Design Quarter 2013, an event for the design community and the first of its kind in the Midlands, is taking place on Thursday September 26 at St Paul’s Gallery in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. It will be an opportunity for architects and interior designers to see the latest innovations and designs in the industry, take part in interactive workshops and listen to seminars from some of the most respected product designers.
Highlights of the event will include an iPhone cover workshop from award-winning architect, designer and author, Professor Richard Weston. He will be demonstrating how he has used ‘designs’ found in natural material, such as minerals and rocks, to inspire the creation of products such as iPhone cases and scarves. Visitors will be able to create their own iPhone case designs and the design judged to be the best will be used to create an iPhone case for its creator.
There will be a seminar from leading design studio, Pearson Lloyd, who will talk about how offices once were and how they can be today; one moment a hub of lively communication and the next a protected individual workspace that offers peace and quiet. Another seminar, from social media experts, Wolfstar, will provide useful insights on how the architecture and design industry can make the most of the latest innovations in new media.
There will be a workshop from innovative tile company, Mosa, on creating bespoke murals plus competitions with the chance to win design classics, such as a Fritz Hansen Series 7 chair, courtesy of office furniture company, Bene.
Alongside the workshops, seminars and competitions will be displays of the latest products relevant to architects and designers working on commercial interiors.
Comments event director, Lynne Maynard of Eos Interiors: “Birmingham’s design community is a force to be reckoned with and is responsible for some of the most creative and unique interiors in Europe. We think it’s time for Birmingham to hold an annual interior design event, giving all of us the opportunity to celebrate architecture and design in our city.”
The main venue for Design Quarter 2013 is St Paul’s Gallery, which displays the largest collection of album cover art in the world. On September 26 the art and music memorabilia will be joined by industry leading products from Humanscale, Bene, Royal Mosa, Camira, Interface, Vescom and Artemide.
Design Quarter 2013 is free to attend for anyone involved in architecture and design, who should register at www.DesignQuarter2013.com.
Wouter Schuitemaker, Investment Director at inward investment programme, Business Birmingham, comments:
“Hosting an event like Design Quarter 2013 demonstrates that Birmingham is an established national hub of design. The Jewellery Quarter – where, remarkably, 40% of all British jewellery is made – is a natural home for showcasing the creative industries’ innovation and originality.”