Kilkenny of the future to be examined during Irish Design Week
An interactive workshop will take place in Kilkenny as part of a programme of events to mark Irish Design Week, Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) has announced.
This year, Kilkenny County Council will host ‘Imagine Kilkenny 2024’, a forward-thinking workshop in the Kilkenny Castle Parade Tower. The workshop will explore what the future of Kilkenny could look like with reference to climate, housing, the built environment and sustainability.
The weeklong Irish Design Week programme will also include workshops, panel discussions and exhibitions from some of the leading voices in the design world, including Irish-American streetwear fashion designer Colin Dillane (pictured) of KidSuper; Lesley Lokko, founder and Chair of the African Futures Institute (AFI); leading Dutch graphic design firm THONIK co-founders Thomas Widdershoven and Nikki Gonnissen, and Sir David King, head of the Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG).
The theme for Irish Design Week 2024 is “Imagination for Opportunity – Innovative, creative solutions to global issues such as the climate emergency, the housing crisis and social inclusion are many and varied. What needs to happen in order to make them investable?”
This year’s programme will promote potential solutions to these challenges, with the objective to get several of the showcased projects funded and actioned over the next year.
Each day will also feature a ‘Design Diplomacy’ event in which an Irish designer meets an international designer for a unique curated discussion between two creative minds. The concept was originally developed by Helsinki Design Week and brings together two designers for the first time over a card game of questions. The themes for the Design Diplomacy events are Interior Design & Architecture, Fashion Design, Experience Design, Design, Climate & Entrepreneurs, and Communication Design.
The Irish designers featured within the Design Diplomacy strand include Oisín Lennon, founder and Chief Executive of Danu Sports, graphic designer Joanne Byrne, and designer and educator Lara Hanlon. International designers that will feature include Dutch designer and architect Lars Courage, and German virtual reality designer Cordula Hansen.
Launching the Irish Design Week 2024 programme, Tom Watts, Head of Design with DCCI, said: “I am delighted to see that Irish Design Week 2024 will feature a strong mix of global thought leaders in the design space and innovative local Irish designers. This broad range of international perspective and local creativity will contribute to a wider conversation around the power of design and how creative thinking can lead to new possibilities.”
Streetwear fashion designer Colm Dillane of KidSuper, who is one of the keynote speakers, added: “I am honoured to be participating in DCCI’s Irish Design Week 2024. The theme, ‘Imagination for Opportunity’, captures the role that creativity and imagination plays in finding solutions to the challenges we face – not just in fashion, but in all aspects of society.”
Irish Design Week 2024 will also place a spotlight on local designers and creativity throughout the country with 33 DCCI-funded events, workshops, and exhibitions taking place in 14 counties across Ireland.
The funded programme of events celebrate Ireland’s strong history in design and showcase the many facets of contemporary design and will also encourage local participation in Irish Design Week 2024.
*For more information and tickets for the events, visit: https://www.dcci.ie/whats-on/irish-design-week/
