York Design Week is returning this year and they’re striving to ‘Make Stuff Better’.
The festival recently celebrated a win after their bid to the Arts Council England for funding was successful – which will help develop this year’s event into the most exciting version yet.
It will bridge both online and real-life spaces and will feature a programme of exhibitions, workshops, installations, music and more under the central theme of ‘What a Pickle!’
The theme will focus on systemic issues across a multitude of design disciplines, and to create a space for conversation to ‘Make Stuff Better’.
York Design Week will take place from 20 to 26 October 2021.
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Co-founder Rebecca Carr said: “We’re living in challenging times. Multiple and complex issues around mental health and wellbeing, the housing system, the biodiversity and climate crises, poverty, inequality, racism, and increasing uncertainty about the future can often leave us feeling powerless and fearful.
“York Design Week 2021 sets out to ask: What if we weren’t in such a pickle? What would that look, feel and be like? How could we design a way there? And how can we work together to do this?”
York Design Week aims to find unexpected solutions to problems through collaboration, re-evaluation and transformative action research.
Rich Corrigan, co-founder of York Design Week, added: “Throughout the planning and delivery of the festival, we create an equitable collaborative space to bring a festival to our city that amplifies the unheard voices in our communities.
“With the addition of this funding from Arts Council England we will be able to extend this reach even further and continue this important work.”
York Design Week was founded by Kaizen Arts CIC, Dogeatcog and United by Design in 2019, and is a volunteer-led festival.
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Alongside the Arts Council England funding, the festival is also in collaboration with partners across the city, including the MCN Network, York Civic Trust, York Architectural Association, York College, York St. John University and City of York Council.
Councillor Darryl Smalley, City of York Council’s executive member for Culture, Leisure and Communities, said: “This is very well deserved backing for the dedicated team.
“This year’s theme sums up how a lot of us feel about the world at the moment, and I can’t wait to see how our creative residents and community groups respond.”
Community members are also encouraged this year to submit events as part of the programme for 2021. Find out more about that here.
For more information about York Design Week, please visit their website here.