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I MOVED TO Ireland 18 months ago because I kept meeting graduates of the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and I was struck by the quality of their work. NCAD is internationally renowned and, when an opportunity came up for me to work there, I jumped at the chance.
I’ve worked internationally – in cities across Europe, North America and the Far East – and, in most cities where I’ve worked, I’ve been very aware that designers are at the forefront of commerce. There’s widespread recognition that high-quality design adds value to products and services – and this fact is respected, acknowledged and promoted by government and policymakers at all levels.
In Dublin, however, design can sometimes take a back seat. Despite Ireland having produced world-class designers down through the years, ‘design’ as a concept is often undervalued and misunderstood.
I was surprised when I arrived in Dublin that Ireland’s design heritage and expertise weren’t more to the fore. There are Irish designers based all over the world, playing lead roles for major global brands – yet we don’t seem to shout about the country’s talents in relation to design.
This weekend – coinciding with Design Week (4th to 10th November) – NCAD is hosting a major international conference in Dublin 8. Over 200 design experts from 50 different countries are attending the Cumulus Dublin conference (Cumulus is the International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art, Design and Media, of which NCAD is a member).
In my opening address to the conference today, I’ll be calling on government to acknowledge Dublin 8 as a leading cultural and creative quarter. Doing this, I believe, would be an important first step in pushing Ireland’s design talent to the fore.
Dublin 8 is home to many traditional design and arts practitioners and, more recently, has attracted a high concentration of digital and creative SMEs. Close to NCAD’s home on Thomas Street, you have The Digital Hub, the Guinness Enterprise Centre, and the art and antique shops on Francis Street.
The rich historical heritage of The Liberties provides a powerful platform for contemporary design and creative learning in general. Furthermore, international visitors come to the area in high numbers, not just for the local tourist attractions, but because of the quality of the arts, design and cultural experiences on offer.
Official acknowledgement of Dublin 8’s lead role in Ireland’s cultural and creative economies would be a sign of the Government’s intent to really prioritise these industries. It would send a strong signal to international visitors that Ireland values high-quality design, and takes the creative economy seriously.
Culture and our creative workforce are central and recurring elements of IDA campaigns encouraging companies to do business here – but, to really give weight to this claim, we need to do more in the domestic context to promote, stimulate and showcase our creative industries.
At present, some of our closest neighbours are far ahead of Ireland in terms of prioritising and stimulating the creative economy. In the UK, for example, the creative industries there are worth more than £36 billion a year. They generate £70,000 every minute for the UK economy; they employ 1.5 million people; and they account for around £1 in every £10 of the UK’s exports. The reason they’re so successful is because the government there is proactively supporting these industries through financial incentives, promotion at home and abroad, and reducing unnecessary regulations. In Ireland, we need to do likewise.
We need to face up to the fact that Irish creatives cannot compete with low-quality, mass-produced products. Instead, we should prioritise and promote excellence in design, and stimulate expertise in niche areas. To do this, we need to build ‘design thinking’ and visual literacies into our education system from an early age, and we also need to learn from our neighbours in terms of what they’re doing.
Ireland has paid the price for poor design thinking and choices during the Celtic Tiger years. The legacy of that is evident across all sectors – from poorly-built apartment blocks to poorly-designed public services, and an emphasis on consumerism that has led to a ‘quantity over quality’ mentality.
Now, in this period of resetting and not simply recession, it’s vital that crisis be turned to opportunity – that we learn from our mistakes and prioritise ‘quality over quantity’.
Ireland has the talent, the cultural and educational institutions, and the historical legacy to become a world leader in the creative industries and learning. But we must work to stimulate and promote our creative economy now.
Professor Alex Milton is Head of Design at NCAD. The theme of the three-day Cumulus Dublin conference is ‘design in an age of austerity’. Keynote speakers at the event today include the visionary German designer Werner Aisslinger and NCAD graduate Paul Adams, who played a lead role in creating Google+ and is a former global head of brand design for Facebook. Further information is available at www.cumulusdublin.com, or by following NCAD on Twitter: @NCAD_Dublin, #CumulusDublin.
Headshot: Christopher Heaney
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I really feel sorry for the primary school teachers who are now once again continuing to work in an environment where the virus is rampant without masks and without proper social distancing . Where s the sympathy for them ?
@Conor Flood: how exactly will sympathy help them? They have the option to be vaccinated if they wish, they can also wear a mask – just like any other sector who have to mingle/interact with others in the workplace
@Angela Lavin: you have no idea of what they face . There is zero social distancing , the cases are rampant , and the vaccine does not offer full protection from infection. I wonder if you’d be as dismissive with your own health and safety .
@Angela Lavin: I’m sure you’ll agree that other indoor workers mingle/interact with other masked individuals, and not with 30+ unmasked people in small rooms. Given the mantra that ‘my mask protects you and your mask protects me’ it’s understandable that teachers and parents of primary aged children might not feel that well protected.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin: so if you include parents and family of primary school kids that’s half the country mixing with “unmasked children” in family homes. That brings us back to the original point of everyone’s in the same boat, either in work or at home, visiting family etc …
@Conor Flood: its been nearly 2 year’s….I’d say its time we get on with thing’s. We are where we are and covid isn’t going anywhere, can’t stay locked away forever.
@Angela Lavin: lol and you’re working from home.
As it should be. Children have suffered enough through time away from education. It’s been estimated that globally approximately 5.5 million life years have been lost just due to school closures. Let children learn and develop as intended. It’s shocking that, for a disease less dangerous than the flu for kids, we’ve asked them to pay such a heavy price. A scar we’ll bear for a long time.
@Toon Army: Ah, the classic ‘its less dangerous than the flu’ non argument that instantly devalues your entire contribution.
@Toon Army: Ah yes the flu narrative. Sad as always and no regard to the full picture. Always one. Well done, big rebel…!
@Paul Cunningham: Very little in that “news” link that changes the picture. I’m actually curious how you felt that backs up your point! A quote from your own link: “At the peak of the 2014-15 season, the flu sent twice as many children to the hospital as COVID-19 did from October 2020 through February 2021″. And that is probably over estimating the severity of Covid in children when you look at all the other research out there.
@Toon Army: Just one example – https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20210614/Study-suggests-COVID-19-in-children-is-milder-than-the-flu.aspx
@Gavin Mckenna: In children, yes it is less severe. In adults it’s much more deadly. Tell me more about the full picture, please.
@Paul Cunningham:
In nearly 2yrs, 6.3mil American kids have had Covid. 550 died of it.
In 2 flu seasons (2017/2018, 2018/2019) flu killed 186 and 372 children = 558.
Not a lot of difference there except of course they medicated the hell out of those (at-risk-of-soon-dying) flu kids and tried to prevent them going to the hospital. Imagine how much worse those figures might have been if you heartlessly left them at home for 10 days incubating a very nasty, very treatable and in their condition, very life-threatening respiratory disease
@Toon Army: you missed the next bit “But unlike the flu, COVID-19 is around all year, and the appearance of the more transmissible delta variant has swept in or sickened more children this past year than the average flu season does”
@Toon Army: not at all most children are fine
But you need a ticket for late night venues?
what could go wrong
Firstly:
“On Monday 27 September, contact tracing in schools was stopped: if a child was a close contact of a positive Covid-19 cases in a school setting, they would not have to restrict their movements if they had no symptoms”
Secondly:
“Children aged 12 and under will still have to restrict their movements and have a Covid-19 test if they are a close contact from a household setting.”
What’s the difference between between being a close contact in a school setting or a household?? This type of stuff baggers belief….
In my opinion they seem to be making decisions based on future votes… What a complete incompetent bunch we have
@Dave: 5% positivity rate amongst close contact in school v’s 25% positivity amongst close contact with household member
@Adrian™: Household? Where does the virus come into the household? Currently the biggest demographic of infected is 5-12 year olds. It’s clearly spreading in schools and being brought into the home.
They was a man on joe Duffy during the summer saying that the delta variant is more transmissible in children but obviously no one listened. It’s going to exploded.
@John brett: it already has exploded
It got so out of hand in schools that they stopped doing anything about it. Removed all measures and just say it’s safe. But they couldn’t hide the numbers any longer, now everyone knows how bad it is in schools, and Martin and Varadkar are still saying schools are safe. They’re so comfortable with lying, even in the face of facts.
@Rob Gale: absolutely, and in another week or maybe two, they’ll be blaming Nightclubs, even if the numbers are still high in the 5-12 year old range. Why the government cannot stand up and say the truth.
@Rob Gale: Martin varadkar know rightly how bad it is. Afraid of the journalists whingeing cos they dont want their children at home. They want their free time
‘Schools are safe’ I’m sick of hearing that mantra. They certainly worked hard at making appear that way. Contact tracers were entering school transmissions as community transmission. One actually said to a parent ‘Well I can’t put that down (school), I will put community transmission’. The truth doesn’t seem to matter. It’s just a complete mess now. If parents or teachers don’t know who has covid they coukd easily pick it up and get ill themselves or pass it on to some very vulnerable person and kill them.
I remember people when masks were been discussed in schools. “how can u ask primary kids to wear a mask all day in school?” was the general concept.
Strikes me as a reaction to the events of 3/4 weeks back rather than the current increase in cases.
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