Festival has high creative designs

CORK designers have come together for the first time to stage a programme of events linked to a national design showcase.

Design Week, in association with Bombay Sapphire, is an annual nationwide festival of indigenous design.

“The success of Cork designers and architects in winning many awards and realising great work in the recent past has signalled a new beginning for Cork design,” said chairman of Cork’s first design week Marc Ó Riain.

“All the new developments in the city such as Beth Gali’s fantastic new streetscape, the magnificent international award-winning Glucksman Gallery in UCC and the imminent arrival of major retail design outlets such as Habitat show top-class design is really taking a hold on the city.

“This festival will showcase the best of local, national and international design.”

The festival takes place from November 5 to 11 and will be based in the old ESB substation on Caroline Street, near Brown Thomas. The venue will host five separate exhibitions.

The Institute of Designers in Ireland will exhibit the biennial show of the country’s best design work, while a Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland exhibition will feature three winning designs in Cork and the design entries for a public street furniture competition will also be exhibited.