Visiting the Northern Design Festival
We recently had the chance to visit one of our clients the Northern Design Festival at their evening launch. The festival takes place in Newcastle and Gateshead from the 7th to the 16th October 2016.
‘Where do ideas come from?’ is the key focus of the festival, which incorporates graphic design, ceramics, furniture and textiles. This theme explores ideas around how an idea can become a chair for example, all while highlighting good design in the North.
Before visiting The Assembly House for the main event, we had time to visit the BALTIC gallery which is hosting events over the festival.
Above clockwise: Detail from Caroline Achaintre wall piece; The Playground Project; Detail: The Playground Project; BALTIC Gallery Gateshead.
We had the chance to see the work of Caroline Achaintre, who uses a variety of materials to create her wonderfully expressive pieces. The exhibition featured many of her hand-tuffed wool wall hangings and humorous ceramic faces.
We also had a chance to experience The Playground Project (with Kunsthalle Zürich), where we were encouraged to get stuck in and play on the adult-sized playground.
Northern Design Festival (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
Noma Bar (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
Work by Alan Kitching (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
Once we arrived at The Assembly House we were treated to a tour of the exhibition. Downstairs at The Assembly House featured work exploring how leading graphic designs and makers bring their ideas into reality – featuring work from Noma Bar, Bryan Edmondson, Chrissie Macdonald, Alan Kitching and A Practice for Everyday Life.
Upstairs held the Design Event Mart – a curated showcasing the best of contemporary design in the North of England. The Design Mart featured works from John Hollington, Kirsty Adams, Guy Mitchell, AFID Design, Novocastrian and many more Northern designers. The 2015 Turner Prize winners, Assemble, designed a site-specific installation for the Northern Design Festival.
Kirsty Adams Ceramics (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
Work by Electric Sheep (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
Assemble (Photo credit: Michelle Tennick)
We were also able to see the winners of the Northern Design Festival Awards, presented and chosen by the Northern Design Festival sponsors. The winners were:
- Best New Designer, sponsored by Cool Blue – Ajoto
- Best Use of Materials, sponsored by xsite – John Hollington
- Best Interior Product, sponsored by BoConcept – Bronwen Deane
- Most Innovative Product, sponsored by NBS – Electrick Sheep
It was such a pleasure to be part of this incredible design-led event. Already looking forward to next years showcase!