A SCOTTISH event is aiming to become the world’s most sustainable design festival.
It is hoped that the Dundee Design Festival can be run entirely on clean and sustainable energy at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP) and organisers are also working with V&A Dundee to reuse exhibition materials from its tartan exhibition.
Along with a commitment to use a maximum of 30% new materials for the festival, build organisers will work with Dundee-based electric bus company Ember to provide clean public transport for visitors.
The festival is Scotland’s largest design event and this year’s ambitious programme will take over 10,000sqm of space at the Innovation Parc hosting a week of free exhibitions, activities and immersive installations. The former factory will be home to work by more than 100 designers, each celebrating local, national and international design talent.
The negative environmental impact of temporary festivals can be significant, Annie Marrs, lead officer at Unesco City of Design Dundee, pointed out.
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“I believe that DDF 24 can be a case study in how cultural organisations and businesses can collaborate to lower their collective carbon footprint,” she said.
“One of the reasons Dundee was designated a Unesco City of Design is the city’s commitment to design and innovation driving our commitment to sustainable development.
“It’s natural for us to want to create one of the world’s most sustainable design festivals and ensure that the best in design is showcased to as many people as possible.”
Creative director and festival curator Dr Stacey Hunter (below) added: “We are developing partnerships with a variety of organisations who share our values around sustainability and the value of design. It’s been a really exciting phase for us as we, as a team, push ourselves to minimise waste and maximise opportunities.
“As details have emerged about our amazing site at MSIP and our sustainability goals, design-centred organisations like V&A Dundee and Bard reached out to us with generous offers of materials and infrastructure.
“For me as a designer and a curator, this is a natural way of doing things in Scotland. We are a tight-knit community and Scotland has always been known around the world for its capacity for frugality!
“Any kind of waste is something that most people working in design are always keen to eliminate and the partnerships we are developing are symbolic of that urge to be efficient.”
Caroline Grewar, programme director at V&A Dundee, said: “It was extremely important to us from the outset that the tartan exhibition infrastructure was designed and built to have a life beyond its initial nine-month run at V&A Dundee.
“We are delighted that the exhibition materials will now have a second home at this year’s Dundee Design Festival less than five miles away from the museum, and we can support the festival team in achieving their sustainability goals of using less than 30% new materials.”
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