CULTURE DUNDEE DESIGN FESTIVAL
There is hope that the West Ward Works building has a future as a creative focal point
“Te festival captured a moment”
A former print works has proved to be a great showcase for creative collaboration in Dundee
BY WILLIAM PEAKIN T
he Dundee Design Festival could become a bien- nial event, according to its producer Siôn Parkinson. More than 7,000 people
passed through the doors of the city’s West Ward Works during the four-day event at the end of May, exceeding expectations. Te former print works, owned by
DC Tomson, proved to be a natural event space and there is hope that the building has a medium to long- term future as a creative focal point. Dundee became a UNESCO City of Design towards the end of 2014, and one of the expectations of designa- tion was to stage a major celebration of design, particularly exploring solutions to social challenges. Located in the once industrial
heart of the city, the venue played host to an ambitious programme in- cluding an exhibition featuring some of the most innovative design in the country. Focusing on design for
health and wellbeing and including the best of digital, games, textiles, healthcare, social design and archi- tecture, the ground-breaking work examined how “design involves everyone, connects everything and makes anything possible”. Te theme for the first festival was
“Place. Work. Folk. Design”, explor- ing the potential of design to connect the city’s communities. “Design is everything,” said Parkinson, “it can enrich lives.” Te exhibition featured projects by architecture and design agency Lateral North, models by Frank Gehry and Kengo Kuma and objects selected by Maggie’s Centre architects. Tere was fashion design by
Hayley Scanlan and Kerrie Aldo, games by Space Budgie, Guerilla Tea and Fox Wot I Drew, digital design by Slurrp and eeGeo, medical anima- tion by Vivomotion plus Hands of X – a participatory project that brings amputees together with designers and makers to create prototypes of simple hand designs. “Te opportunity this festival gives
us is that we can be reactive to the design activity around us. As well as showcasing the brilliant design- ers and makers in the city, we can examine how Dundee is framing problems and finding solutions. Tis
16 | EVENTSBASE | SUMMER 2016
includes using brand new research from the University of Dundee, Abertay University and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and De- sign, as well as techniques from the medical schools, looking at science that is just happening.” Surgeons and pathologists col-
laborated with medical designers to create bespoke, 3D-printed radiology masks. Game designers and anima- tors worked with cancer research charities to design games to process genetic data. Forensic scientists part- nered with product designers to cre- ate smoke alarms designed to wake up children in deep sleep. Landscape designers supported mental health patients in the design of community gardens.
JUNE The Ideal Hut Show, Dundee Botanic Garden
www.foa2016.com July Oor Wullie Bucket Trail
www.oorwulliebuckettrail.com August Dare ProtoPlay, the UK’s biggest independent games festival, organised by Abertay University
www.daretobedigital.com DiGRA 2016, the international
“Te festival captured a moment,
where in a city the size of Dundee, people are coming together from across studios, campuses, cities and nations to help frame problems and find solutions,” said Parkinson. Te festival was part of a vision
for Dundee to promote ‘May is the Month’ with an ambition to put on events across the city, as Edinburgh does in August. Te run up to the design event coincided with the University of Dundee’s Art, Design and Architecture Degree Show, Te Abertay Digital Graduate Show and the creativity festival, Ignite Dundee. Organisers believe these and other activities could help attract national and international visitors for ex- tended stays in the city.
n DUNDEE UNESCO CITY OF DESIGN 2016 EVENTS
conference of the Digital Games Research Association
www.abertay.ac.uk October Dundee Literary Festival
www.literarydundee.co.uk Discovery Film Festival
www.discoveryfilmfestival.org.uk November NEoN Digital Arts Festival Scotland’s only digital arts festival
www.northeastofnorth.com
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