An appreciation for design in Ireland.
The tenth ICSID (International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) Conference was held in Dublin from 19 to 24 September at the Royal College of Surgeons.
The conference was attended by approximately 700 delegates, many from overseas and was officially opened at St Patrick's Cathedral. Speakers at the event included Denis Johnston, Seán MacBride, Victor Papanek.
As architect and designer engaged in passionate debate inside, what did it mean to the man on the street?
According to Raymond Kyne, President of the Society of Designers in Ireland (SDI), design has always mattered. He asserts that a strong element of the conference was that culture makes form, rather than a form being imposed from a different culture. In conjunction with the conference, a number of exhibitions were held to promote Irish design.
SDI mounted an exhibition at the Bank of Ireland headquarters on College Green.
This featured the history of Irish design since 1960.
The Craft Council of Ireland also sponsored an exhibition 'Centuries of Irish Wool' and the Kilkenny Design Centre featured some of Ireland's best works of craftsmanship. These exhibitions included all aspects of design.
Pottery, kitchen utensils, furniture, theatre and TV design, architecture and of course that most important of Irish industries, fashion.
International delegates were given an opportunity to see the cream of Irish haute couture in an exhibition at the Freemasons' Hall on Molesworth Street. The exhibition included garments from designers Sybil Connolly, Paul Costelloe, Ib Jorgensen, Cyril Cullen, Michelina Stacpoole, and more.
The delegates spent a day away from Dublin at the invitation of Kilkenny Design. The were greeted in Kilkenny by the Lord Mayor and a pipe band. The delegates spent several hours exploring the workshops of this ancient city. In the early 1960s, Coras Trachtala was given the job of industrial design by the government. They commissioned the Scandinavian Design Board which recommended the establishment of an industrial design centre. Kilkenny was the location chosen for the centre. Raymond Kyne believes that this was a turning point for Ireland which acquired a new appreciation for design. 12 years later, the design workshops in Kilkenny have achieved international recognition.
One of the functions of the design centre in Kilkenny is to provide training and job opportunities for young designers. They also operate an exchange programme for international designers. Raymond Kyne believes that as Ireland has increased its export market, it has become more appreciative of packaging and how products are marketed abroad.
Designer and educator Professor Victor Papanek says that one of the benefits of the conference is that it is an opportunity to see old friends. He also sees it as an opportunity to discover what other people are doing.
This episode of 'Folio' was broadcast on 11 October 1977. The presenter is Ciarán McGonigal.
'Folio' was initially a general arts programme, first broadcast on 20 September 1977 with a performance of 'La Ventana' by the Irish Ballet Company. The first series was subtitled 'The Arts in Ireland' and 'The World of Books' on alternate weeks, with Ciarán MacGonigal presenting the arts editions while Tom McGurk and Patrick Gallagher presented the literary ones. From the second series on, it became a books programme, though still taking an occasional look at theatre and other arts. It ran until 1985.
