Welcome to the 3rd Newsletter for GMIT Letterfrack. Thisnewsletter captures just a few of the events that have takenplace during the academic year of 2018-2019 that highlightscollaborations and opportunities that the students of GMITLetterfrack have been involved with.

Letterfrack | 2016/17

The National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology

GMIT Letterfrack, Co Galway T 091 742650 E letterfrack@gmit.ie W www.gmit.ie

NEWSLETTER 2018/2019

Letterfrack Spotlight

JAMES & MARY ELLIS AWARD

Award forExcellencein MakingCongratulations to second year BSc in Furniture Designand Manufacture student Kay Woodcock who has beenselected as the winner of the inaugural GMITLetterfrack James and Mary Ellis Award for Excellencein Making for her chair project. This award is generouslysupported by The Quaker Friendly Society and kin tothe Ellis', Joan and Roger Johnson and a plaque whichhas been designed and made by Benson Russell, arelation of the Ellis, which is mounted on campusrecording each future winner. A cash prize was alsokindly sponsored by MJM Marine. This Award is alsodesigned to re-enforce the importance of quality andgood craftsmanship in all the work that is undertaken atGMIT Letterfrack.

Kay was presented with her award at the opening of thestudent exhibition on 19th June.

A 5-person judging panel used to the following criteriato select a winner:• Demonstrated an elevated level of attention to detail• Commitment to task and programme• A completed example of resolution in making • An established good character among staff, peers

and public, coherent with the embodied spirit of TheJames and Mary Ellis Award.

In addition to Kay’s project, Conor Cremin’s Elm Stoolwas highly commended by the judges.

Also shortlisted for judging were the following pieces: • Roscoe Holt (Chair)• Phillip Carey (Chair)• Aodh Cunningham (Longue Chair) • Freddie Beasley (Table) • Seán Brennan (Table)• Aaron Blackburn (Steambent table)

Well done to everyone who was considered.

ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP

Congratulations to GMIT Letterfrack 1st Year student Luke O Connor whois studying a BSc. Hons. in Furniture Design & Manufacture who receivedhis Academic Achievement Award from Dr Michael Hannon, ActingPresident of GMIT at an awards ceremony. Luke, from Mallow, Co Cork,received an Academic Scholarship Award prize of €500 for one of thehighest leaving cert points. Well done Luke!

WORLD SKILLS

GMIT Letterfrack are delighted thatJack Lynch was then selected torepresent Ireland at the 45thWorldSkills Competition which istaking place in Kazan, Russia from22nd to 27th August. The selectionprocess was based on Jack’sperformance in the IrelandSkills andat the Danish National SkillsCompetition in April followed by aninterview. This is the 3rd WorldSkillscompetition in a row that a GMITLetterfrack student will haverepresented Ireland. An amazingachievement for the campus.Details of this competition will becovered in next years newsletter.

Competing at this year’s IrelandSkills Live Event at the RDS inDublin from 21st to 23rd March wereSix students from GMIT’s NationalCentre for Excellencein Furniture Design & Technology inLetterfrack.

The students competed in skillsareas of Cabinetmaking, Joinery

and Carpentry in an event that saw28 different skills being representedunder the one roof.

The students competing wereShane McLoughlin, Co Mayo,Jack Lynch, Co Cavan, LaurenCasey, Co Longford, Aidan Devine,Co Roscommon, Brian Dillon,Co Dublin, and Benen Lynch,

Co Leitrim. GMIT Letterfrackstudents have had significantsuccess both in the national andinternational skills competitionsover the past decade and this year’sstudents prepared for an intensefew days in the RDS.

The GMIT IrelandSkills co-ordinatorand WorldSkills Ireland Expert forCarpentry, lecturer Anthony Clare,says: “It is a fantastic achievementfor so many of our students to beinvolved in this nationalcompetition. It will be a demandingyet unforgettable experience forthem. GMIT Letterfrack studentshave a very proud history inIrelandSkills and the three previouscompetitors selected to representIreland in Cabinetmaking at theWorldSkills competition all hail fromour programmes.” "

It was most certainly an amazingfew days in the RDS, with allstudents competing at the highestlevel in what was an intenseatmosphere. We were delighted toannounce that Jack Lynch from Co.Cavan came out as the winner ofthe Cabinet Making Competition.

Well done to all the students!

IRELAND SKILLS

AWARDS& ACHIEVEMENTS

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

Jack Cavanagh, 3rd year Furniture Design & Manufacture student wasawarded a certificate of Special Acknowledgement in the recent HalabalaInternational Furniture and Interior Design Competition in the CzechRepublic for his ‘Glide Desk’.

The competition is in memory of Jindřich Halabala, an important proponentof modernist, industrially manufactured furniture in the post-war period inthe Czech Republic. There were more than 250 pieces entered in thecompetition, which is coordinated by Mendel University in Brno, CzechRepublic."

Well done on a great achievement!

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURPROGRAMME (YEP!)

This FREE summer school is fundedby the HEA and was delivered byGMIT Letterfrack during June thisyear. This programme is aimed atTY and senior cycle students tobridge the gap between secondaryand third level education, anopportunity for students to get ataste of college life. Theprogramme is fun and is focusedaround entrepreneurship, businessand leadership/teamwork skillsalong with some really interestingpractical work in the DigitalLaboratory using computer aideddrawings with the Laser cutter and3D printers.

YEP! would really suit students whohave any interest in Business and/or Technology who would like anopportunity to explore theircreativity and to gain a practicalinsight into the programmes inGMIT Letterfrack. Here are some ofthe comments from participants onlast year’s programme.

“What I enjoyed the most is howwe were treated as adults andgetting to learn aboutentrepreneurs and what they doalong with making new friends”

“Good introductory course foryoung inspiring entrepreneurs in afun learning environment”

“Coming up with a product thatrealistically could make money andit’s didn’t feel like school”

“Totally awesome.”

Why not give it a go! it fun, itschallenging and it’s FREE!

IRISH MADE AWARDS 2019

Congratulations to Conor Cremins(Éalú), second year BSc in FurnitureDesign and Manufacture student forbeing shortlisted for his Stool in theFurniture Section for theIrish Made Awards2019. The winnersand runners-upwill beannounced inSeptember andwill feature in aspecial editionof Irish CountryMagazine inOctober. TheOverall Winner willhave an opportunity toattend Showcase 2020 inthe RDS thanks to the Design &Crafts Council of Ireland; andreceive an advertising packagefrom Irish Country Magazine.

In addition to this, also featuringin Image Magazine is MACIEJDUBIEL a recent GMIT graduateMaciej Dubiel’s work caught theireye for his interestingcombination of birch ply and

Irish oak. Now armed with a degreein furniture design andmanufacturing, he hopes to gainfurther experience in the

woodworking industry over thenext few years, and one day,

to set up his ownfurniture business.

All students of GMIT Letterfrack are encouraged to enter studentcompetitions and the Future Makers Awards are a great opportunity towin prizes which can include cash awards or materials supports todevelop their work.

Future Makers is a Design & Crafts Council of Ireland (DCCoI) initiativewhich recognises talent, potential and creativity. Its aim is to support thenext generation of makers, designers and craftspeople to take the stepfrom training into enterprise. Future Makers supports students andemerging makers and is one of the largest prize-funded awardprogrammes in Europe.

Keelan Bancroft, 2nd year Furniture, Design & Manufacture student wasshortlisted for a prize.

More information can be found here: www.futuremakers.ie

FUTURE MAKERS 2019

WELCOME PROGRAMME

The 2018 Welcome programme kicked off on Tuesday 4th Septemberwhen GMIT Letterfrack welcomed 67 students and their families to thecampus for the welcome evening to meet the staff and to help the newstudents settle in.

This was followed by a range of activities over the following days to helpthe new students to familiarise themselves with the campus and thesurrounding area. A visit took place to the beautiful Kylemore Abbey &Gardens where the students were welcomed with a full historic tour of theAbbey, Gothic Church and the Gardens. A team building creative activitytook place on the ‘White Strand’ which is one of our beautiful beaches inRenvyle, the tide was out which allowed the students to show off theircreative skills by working in teams to create some fantastic works of artusing the natural materials found on the beach.

STUDENT NEWS POP UP SHOP

4th year FDM students were busymaking items to sell at theirChristmas pop up shop which tookplace in the GMIT Letterfrack andGalway campuses where students,staff and members of thecommunity were allinvited. All moneyraised from thesale of theseitems was puttowards theStudent Studytrip to Cologne thattook place in January.

SHUT UP & WRITE

A weekly session of ‘shut up andwrite’ took place in the campuslibrary aimed at 4th year studentsand lecturers, encouraging them toget into a routine of writing andproviding an opportunity to discussand share ideas and problems. Theconcept is simple…

• Meet at a given time everyfortnight.

• Write for 40 minutes.

• Enjoy a sociable tea break for20 minutes.

• Write for another 40 minutes.

Writing doesn’t have to be asolitary experience! Suitable foranyone who has anything to write –an assignment, a report, a thesis, afunding application etc. Thesesessions gave the 4th year studentsthe time and head space to developtheir writing skills.

SU EVENTS

GMIT's Students' Union is a democratic organisationrun by students for students.

It is the student's voice within the Institute and assistsstudents in areas such as grants, timetables, exams,lectures, personal issues and much more. It is alsoresponsible for managing extra-curricular activitiesthat enhance the student experience such as clubs &societies, entertainment, and educational welfarecampaigns, as well as handling all queries aboutstudent accommodation. Keelan Bancroft, a secondYear Furniture, Design & Manufacture student, wasGMIT Letterfrack Student Union Head Rep thisacademic year. A mix of activities were supported bythe SU this year for the students in Letterfrack such asPizza & Movie nights, Ice-skating, BBQ and bands.Students were involved with the local sports clubs inHurling, Football and Rugby. A few students tookadvantage of the beautiful beaches nearby and surfingwas added to the list of things to do.

GMIT Letterfrack students have a woodturning societywhich is fully equipped with the necessary equipment,recently a wooden pole lathe was purchased andinstalled.

Students have access to the Fitness Suite in theClifden Station House, access to the Gym, SwimmingPool and Steam room/sauna are all included in theirdiscounted memberships. A course in Basket Weavingwas offered to the students, again discounted bysupport of the SU funds. The SU (along with GMIT andConnemara West) also supported the new caféfurniture which was designed and made by GMITLetterfrack students.

The Six students competing in the Ireland SkillsCompetition in Dublin this year were supportedfinancially by the SU, providing them with an amazingopportunity to compete at these competitions.

SPORTS NEWSHURLING NEWS!

Students committed to a season of training on ourfloodlit all-weather pitch in Letterfrack led by CaptainSean Claffey to go on to win the Corn Mac Diarmuidashield in Abbotstown in March. An amazing result andwell done to all players and coaches.

Students were involved with other sports throughoutthe year, GAA football is a big part of Connemara life,the team train weekly with both the college team andwith the community. Some students help also withcoaching the younger community teams. Unfortunately,no titles won this year but a great effort and fun allround! Better luck next year!

RUGBY NEWS!

GMIT Letterfrack students Dylan Slator and NickDemangeat joined the Conemara Blacks rugby team forthe season. Following their win in the Connaught JuniorCup Final in March, beating Creggs 25-6, the Blackswere crowned Connacht Junior Cup Champions!!Adding to their Junior League success, Connemarahave won a richly deserved double. The team will nowenter a round robin with other teams in Ireland forpromotion to the All-Ireland League – Best of Luck tothe team!

STUDENT NEWSSTUDY TRIPS

1st & 2nd Year Furniture and Wood Technology students took a trip to W18in Birmingham earlier in the year. The W Exhibition is the national show forthe Joinery and Furniture industries, showcasing the latest products andequipment. As the UK’s leading dedicated trade exhibition, the W Exhibitionprovides the opportunity to see running woodwork machinery together withcomponents and materials all under one roof at the NEC, Birmingham.

2nd Year Furniture Design & Manufacture students took a trip toSwitzerland to visit the Vitra campus in Germany learning about itsproducts, history and architecture. Students learnt about the assembly ofthe Eames Lounge Chair at Lounge Chair Atelier at the Vitra DesignMuseum.

The trip also included a materials lesson in Vitra Schaudepot in Germany.An international trip with a difference for our second year Furniture Design& Manufacture Students. Here they are at the border of Switzerland,Germany and France after a great visit to Inch Furniture.

3rd Year FDM & FWT studentswent on an Industrial trip inOctober visiting the followingcompanies:

• Tippo International Ltd.Co. Tipperary.

• Redwood Design Ltd. Co. Meath.

• Shane Holland Design Workshop,Co. Meath.

• Flanagan Fittings, Co. Dublin.

During this trip, Paul Flanagan fromFlanagan Fittings announced a newGMIT Letterfrack student bursaryworth €3,000, to be given to thestudent with top academic marksfrom 3rd year who is continuing tofourth year on the FDM or FWTprogrammes. Many thanks to ourfriends at Flanagan Fittings!

The 4th Year student study trip thisJanuary was to Cologne inGermany. Here they went to theIMM Cologne Furniture Fair,Cologne Cathedral and to theMuseum of Modern art. A highlightwas meeting graduates DavidBernie and Diego Martinez Pereirafrom Bright Potato who had piecesin the show this year.

SEA WEEK

The Annual Conamara Sea Week Festival took place in October. The After theLight Project, in its eighth year, is now an integral part of the student academiccalendar. A unique night-time, fire filled spectacle full of myth and magic, thisamazing event involves the whole community - 5 primary schools, 2 crechesand students from GMIT, Youthreach and GRETB. It has been a great successbringing hundreds of people out into the night to celebrate the great energyand creativity now abounding in our village. For their part, GMIT Letterfrackstudents made masks, costumes and lanterns for the parade as part of their

Design Process Module.

IWFMN - RAISING THEPROFILE OF THE INDUSTRY

The Irish Wood and FurnitureManufacturing Network(www.iwfm.ie) opened up formembership In November 2018 whenStudents were invited to apply. Thisnetwork is the only forum specificallydedicated to the wood and furnituremanufacturing sector in Ireland. Themission of the IWFMN is to improvethe competitive advantage of itsmembers on the island of Ireland byproviding a platform to connect,share and learn. The IWFMNrepresents, supports and facilitatesmembers by acting as a focal pointand driver for the transfer ofinformation and best practice.Through the pursuit of commonopportunities, the network looks toadd value in an environmentallysustainable manner and to raise theprofile of our industry both nationallyand internationally.

As a student, you are entitled to freemembership so we would stronglyencourage you to apply and join thisexpanding network.

To find out more about IWFMN,please visit their website:www.iwfm.ie

MIMWOOD

MIMWood is an Erasums+ fundedproject with partners in Italy, Belgium,Spain and Portugal. Led by GMITLetterfrack lecturer Sean Garvey,MIMWood creates a database ofinnovative materials for the furnituresector. Sean visited Porto in Portugalwith Partners of the project for itsfourth meeting in November to reviewthe work done. More than 150materials with innovativecharacteristics were reviewed by theproject partners for potentialselection for the website.

The final meeting in Milan saw thecompilation of information about thetraining and use of the innovativematerials discussed.

To find out more about the MIMwoodproject, please visit the website:www.mimwoodproject.eu

INNOVAWOOD

GMIT Letterfrack is a member ofInnovaWood which is an umbrellaorganisation that integrates fourEuropean networks in the Forest,Wood-based and Furnitureindustries into a more effectivemechanism to support innovation inthese sectors. With more than 55members from 26 countriesInnovawood is one of the leadingnetworks of excellence in the Forest-Wood based sector. Members areactive in the areas of Research,Education & Training and TechnologyTransfer.

The ‘European Forest and WoodProducts Network’ GeneralAssembly 2019 took place with 45participants in March 26th-28th inHamburg, hosted by the Thünen-Institute in Hamburg. GMITLetterfrack was represented byDermot O’Donovan.

To find out more about Innovawood,please visit their website:www.innovawood.com

RYCOTEWOOD FURNITURE

GMIT Letterfrack students had a visitfrom Joseph Bray in March fromRycotewood. Joseph is working on anactive learning project along withSylva, an environmental charityhelping trees and people growtogether under four mainprogrammes: science, education,forestry and wood.

Joseph is on a Churchill Fellowship, afunded research award, specificallylooking at the questions: 'How doundergraduate furniture programmesdevelop skilful craftspeople? And howdo institutions create a bridgebetween education and professionallife?'

He has already been in the USA andwill be visiting several other furniturecolleges in Europe. His journey so faris captured well by his Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/churchillfellow2018/

CONFERENCES& COLLABORATIONSPRO SILVA

GMIT Letterfrack hosted the Pro Silva Octoberfield day, the theme of which is 'linking Pro Silvaforest owners with added value markets'.

Pro Silva Ireland is leading a conversation onforest management for Irish forests thatprioritises forests’ ecological, social and economicvalues. With over 100 members, Pro Silva Irelandhas grown as an active organisation promotingknowledge and practical examples of continuouscover forestry management in counties across Ireland.

To find out more about Pro Silva, please visit theirwebsite www.prosilvaireland.com

CAREERS /WORK PLACEMENT DAY

In October 2018, GMIT Letterfrack welcomedback 23 Letterfrack graduates, each from apotential work placement company. Thegraduates gave presentations on their companyand work placement opportunities to thestudents. The day is primarily aimed at the 3rdyear students preparing for their workplacement, but it also proved to be very valuablefor the 2nd years and 4th years to sit in on thepresentations as it gives the students an idea ofthe job prospects within the furniture makingindustry. The students also benefit from a CVworkshop supported by GMIT's Careers OfficerBridie Killoran. Professional photos are taken tohelp the students build their very ownprofessional portfolio.

WORK PLACEMENTS

3rd years studentscomplete a 20-week workplacement module with acompany in the furnitureand woods productsindustry. Placements offeran excellent opportunityfor students to gaininvaluable first-handexperience of working inthe furniture industrywithin Ireland, UK,throughout Europe andthe USA. This year 4students were incompanies in the UK, onein Germany, with the restremaining in Ireland. Workplacements often lead tojob opportunities forstudents once their studiesare completed.

WORKEXPERIENCE

CREATIVITY & INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM CONFERENCE.

WORLD SKILLS EXPERT2019 RUSSIA

Our colleague Anthony Clare hasbeen appointed as Irish WorldSkillsExpert for Carpentry for theupcoming competition in Russia in2019. We congratulate Anthony onthis significant appointment whichrecognises not only his knowledge,expertise and attention to detail andbut also his dedication to thecompetition.

For more than 20 years, Anthony hascoordinated the preparation ofLetterfrack students for thecompetition and in his role as expertexaminer, has many years’ experiencein devising complex and challengingnational examinations. Anthony’sappointment will no doubt strengthenthe Irish team and provide the IrishCarpentry competition with afantastic mentor and role model. Thisappointment will also bring furthervalidation to the high standards andexpertise that reside in GMITLetterfrack.

DELIVERING EDUCATIONALPHILOSOPHIES TO STUDENTSIN VIETNAM

In January, GMIT Letterfrack TeacherEducation Lecturer Dr Pauline LogueCollins along with GMIT colleaguesAnnette Cosgrove and Carina Gintytook a trip to a VietnameseUniversity under Irish Aid Funding todeliver training in educationalphilosophies, active teachingmethods and digital technologies inLecturing. The training purpose wasto direct the students to find theirown voice and to begin to articulatea Vietnamese philosophy ofeducation.

The annual Creativity & Innovation conference took place this year in Galway on20th Feb. This conference is a showcase for our 4th Year teacher educationstudents to present examples of innovative teaching practice. All studentteachers are invited to attend, it is a great learning event, where knowledge andexperiences are shared.

STAFF NEWS

It was a busy year for the GMITLetterfrack Green Campuscommittee. New committeemembers were recruited creating astrong committee that was chairedby 2nd year student Eve McDonaghwho is a fulltime student on theFurniture Design & Manufactureprogramme. One specific projectwas raising awareness throughvarious campaigns run inconjunction with UBUNTUNetwork, looking at embeamingDevelopment Education withinTeacher Education curriculum.The campaigns, facilitated byJoanna Mulkeen from thecompany One Step Closer To,went out through a numberof channels. All campaignswere designed to move usone step closer to a more

sustainable way of living andlearning.

1st Campaign - vote for a particularcommemorative tree species to beplanted during National Tree Week(March 31-April 7) to mark the 5thanniversary of the CommunityNative Woodland. As well as a greatlearning resource for students and

the community, the woodlandsupports a whole range ofbiodiversity in Connemara. Throughthis woodland GMIT also supportsUN Sustainable Development Goalnumber 15 - Life on land. An oak treewas selected!

2nd Campaign - Raise awareness ofsingle-use plastics and theinvestment in reusable water bottlesfor students and staff. Thiscampaign included voting for a newGreen Campus Logo designed bystudent Sean Brennan. Signaturestainless steel water bottles will beissued to all students and staff inSeptember following the successfulbid for funding by Mathew Mullen toGMIT Green Campus initiative andGalway County Council. This will befollowed up with the installation of anew fountain that has been orderedto facilitate more refill points forstudents. This campaign highlightedUN Sustainable Development Goalnumber 12 – ResponsibleConsumption and Production.

3rd Campaign was aimed atselecting which United NationsSustainable Development Goals(SDGs) students would like tofocus on for the next academicyear.

GREEN CAMPUS

GREEN DAY

A Green Campus day took place in April to mark some significant greencampus events and to help raise the awareness of the Green Campus’saims and objectives. Involved in the day was a Flag Raising ceremony tomark the award of the second green flag for biodiversity, followed bythe Green Quiz. Then to mark the 5th anniversary of the CommunityNative Woodland a Pedunculate Oak, as chosen through votes duringthe awareness campaign, was planted, timed to take place duringNational Tree Week.

LITTER PICK

The annual event took place inApril when the community ralliedtogether to litter pick in andaround the campus and village ofLetterfrack, an amazing 33 bagsof rubbish were collected. Staffand students also took part inthe beach clean.

GRADUATION

Conferring of Awards 2018 took place in GMITLetterfrack on Friday 9th November when wewelcomed back 47 Graduants to accept their awards.GMIT Academic Achievement Awards were presentedto Cornelia aka Anna Hoogeboom, Colin Marren, SeanHogan and Gary Weir. Gary also received theCertificate of Excellence in Teaching Practice. AnnaHoogeboom and Christopher Guinnelly were awardedwith 'Maker of the Year', Colin Marren was presentedwith an award for 'Contribution to Student Life'.Congratulations to all Graduates, we wish you all thevery best for your futures.

OTHER NEWS SUMMER EXHIBITIONCRUTHÚFURNITURE CREATED IN CONNEMARA

A stunning exhibition of student furniture wasofficially opened in June and remained open allsummer for public viewing on the Letterfrackcampus of GMIT. Entitled cruthú - furniture createdin Connemara, this exhibition showcases a diverseand exciting range of uniquely designed and craftedfurniture pieces by degree students in GMITLetterfrack.

Works on display include a creative collection ofproducts, furniture and research, giving visitors aninsight into the rich learning that takes place on thisunique campus. Items selected are from students ondegrees in furniture design, wood technology andthe teacher education.

Dermot O’Donovan, Head of Centre, GMITLetterfrack, says “Our summer exhibition is a greatopportunity for visitors to get a sense of whathappens on campus during the academic year. Theprojects our students produce as part of theirlearning are a real fusion of craft, innovation,technology and design. Working with wood as amaterial is something that we specialise in and therange of techniques used in the furniture pieces giveyou a great sense of the versatility of wood.

Please visit the campus duringan Open Day

OPEN DAYSFriday 22nd November 2019& Saturday 4th April 2020.Please note, the Open Day will startat 11am with a presentation fromthe Head of Department.

Why come to an Open Day?You get to see the campus withdemonstrations on the CNC, LaserCutter, 3D Printer & Robotics.Meet staff and students and findout in full about the programmesin GMIT Letterfrack.

DESIGN WESTSUMMER SCHOOL

For two weeks of the summer, fromthe end of June to July, participantswill get the opportunity to workwith leading international designersfrom renowned studios across theglobe. Unplugging from our hecticeveryday working lives—commuting,cell phones, deadlines, mediasaturation—participants willimmerse themselves in the wild andrugged Connemara landscape anduse it both as a mode of researchand as a source of inspiration.Summer is a time for explorationand discovery, for meeting newpeople and taking on newchallenges. It is also a time to getaway from the grind of ‘theeveryday’ and to reflect upon one’srole and purpose as a designer.Design West offers the perfectenvironment for studying design ina non-urban environment—awayfrom the noise of the city and thepressures of deadlines. Students willparticipate in a two-weekprogramme of discovery, learning,reflection, adventure and making.

The course takes place at the GMITcampus in Letterfrack which boastsCAD, CNC technology, laserequipment, robotics and digital,manufacturing all ideal for therealisation of 2D and 3D designexpressions. The campus hasexcellent Wi-Fi connectivity. In therural setting beyond the campus, inplaces, connectivity can be weaker,an opportunity for students atDesign West to ‘unplug’ from thebusy world of design and gain newperspectives.

Conor Clarke, Founder and CourseLeader of Design West and aDirector of Design Factory wasinspired by the Black MountainCollege, an unaccredited art and

design school, based in thesmall town of BlackMountain, North Carolina,USA which became a vitalhub of cultural innovation.There is no typical day onthe programme, meetingup on campus everymorning, every day isdifferent. There might be apresentation by a leadinginternational designer, ademonstration in theworkshops by one of theamazing GMIT technicians,one-to-one tutorials withparticipants, group discussionson project briefs, an impromptu gigby a visiting musician. Afternoonsare generally about excursions andfield trips — Inishbofin, Killary Fjord,Diamond Hill, surfing atBallyconneely, visits to artists’studios and local food producers —there is so much to do. Eveningsmight include a screening at thebeautiful AV Theatre in ConnemaraNational Park, an exhibition opening,a barbecue on the beach,conversations in the pub. Workingtowards producing a smallexhibition at the end of the twoweeks, it’s astonishing to see whatcan be produced in this inspirationalenvironment.

International speakers include Dutchdesigner René Knip, Japanese ArtDirector and Designer YukiSugiyama (Hakuhodo Inc.) and KenDeegan and Brankica Harvey,Associate Partners and Designers atPentagram New York. To experiencedesign on the Wild Atlantic Way –look out for dates next year to besure not to miss out on this uniqueand wonderful experience.

http://designwest.eu/

Design West is an internationalsummer design school located inthe beautiful village of Letterfrackin Connemara, on the West Coastof Ireland.

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