 20 November and launched on YouTube today, The Vitrine Project is a collaboration between advertising agency In the Company of Huskies and Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) that aims to reframe the everyday. Marking the opening of Liminal, an exhibition of contemporary Irish design that ID2015 has brought home to Dublin following showings in Milan and Eindhoven earlier this year, gallery-style vitrines were deployed for one day across Dublin to re-present the everyday objects that surround us. Placed over bins, street furniture, bar stools and products in shops, the vitrines were accompanied by the type of label you see beside a museum artefact, but in this case the labels told viewers what the objects were, proclaimed that 'Design is everywhere' and asked the question, 'Does this object belong in a design museum?'

Yes for Love

On 22 May Ireland votes on whether or not to change its constitution to enable same-sex marriage, which would take the country a massive step closer to the equality that same constitution speaks of for all of its citizens. The answer is obvious and the opinion polls are in favour of equality, but there is a big difference between having an opinion and getting out and voting. Yes for Love is an online repository of pro-equality avatars by a host of great designers, artists and illustrators that you can choose from to use on your social networks to spread the love. I've picked out just a small selection of them, you can browse through them all and pick your favourite(s) to show that you support equality, whether or not you can vote on 22 May (but this goes without saying: if you CAN vote, then DO vote!)

The Man with the Plan

This article first appeared in Image Interiors & Living, January/February 2015

Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), a year-long exploration and celebration of design all across Ireland and abroad, has just kicked off. Initiated by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland along with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Enterprise Ireland, it promises to be an exciting year with plenty to see, do and take part in, no matter where you are. I caught up with the man at the helm, Programme Director Alex Milton, to see just what's in store...

Irish Design 2015

A whole year celebrating design in Ireland and showing off Irish design internationally has just kicked off: great news! Initiated by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland with help from Enterprise Ireland and some government departments, Irish Design 2015 (ID2015) presents a year-long programme of exhibitions, events, commissions, practice supports and more. It will also act as an umbrella for already existing events and festivals and an encouragement for designers and design organisations to present new things this year all over the island and beyond.

Creativity Hits the Classroom

This article first appeared in Image Interiors & Living, September/October 2014

It's hard to argue that those with a creative streak benefit from arts education, but there's an increasing argument in favour of exposing everyone to art, design and creative processes, regardless of their ability or career aspirations. Being informed about how and why all the things that surround us are the way they are, and being able to apply creative thinking to a myriad of tasks is of benefit to everyone, and two organisations are working hard to expose young Irish people to design, architecture and plain old creativity.

The 100 Archive

A steering committee of four, 100 founding supporters and 600 submissions: from this comes the 100 Archive, the first and only living archive of Irish graphic design. In development since 2012, last week saw the launch of the first batch of selected work, from 2010 to 2013, and browsing through the HEAPS of top notch work was a keen reminder of just what high quality work Irish designers are creating and clients are commissioning. I thought I'd pull out a few of my favourites, but I really encourage you to wander through the archive to find your own - you'll have no shortage of work to choose from...

Shape - A Film About Design

Recently launched by Pivot Dublin and Dublin City Council and made by Scott Burnett and Johnny Kelly, Shape is a short animated film about design aimed at young people. It poses the question 'If, for one day, you had the power to make your world work better, what would you change?' and shows how changing the look, feel, size or form of something - or replacing it with something entirely different - can change your experience of the object itself and maybe even improve your day, your surroundings or your life a little bit. It makes the point that design is everywhere and that it can make a big impact.

IAF Love

Right, so I'm TOTALLY biased cos I used to work for these guys, but the Irish Architecture Foundation have recently launched a membership scheme to help fund all the great things they do and I've signed myself up. Even without being based in Ireland I get goodies like a new tote bag and some of the IAF's great publications and if I find myself back at home any time soon I can avail of priority booking for their events, 10% off in the Irish Design Shop and other great shops in Dublin AND the warm fuzzy feeling associated with donating to a good cause. Man, I am such a great person... More info here and see who else has signed up (loads of cool people - don't be left out) over on Twitter.

Meeting and Making

Is there something in the water?! It turns out it's not just the team behind Make Works in Scotland (who you can read about here and here, if you haven't already) who have been thinking about better connecting designers and making or manufacturing facilities. There are a number of projects in Ireland with similar aims and here's a little run-down of a few of them:

Make Works Tour

Having just moved into a new place in South West London, my tour of Europe continues! But I'm not the only one touring right now: today is day 78 of the Make Works Tour in Scotland. I wrote about Make Works back in April, a project aiming to better connect designers and manufacturers in Scotland through an online resource filled with information, interviews and videos. Back then, the Make Works team were planning their 3 month road trip upon which they would visit manufacturing facilities and workshops of all shapes and sizes all over the country to get a better sense of what and how you can make in Scotland. Having set off from Glasgow on 1 July in Rhubarb, the Make Works VW van, they're approaching the finish line and last weekend I checked in with Fi Scott, founder of the project, to see how they're getting on...

Legless in Dublin

For a couple of years now Dublin-based Louise Bruton has been writing about music, pop culture and accessibility on her own blog, for the Irish Times and for a host of other publications. She started using a wheelchair two years ago and before that used crutches full-time, giving her more experience than most of how easy (or difficult) it is to get around Dublin when mobility is impaired. To this end, she's begun Legless in Dublin, a blog reviewing the various cafes, pubs, venues and shops she finds herself in, detailing things such as how easy it is to get through doors, whether everything you need is on the ground floor or not (and whether there's a lift to take you upstairs and down), what surfaces she encounters (wet marble will impair even the most mobile of us, after all), access to proper sized bathrooms, helpfulness of staff and more. All this with a healthy dose of humour means Legless in Dublin is a really enjoyable as well as a really useful read.

Scottish Brutalism

Wolfson Centre for Bioengineering, University of Strathclyde, designed by Morris & Steedman, 1971

I hadn't considered myself much of a fan of Brutalist architecture before moving to Edinburgh. Here, where the New Town is a model of Georgian order and the Old Town is a finely conserved organic growth of medieval winding streets and lanes, the occasional Brutalist building of the 50s, 60s or 70s may be pretty bold and definitely potent but breathes fresh air into a city otherwise rooted significantly in pre-20th century history. Though I appreciate the value of this architectural heritage and am glad Edinburgh preserves it so well, it can get a little monotonous, not least because so much of it is built using sandstone, which is the bedrock here. And apart from a few exceptions, little of what's been built in the city since has much personality of its own, preferring to blend into the city's sandstone background than make its presence felt. Against this sandy-coloured backdrop the harsh glass and concrete of a Brutalist building stands out far more than in other settings, and I can't help but like it all the more for its unashamed brashness.

Make Works

Though I was aware of the existence of Make Works for a little while, it wasn't until I read an interview over on Sync with founder Fi Scott that I realised just how cool a project it is. Aiming to help designers and artists make work, Make Works will be a directory of manufacturers all over Scotland, connecting creative people with materials, processes and prototyping opportunities so they can produce their ideas right here in Scotland. The Make Works team (Scott, fellow designer Vana Coleman and friends from the Edinburgh Film Company) are currently planning a summer-long road trip. Taking a VW van equipped with all the writing and recording tools they need - plus surfboards - they will travel all over Scotland visiting manufacturing facilities of all types and sizes, gathering information on each. Through interviews, blog posts and videos Make Works will ultimately gather an online directory of places and ways to make in Scotland, giving manufacturers an online presence and giving creative types the gift of clear, useful and usable information about how and where to make their work.

Upstart

Upstart is an opportunity for creativity to be seen, discussed and (hopefully) valued within the Irish state. Creatives in any discipline are invited to submit work which can be printed and distributed around Dublin city in the format of an election poster during the Irish General Election 2011 (while filmmakers, musicians and others can submit work for display on the Upstart website). A positive change in Irish society requires creative thinking and ingenuity. The arts provide inspiration, direction, and commentary; the arts are our solace in times of need. Projects such as Upstart and the wonderful National Campaign for the Arts exist not only to remind the public of this, but to ensure there is adequate support for the arts to ensure their survival in difficult times. The deadline for submissions from artists, designers, writers, filmmakers, musicians, performers and any other creative types who want to get behind this initiative is 4 February, and you can find submission details here:

A Space for Learning

(image by St Kilian's Deutsche Schule, Clonskeagh and architect Simon Keogh, via A Space for Learning)

A Space for Learning is a design competition run by the Irish Architecture Foundation where 120 architects and 1500 Transition Year students all around the country are working together to design learning spaces, in some cases (above) with rather unexpected results! Working in teams in over 90 schools on both sides of the border, architects and students will submit their design ideas to the IAF in March and the winning designs will produce exhibits of their designs for a national touring show kicking off next Autumn. Visit the blog to get the latest updates on the project, and to get a glimpse of what our future schools might look like...