Schools: Design It Exhibition & Workshop 10 - 20 Nov 2015

For Design It, we have challenged five Irish designers to create new products for children, taking inspiration from iconic children’s toys, furniture and textiles.The Design It exhibition recreates each designer’s individual studio, giving us a glimpse at their working practices, using their sketches, photographs and working prototypes, to reveal how they get from an initial idea to the final product.

Your class will be brought on a guided tour of the exhibition where they will get an insight into the different design processes involved. The materials and tools used in the making of the products are also displayed so they can learn about different approaches to materials. Throughout the tour your class will be encouraged to identify and discuss what they consider the most important design elements of individual pieces, giving their feedback and suggestions on how the prototype could be developed.

Following the tour, your class will take part in a creative workshop with artist Jo May:

Workshop: Design & Make a Printed Fabric Pattern
Taking inspiration from the printed designs featured in the exhibition, your class will learn how to design and create a block-printed repeat pattern on fabric. They will begin by playfully experimenting with different ways of creating patterns - exploring colour and tone, shape, texture, pattern and rhythm. They will then learn about the process involved in developing designs suitable for repeat printing and each child will design a simple motif that they will use as a printing block. Then working together in smaller groups they will make their own printing blocks and start printing onto a length of fabric. You could continue working back in the classroom, exploring different uses of the created fabric and discussing how design plays an important role in our everyday lives.