Bees and their importance to the eco-system were the inspiration for the winning designs in the Ireland heat of the SDC International Design Competition 2021.
Amy Kerr of the National College of Art and Design achieved first place with her entry ‘See the alternative, bee the alternative’ after 11 students from three institutions presented detailed work.
The event – run by volunteer co-ordinators in participating countries – is a flagship fixture in the SDC calendar and underlines our commitment to supporting university education as well as running our own programme of training and qualifications.
Second place went to Bethan McDonnell from Belfast School of Art, University of Ulster, and two awards of highly commended were announced as Kirsty Dunlop from Belfast School of Art, University of Ulster, and Fionn O’Sullivan from NCAD. Students from Galway Mayo Institute of Technology also entered the competition.
Julie Hall, Head of Design at Bedeck, and Susie Page, Design Manager at Magee Weaving Ltd, were the judges for the online event. The India heat will be the next to return results and heats in Bangladesh, England and Scotland are under way.
Graham Clayton, chief executive of SDC, said: “Thanks go to Paul Santokhi for co-ordinating the event, to our wonderful judges Julie and Susie for giving their valuable time, to the college tutors for promoting the event and to the students for entering – without you we wouldn’t have a competition!”
The contest, themed ‘Colour and the Universe’ this year, and sponsored by Archroma, engages with hundreds of students, universities and designers globally. Its aim is to help entrants develop their understanding of colour and the challenges around sustainability in the textile supply chain.
Amy, 22, who will go through to a grand final, has recently graduated with a degree in Textile and Surface Design. She said: “I took inspiration from bees and their incredible UV vision as well as their importance to our eco-system.
“I was also driven by the innovative process of combining craft with technology. Through the exploration of a range of 3D technologies and methodologies, I used techniques which I have unconventionally applied to the construction of textiles and versatile materials to create three dimensional surfaces.
“I worked a lot with 3D printing and developing textiles specifically for 3D printing on, as well as exploring fabric manipulation and structures.”
Amy continued: “I also delved into a new world of colour as seen through the eyes of a bee, using optical effects to react to light and movement. Phosphorescent pigments, material experimentation and research allowed this collection to react to, reflect, absorb and emit light, giving the textiles ever-changing iridescent and luminescent, glowing qualities. “
Andrew Campbell, printed textiles and surface design lecturer at NCAD said: “This competition is an important event as it gives the students an opportunity to develop and showcase the colour aspect of their design concept and final collection.
“The students not only relish the opportunity to present their work visually but it also enables them to talk about the ideas surrounding their design thinking and colour concept at judging presentations.”
21/09/2021