Forge Dublin to Connect Designers and Manufacturers

Forge is a creative initiative started by three design led businesses; Rosemary Ryan of The Malthouse Design Centre , Elizabeth Fingleton of Klickity and Simon Keogh of Urban Assembly.It is a one day design forum taking place on Saturday, November 2nd, which aims to connect product designers with Irish manufacturers to promote collaboration among them.

 Forge aims to establish clear routes to market for product designers by capitalising on existing Irish manufacturing bases leading to mutually beneficial relationships. This one day event will offer a platform which helps manufacturers expand the possibilities beyond their everyday operations to discover a new pathway to growth through collaboration with designers. There are significant opportunities to share design and manufacturing insider knowledge, co-create products and work together to bring them to market.

 Forge acts as the starting point to achieve this through informal group discussions and presentations from experienced designers and manufacturers. Speakers on the day will include Paddy Tobin from Nadura Design and head of the design programme at GMIT Letterfrack, Furniture designers Peter McCann and Steurt Padwick and founder of the very resourceful website, FindItMakeIt, Tara Whelan.

 

Forge will take place in The Coachhouse, Dublin Castle this Saturday, Novemeber 2nd. Tickets are available to buy from the Forge Dublin website at a discount price of €50.00 if booked before Thursday 31st. An event all designers and manufacturers should not miss.

 Hope to see you all there,
 Gráinne
www.grainnelyonsdesign.com www.facebook.com/grainnelyonsdesign 
www.twitter.com/glyons

Design Week Ireland 2012 5th-11th November

Design Week Ireland which is funded by the Pivot Dublin and devevloped by Unthink runs from the 5th to the 11th of Novenber all over Ireland promoting and celebrating Irish design.
This years Irish Design Week began lastnight with the lauch of many exhibitions and showcases around Ireland including the exhibition "Designs for Life" running in The Malthouse Design Centre.
The Malthouse invites you to share in the story of everyday objects as seen through the eyes of a selction of Ireland's design professionals in the "Living with Design" exhibition. This exhibition introduces the wider public to the value of design and how design can enhance and benefit our loves. Irish designers taken part include Fashion Designer, Paul Costello, Johnathan Legge of Makers and Brothers and designer Orla Keily.

 

Hope to see you all there,
Gráinne
www.grainnelyonsdesign.com

Culture Night 2012

This year’s Culture Night takes place for one night only, this Friday the 21^st of September. All around Ireland, museums, galleries, historic houses and design studios will open their doors after business hours for a free night of entertainment, discovery and adventure. 2012 marks the seventh year of Culture Night and this year’s programme is the most diverse yet. People of all ages across the country are encouraged to take advantage of this national night and celebrate the art and design Ireland has to offer.

This year at The Malthouse Design Centre, we are opening our doors to every one of all ages to join us in creating a one off design piece where everyone involved will have their personal stamp put on display. A unique opportunity for anyone interested in design.

"A Place To Gather" in London

"A Place To Gather" is a unique exhibition designed by The Crafts Council of Ireland which will be running during London Design Week this month. The exhibition has been specially designed to showcase the work of top Irish designers including Claire-Ann O'Brien, O'Dricoll Furniture, Anthony Cleary, James Carroll and our very own Malthouse Designer Jennifer Slattery.
"A Place to Gather" will transform a recently discovered old warehouse in Shoreditch, into a creative and exciting glimpse of contemporary Ireland. 
The exhibition will open its doors on Tuesday the 18th of September on Chance Street, near Redchurch Street as part of the Shorditch design triangle. 

Claire-Anne O'Brien

Jennifer Slattery

James Carroll

"The Crochet Collection"

As most of you already know I have been hard at it developing a new collection of lighting since joining The Malthouse Design Studio. Although I have had lights hanging in the Light Fantastic Exhibition since May, these models were just prototypes and mock ups of what was to come. I have finally got my finished "Crochet Collection" designed,made and currently on sale in The Malthouse Showroom in Distillery Court, North Circular Road.

The lighting collection was developed through my interest in how flat sheet material can be constructed into three dimensional form through a variety of techniques. The collection of pendant lights achieve their form through a technique of slotting 12 identical two dimensional modules together which have been sliced in a specific manner to create an overall sphere form. This form is create as a result of geometric mathematical systems. To add texture and pattern to the form, a photograph of Irish crochet has been digitally printed and transferred onto the plastic in variety of different colours. The story of my conceptual development can been seen here from a previous post.

Further to the printed crochet pendant lights, a selection of one off lace pendants have been developed as part of the collection also. Using recycled offcuts of lace from Siopa Rince, the same form has been repeat but using physical pieces of lace on plastic rather than a print. Sizes range from 200mm to 400mm for both printed crochet and lace pendants. Printed crochet pendant available in purple,teal,lime,black and grey. Other colours can be ordered and commissions for bespoke pieces are also available.
Hope you all like,
Gráinne




"Crochet Collection" on display in the Malthouse Design Centre



White Lace Commissioned Piece





"Light Fantastic Exhibition" opening night 17th May

Your Invitation to "Light Fantastic"

I would like to cordially invite all my friends, family, colleagues and readers to "The Light Fantastic Exhibition". An exhibition of modern lighting from some of the most exciting Irish designers working today.
18 Irish designers from all across the crafts sector have come together in The Malthouse Design Centre to launch Light Fantastic on Thursday 17th May at 6pm. This exhibition will showcase the work of all the designers in the form of lighting products. Top Irish designers including Shane Holland, Rachael O'Neill and Kooyong will be amoungest the exhibitiors including protoypes of my own work which I hope to launch soon after.
Guest Speaker Paul O'Hara, a world leader of social innovation, founder of Change Nation and director of Ashoka Europe will be here on the night to launch the wide range of innovative irish designs.

Look forward to seeing you all there,
Grainne

Inspiration for my Next Project

It is my second week in The Malthouse Design Centre and I am already full of inspiration for my next design project. I have always been intrigued by the 3 dimensional forms and structures which 2 dimensional flat sheet material has the ability to become. This was the basis behind the collection of furniture I designed and made for my final year Design Thesis.
From simplistic Geometrical forms to Origami, Kirigami and Sliceforms, having the ability to create a form from flat sheet material creates structures which appear complex but in essence are quiet simple in design, contsruction and structure. Through this approach of creating form, a curiosity and interest in design is created for the viewer. Below are some of the most inspirational scupltures and structures designed and created using this approach.
For regular updates throughout my conceptual developement click follow on the right hand side of this post.

Enjoy,
Grainne

Design Thesis Furniture Collection



Paper Sculptures designed by Richard Sweeney



Paper and Wooden Sculptures by George Hart



Sliceforms designed by John Sharp



The Light Fantastic

The Malthouse Designer Centre in Dublin will showcase the work of 16 new,up and coming Irish designers in its latest exhibtion "Light Fantastic" running from the 17th - 31st of May.  The design centre is hosting this event to show new projects and products from their latest collections from the in house designers, two of which I am very proud to mention. Emerging Malthouse Designers, Kathryn Payne and Aislinn Lynch, graduate designers and friends of mine, from Dublin Institute of Technology will be launching their new ranges for the very first time to the public. Both graduate designer are part of a support programme that the Malthouse has set up to encourage innovation and creativity in the Design Sector of Entrepeneurship. Best of luck girls!

See you all there,

Grainne