A team from Dundee’s V&A museum are set to part in a national competition set up to inspire the next generation of designers.
RRS Discovery will provide the inspirational backdrop for the Dundee Scottish Design Relay team, comprised of young Michelin employees and a local business owner.
The participants will be tasked with working with a design object before developing a prototype which will then be displayed in the Waterfront museum when it opens next year.
The realy launches in August with a number of young employees from the city’s Michelin factory, who will work with Dundee designer and luxury travel bag brand LAT_56 owner Kevin Fox.
Kevin will guide the young Michelin employees through the entire design process, who in turn will bring with them their expertise in manufacturing, as well as their “creative flair”.
He said: “The Scottish Design Relay is a great opportunity to work with young people from Dundee and help create something that will be displayed in the new museum when it opens.
“The young people taking part in the Dundee leg of the relay are all local factory workers who come from production and technical backgrounds. They are used to making a final manufactured product, but for this project we will bring them back to the beginning of the design process.
“Often the most interesting things happen when people adapt their knowledge from one industry to another, so I’m excited to see what ideas they have.”
Mhairi Maxwell, V&A Dundee project coordinator, said: “This is a real opportunity to connect young people to their design heritage and create something that could have a hugely positive impact on their community.
“In each area, the participants will work with an inspirational designer and together they will define a problem and will come up with a solution. The project will see them learn new skills and build their aspirations and confidence.
“The first leg of the relay will begin in Dundee where we have chosen RRS Discovery, berthed next door to our design museum, to inspire the young people. All the objects in the Scottish Design Relay have a special link to the communities and help tell a part of Scotland’s amazing design story.”
The relay will then move on to other Scottish locations including Aberdeen, Glasgow, Shetland and Caithness.
