Limerick to host key events during Irish Design Week 2024

DESIGN & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) has announced the programme of events for Irish Design Week 2024, which features two events in Limerick’s School of Art and Design, including the ‘Wonders of Wool’ workshop.

The School of Art and Design will also host a Dining & Design event which will welcome people to a three-course dinner and will include a variety of talks relating to the dining experience, including architecture, interior design, ceramics, textiles and furniture design.

The weeklong 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 KidSuper (Colm Dillane); founder and Chair of the African Futures Institute (AFI), Lesley Lokko; leading Dutch graphic design firm THONIK co-founders Thomas Widdershoven and Nikki Gonnissen, and head of the Climate Change Advisory Group (CCAG), Sir David King.

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 and Architecture, Fashion Design, Experience Design, Design, Climate and Entrepreneurs, and Communication Design.

The Irish designers featured within the Design Diplomacy strand include founder and Chief Executive of Danu Sports, Oisín Lennon, 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, Head of Design with DCCI, Tom Watts, 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.”

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This year, the main programme will be presented in the Whyte Recital Hall at Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM), which is one of the most beautiful new spaces in Dublin and a fitting location for the event. An extensive programme of third-party design events supported by DCCI will bring Design Week 2024 to a wide range of other venues across the country.” 

Streetwear fashion designer Colm Dillane/KidSuper, who is one of the keynote speakers, said:

“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. I’m excited to collaborate with my Irish and international peers in the design community throughout Irish Design Week.”

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.

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. Exhibitions will celebrate women in Irish illustration, showcase young Irish fashion designers, and shine a light on dining and design.

The funded programme 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.

DCCI Irish Design Week 2024 promises to be a celebration of creativity, offering a platform for innovative ideas, sustainable practices and new opportunities. Tickets for most events are now available online and there is more information available here.

DCCI Irish Design Week is funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through Enterprise Ireland.