Exhibition map

Masha

Weekend recommendation

Nobody going to DIT can miss the two small coffee shops side by side on Capel St., glass showcases revealing their simple interior and great looking food.

Brother Hubbard is a small café opened on 153 Capel Street, Dublin 1 in 2012. It takes equal care in the quality of its food, coffee, and service. This approach was appreciated by locals and in March 2014 one more coffee shop opened next door – Little Brother. The coffeeshops play very well with each other, and because of their popularity it is sometimes very hard to find the seat there during lunch.

Thanks to a collaboration with 3fe (another coffee shop run by the winner of Barista Championship Colin Harmon) both 'Brothers'shops produce exceptional coffee according to the highest europian standards. You can enjoy it together with tasty home made desserts or after some of their freshly prepared lunches.

As well as delicious food, the ambience is to be enjoyed thanks to the simple wooden interior designed by Dublin studio Designgoat. These young designers have already designed several bars and shops in Dublin. Just visit!

Both shops are open daily – on week days from 8 – 5:30 and on weekends from 10 – 5.

Eliska

Concrete Cube

The Concrete Cube workhop concentreted its skills on developing and exploring the qualities of concrete over two weeks.

14 students, under the leadership of two tutors Emma Bremenstent and Rasmus Feddersen from the Danish Royal Academy, started their workshop by walking around the city to gain inspiration last week. They visited the area around Christchurch, where their final exhibition shall take place, as well as other important sites in Dublin. After this participants, led by their tutors, created many small cubes with different colours, structure, texture and surface patterns to understand concrete as a material and explore its possibilities.

The main part of the workshop comprised of final products being created during the second week by the students. Despite the assigment name, Concrete Cube, students were not forced to keep this form in theirs design. The idea was to concentrate their skills on site specific final products with the cubic shape considered only as a starting point. Students are working in pairs and created their final pieces in the final days of the workshop. You will see the 7 final designs near Christchurch for two weeks after the final exhibition.

Venue #5 - Hendron’s Collider

40 Dominick Street Upper, Broadstone, Dublin 7, Dublin, Ireland

Hendron’s Collider is a relatively new multidisciplinary space, combining artist studios with spaces for exhibitions and events. Their 12 artist studios contain a variety of disciplines, including visual artists, writers, illustrators, artist collectives, and performers. The aim of the organisation is to “create a support structure for the development of creativity for artists in Ireland’s changing cultural landscape, and to provide a productive environment for engagement with peers.” So far the space has played host to a variety of both local and international musicians, community groups and artists, such as the Anti-Racism Network’s monthly food and film get-togethers, and solo shows for Collider artists Aran Young and Alan Doyle. Upcoming events include a Hack-fest film screening, described as “an alternative animation festival for industry troglodytes,” taking place on August 27th.

The building is lending their top floor and rooftop patio to MEDS this summer between August 10 through 24^th, to be home base for the audio-visual workshop known as ’Ensemble.’ The energetic group is happy to call the Collider home for these two weeks, using it as a combination workshop, exhibition space, and daytime dance club. Their final interactive project will be exhibited there on Saturday, August 23^rd, alongside BeeLife’s bait-hive exhibition.

Penny

Concrete Canvas

A group of 13 students led by Agnes Günther have focused their attention on discovering the design possibilities of a newly developed material, Concrete Canvas, during the two week workshop. 

Agnes Günther studies Jewellery and Product Design at Escola d'Art I Superior de Disseny in Valencia and works for the Concrete research centre in Germany. As a previous participant in the last two years of MEDS she decided to be a tutor this year and share her knowledge about Concrete Canvas with the participants of her workshop.

Concrete canvas is material that consists of three functional layers. It has a PVC foil on one side, dry concrete mixture in the middle and fibrous top surface. The canvas is hydrated by spraying or fully immerse into water and after drying for 24 hours it gets the character of cured concrete with several advantages – it is waterproof, fire resistant, and, thanks to effective usage, reduces the enviromental impact of normal concrete projects by up to 95%. Concrete canvas is normally used in civil infrastructure application and its design possibilities are waiting for discovering. It is made in three thickness 5, 8 or 13 mm, which all are used by Agnes and her students during the two weeks.

The Concrete canvas workshop is full of discovery and experimentation. The participants designed their own furniture during the first days to prove their stability. Some of designs needed only some final corrections and finishing such as screwing or cutting, whereas some of them collapsed totally. The successful ones have been produced in larger amounts. The final products will be exhibited in front of Christchurch and in The Chocolate Factory Creative Community.

Eliska

Venue #4 - DIT

Located in the centre of Dublin, DIT (Dublin Institute of Technology) has existed in its present form since 1992, although a longer history of it can be traced back to the establishment of the first Irish technical education system in 1887. It maintains its primary ideals through its offering of third level education from certificate to doctorate level. Moreover, Alumni of the Dublin Institute of Technology include many of Ireland's leading politicians, artists and writers, including The Boomtown Rats, formed by Bob Geldof. It has a wide range of courses, including Science, Marketing, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering and Architecture, the latter opening up their doors to this year's MEDS (Meeting of Design Students) participants and tutors in Linenhall, opposite its sister building on Bolton Street.

It is on the third floor of Linenhall that the central hub of both the REC and Photography workshops for MEDS was created. The Photography workshop focuses on light-painting techniques –€・a relatively new method of challenging convention with exciting light patterns and displays using long exposures –€・and the REC workshop collaborating with both participants and tutors from the surrounding workshops in order to both record and experience what it means to be a part of MEDS.

(photos by Masha)

Jack

Casino Marino - The Pavillion Building

Tutors: Daniel Haarholf and co-tutor Joana Martins

Architect: Douglas Carson

A team of 20 participants visited the Casino-Marino building and brainstormed for approaches to replicate one of the rooms in the Castle Gardens.

The casino-marino workshop is fully focused on the reproduction of the china closet – a room with only one natural light source. Once the eyes are adjasted to the darkness the intricate plaster work can be seen due to the casting of shadows that make it visible to the eye..

Looking for new possibilities...

The structure of the pavillion is in the construction process and there are two approaches being tested. Today the team is experimenting with knotting on 1:1 scale to get a feel of the real structure, tying 'green' timber poles together with a rope to work out the best way for the construction, also making sure that all health and safety regulations are met.

..making skatches..

The interior is going to be completed with an internal lining of Tricoya MDF panels – an Irish designed product made from waste timber – which completes the sustainable aspect of the design. The panels will be layered to create a three-dimensional spacial quality – this process will be used for all of the walls except one which is going to have a more detailed finish created using a stencil and painting the MDF with acrylic paint.

...trying on models...

A variety of roof structures have also been tested on a smaller scale – all of which are using rope to create patterns - and a canvas is going to be put on top of it to protect the pavillion from the rain.

The finishing touches will be added to the pavillion by the participants who are going to encorporate their artistic impressions into the interior space in the form of art works such as photography and painting.

Nadia

The Ensamble - Audio Visual Workshop

Tutors: Łukasz Orlowski, Erzë Dinarama

The most secret and unpredicable workshop of all the others, which are running at MEDS this year, started to build its final installation today.

Relax...

A group of 12 students together with their tutors started their work with a short lecture about the sound and visual installations and its possibilities last week. After that they have tried to sketch their first designs and begun collecting stuff essential for their final exhibition. The initial plan to get a lot of trash from scrabyards and junkyards did not work out because they would need permission from the city and there was not enough time to get it. They did not give it up and all together walked around the city and got as much trash material as possible from the small shops, workshops or other organization (such as DIT). They suceeded and started to built the interactive pavillion from OSB and MDF desks, tyres, pieces of guitars and lot of other stuff on Monday.

...work...

Final design with provisional name 'inside/outside' is a collective work which aims to involve all human senses. The participants work inside all the time, but it is necessery to go outside at least for a lunch break. They try to improve their audio visual senses during the work but sharing a lunch on the roof of Hendron's Collider enables them to share taste and smell experiences. The students are constantly improving their skills in screwing and drilling as well as in dancing and singing.

...twork...

Thanks to this amazing experience and the feeling of community the group decided to make one final design installation. The appearence of the 'product' is not the same as it was expected, it is mainly influenced by the found material. It will be a pavillion made of OSB which will connect audio visual space inside and outside of it with the use of projectors and microphones. The pavillion will stay in the middle of studio where the group is working right now. It will be worth seeing!

... and work. (made by AudioVisual group)

Eliska

Venue #3 - Stoneybatter Guild

The Stoneybatter Guild is a small closed courtyard in the heart of Stoneybatter - the part of the city which is now known as Dublin 7. The history of Stoneybatter dates back to the 2^nd century, when the highway connecting Tara and Wicklow was built here. The locals call Stoneybatter the "Urban Village" and consider it as a separate city inside Dublin. It used to be home for workmen and their workshops originally, and is distinguished from other parts of the city by its brick houses, bright coloured doors and colourful window boxes. In recent years it has started to become settled in by artists and young people who work to open new galleries, coffees and independent workshops in here.

Inside the courtyard

The Stoneybatter Guild is a place run by a group of people who try to bring back the tradition of craftsmanship and creativity to this part of the city. They use a small courtyard and provide spaces in it for independent artists and craftspeople. Some of these 'craftspeople' are MEDS participants working in the Clock Making workshop for these two weeks. Participants are located in two rooms with beautiful sorroundings and adequate space for their experimental work with process and materials.

All you need to work (by Masha)

To find out what is going on: http://stoneybatterblog.com

Eliska

Venue #2 - Seomra Spraoi

An autonomous social hub in the centre of Dublin, Seomra Spraoi is run by non-profit collective in order to create an affordable and approachable relief to the city culture that surrounds it. A host to the Waste Bicycles and Primitive DIY Photography workshops for MEDS (Meeting of Design Students), it is also host to film screenings, gigs, cafés and language lessons, as well as a host of other subjects for activity. By creating such a diverse range of experiences within its walls, Seomra Spraoi allows itself to cater for a wider range of individuals, further extending its positive relief from a city culture which has arguably become defined by property speculation and consumerist ideals. In essence, a city tailored less to the individual, and more to the culture of the car.

By challenging this culture, a truer value is experienced through their alternative selections, including vegan cakes and tea, Spanish language classes and camera-making; an insightful exploration into the mechanics of the camera, and photography as a whole. It is within the bicycle repair workshop that some MEDS students have made their home for two weeks, alongside their camera-making counterparts – making reusable DIY bicycles for later use to distribute food to the less fortunate.

Jack

Venue #1: Chocolate Factory

The location where the participants of the MEDS workshops retire to both relax and eat dinner every evening has a long history and amazing presence. When the participants leave at the end of the two weeks, a new coffee shop shall opened here alongside a gallery and studios.

Feel of the dinner (photo by Masha)

The Chocolate Factory was the first concrete building in Dublin and was buit as part of Williams & Wood Sweet Factory on King's Inn Street around 1910, and the Chocolate Factory became a place where well known sweets such as Tomblerone, Mind Crisp and various jam goodies were produced. Afterwards, the building became part of Simpson's Hospital and since 1978 changed its use to an archive and record storage.

The original furniture founded in the factory (photo by Masha)

The old four storey factory is being redesigned into a creative community centre today. The community centre offers space for different artists' studios and small businesses, such as the first rooftop "Urban Farm", which was opened on the roof of the building two years ago in order to try to educate people on various horticultural techniques. The coffee shop and gallery shall be open during September on the first floor.

"Urban Farm" on the roof of The Chocolate Factory

The intention is that the Chocolate Factory shall transform into a new creative centre of Dublin, through which positive influence shall be spread to the surrounding parts of the city.

Eliska

More info: 

http://chocolatefactorydublin.blogspot.ie/

http://builtdublin.com/factory-26-kings-inns-street-dublin-1/

Wasted Bikes Workshop for FoodCloud

One of the bikes which are being designed by the participants from Wasted Bicycles workshop during these two weeks will be donating to FoodCloud Organization (FCO).

As written on the webpage of FCO, "450 000 people in Ireland suffer from food poverty and at the same time one million tonnes of food is wasted." This is why FCO collects fruit, vegetables and bread from big stores, such as Fresh and Tesco, and distribute them to various charitable organisations. The new food is produced from the likes of vegetables, fruit and pastries, and are redistributed to the needed.

Students from the workshop met Aiobheann O'Brien – one of the co-founders of the organization - last friday in order to get information about running the charity, as well as about the needs that it has. Firstly, they went to the Fresh store to see what it is like picking up the food, and then visited the charities, where they could they speak with the cook, who changes 'trash food' into a gourmet experience for the children from kindergarten.

Nowadays, FCO is collaborating only with big stores, as driving around small bakeries and coffee shops is now deemed insufficient. Volunteers from FoodCloud should be able to pick up food from small shops faster and more efficiently thanks to the new Wasted Bicycles. If they look pretty and the comfort of good design is enjoyed, we will have succeeded. At REC, we're crossing our fingers!

If you are interested in FCO activity or if you even want to join in than visit the webpage http://foodcloud.ie/ or just try to take part in The Stop Waste Food Challange in here: http://www.stopfoodwaste.ie/food-we-waste/challenges/

Workshop Introduction

Introducing the workshops!

Beelife

Tutor: Kaethe Burt-O'Dae

Location: All over Dublin

Focusing on bringing nature into the city using bees both literally and metaphorically.

Waste Bikes

Tutor: Ali & Veshi

Location: Seomra Spraoi

Recycling parts to build bikes to bring food to the less fortunate.

Casino at Marino
Tutor: Douglas and Daniel

Location: Dublin Castle

Recreating a segment of a historic building with creative means

Camera Making

Tutor: Hvorje

Location: Seomra Spraoi

Exploring the possibilities of analog photography methods.

Concrete Furniture

Tutor: Agnes

Location: DIT Bolton St Workshop

Experimenting with the possibilities of concrete canvas to create furniture.

Concrete Cube

Tutor: Emma & Rasmus

Location: DIT Bolton St Workshop

Exploring the properties and possibilities of concrete to make artistic cubes

Wooden Furniture

Tutor: Jonah

Location: St. Ignatius Road

Working with Irish beech to create simple laminated wood furniture

Clock Making

Tutors: Henry & Darren

Location: Stoneybatter Guild

Producing clocks inspired by material properties and techniques

Graffiti

Tutor: Connor

Location: Market Studios

Collaborating with local artists to create permanent and temporary street art

Ensemble

Tutors: Lukas & Erze

Location: Linen Hall

Using found materials and audiovisual equipment to develop sound landscapes

Photography

Tutors: Fran, Davide & Prame

Location: Linen Hall

Developing photographic techniques and creating stop-motion film

REC

Tutors: Janneke, Ally, Sma, Catalin, Oytun

Location: Linen Hall

We are always watching you!

Global Green!

Hey everyone! This is the first post of REC Team in Global Green. We are happy to see you in Dublin. Enjoy! #test #medsdublin2014 #globalgreen2014