Curtain falls on DesignFest Clonmel 2016

The curtain came down on the second edition of DesignFest Clonmel, which was a collaborative initiative between the Limerick Institute of Technology Clonmel campus and Tipperary County Council with additional support from Tipperary Local Enterprise Office and their European Regional Development Fund.

The concept behind DesignFest was to look behind the scenes of today’s broad design world, offering local businesses, industry, designers and members of the public the chance to meet some key thinkers and influencers in this fast-changing industry.

Over six action-packed days (November 3-8), businesses and the local community presented works from the cutting edge of where media, arts and digital design connect with a special emphasis on innovation for enterprise, employment and education. ‘Design thinking’ was at the very core of this year’s festival and the theme of ‘innovation through design’ ran through the majority of events.

The week commenced with a superb presentation at Bakers Bar followed by an intimate screening of Design Disruptors by InVision, followed by a lively public discussion. Other highlights included a vibrant programme for children which was filled to capacity and offered hands on learning and creative spaces for over 100 young people in attendance.

The Night Lights Art and Design Trail attracted over 300 audience members who enjoyed Amergin by Dónal Ó Céilleachair at the Main Guard, a delicate glass installation by Deirdre Feeney in the Town Hall lobby, and four of the Switch projects in empty premises along Parnell Street. An interactive video and sound installation which incorporated a large community drawing at Channon's Forge went down a treat with younger and older people warming themselves up with hot apple juice and an open fire in the atmospheric setting. Four additional videos in working shop premises completed the trail and could be viewed along the route.

Design thinking as a new and unfamiliar concept has yet to capture the imagination of the local business community. Several public workshops proved popular with Transition Year students, who under the guidance of Dundrum native Sheelagh Carew from IBM,  really engaged with the concept and discovered new tools to use with their project works.

The altogether ambitious programme was rewarded with a great amount of positive feedback from members of the public and business community who participated in the design thinking events, talks and workshops which culminated in a design symposium at the LIT Clonmel campus.

The steering committee of DesignFest Clonmel would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended events throughout the week, the volunteers, stewards, speakers and artists without whom this festival could not have taken place, as well as members of the business community who supported the Switch and Night Lights Trail Project with special screenings in their premises.