Bristol Design Festival unveils programme

Kinneir Dufort and Sebastian Gronemeyer will be among 500 exhibitors showing at the Bristol Design Festival in June – more than twice as many as last year.

Despite this growth, festival director Neil Ferguson believes that the recession has hit this year’s festival. He says, ‘We could have got quite a few more than 500 exhibitors this year, without the recession. We have also struggled to find sponsorship.’

The programme of events will include a talk by industrial designer Mike Turner about his Bloodhound SSC car, which will attempt to break the land speed record next year. Re-Design is also planning a seminar on the future of sustainable design.

Returning to the show is the Grafikea competition, in which designers and members of the public modify Ikea coffee tables to compete for a £250 prize.

Several unnamed ‘highprofile’ designers will also be modifying ride-on children’s Trunki suitcases, while 150 European graffiti artists will be taking part in the Urban Paint Festival.

Ferguson claims that he would like the festival to collaborate with the Designs of the Time scheme when Dott visits Cornwall next year.

‘There is scope for joining up with Dott – most obviously, it could either have an exhibition at our festival, or we could do a Bristol-based design exhibition down in Cornwall,’ he says.

Bristol Design Festival 2009 features new branding (pictured) and a website created in December by local freelance designer Richard French.

Bristol Design Festival 2009 takes place from 5-11 June. For more details, visit www. bristoldesignfestival.com.