Dozen of designers from across the UK have gathered at the V&A museum in Dundee to celebrate the launch of the nation’s Design for Planet Festival.
The two day event — taking place over Tuesday and Wednesday — aims to promote and discuss design’s place in the ongoing climate crisis alongside the COP26 conference in Glasgow.
Organised by the UK’s Design Council, the festival will feature two days of talks, workshops and discussions on how creativity and design can be used to combat climate change.
Those unable to make it to the event in person have also been offered the chance to attend virtually — with 4,000 participants joining from the comfort of their own homes.
Being in Dundee feels ‘fantastic’
Design Council CEO Minnie Moll described the V&A building as “phenomenal” and said holding the event in the city feels right.
She said: “We were so excited to have this design festival here.
“It was very intentional. Dundee is the only UNESCO City of Design in the UK.
“We wanted to be in Scotland, but felt it was just somehow really fitting to be near Glasgow but not in Glasgow.
“And the building is phenomenal, so you couldn’t get a better backdrop to pull together a hundred of the leading designers in the country.
“‘I’ve not been to Dundee for a while and — arriving yesterday — it just felt fantastic.
“I think there’s this sense that Dundee is very much growing in stature and venture again.”
Many local designers are also taking part in the festival.
‘It’s nice to see people from Dundee here’
Sandy Greene, who runs ScrapAntics in the city centre, said: “I think this is a massive opportunity for designers in Dundee.
“It’s nice to see so many people from Dundee here.
“There’s been so many absolutely brilliant conversations and inspirations from the speakers.
“But really, it’s about how we need to collaborate and share ideas, and share failures.
“We need to be looking not only at where our materials have come from, but how we’re going to take them apart once they’re finished.”
Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, added: “We are living in a climate emergency and we all need to consider the differences we can each make, no matter how small compared to how infinite the challenge is.
“It can feel overwhelming, yet creativity is a catalyst for change.
“Those of us working in design have a key role to play in imagining other ways and in committing to action.
“Design influences every aspect of our lives, and the design sector holds invaluable knowledge and skills that can help avert the environmental precipice we’re facing.
“Working with Design Council to deliver this important gathering, connecting the UK’s design community, is a crucial next step in considering how design and designers can play a leading role in protecting the planet for the future.”
