Opening of ait graduate design exhibition

A large gathering of students, their families, lecturers and art enthusiasts turned out at AIT on Friday for the official opening of the Graduate Design Exhibition 2015.

The show features the work of final year students on AIT’s degrees in design (communication), visual communications and digital media, and is open to the public until this Friday, May 29.

A wide variety of themes and media are represented in the students’ creations, ranging from a video about stained glass maestro, Harry Clarke, through to an ode about the art and joy of letter writing, as well as an exploration of the relationship between food and language, and a beautiful illustrated story about the old Polish legend of the Wawel Dragon in Kraków.

Opening the show, Pat Timpson, strategic advisor to AIT and self-confessed “scientist”, quoted sculptor Oisín Kelly, who said “Art and design are a continuum”.

That sense of integration was evident in the students’ work, Mr Timpson said. He commended them on the “commercial” quality of their work, stating that it was “ready for market”.

Addressing the students, he said: “For me the most impressive aspect of your work is the journey of discovery – discovery of yourselves, discovery of places.

"Equally, the range of media that you have utilised to translate your discoveries into something that the rest of us can understand is hugely impressive.”

He concluded his remarks by congratulating the lecturers on their role in the journey and by advising the students to be “flexible in your careers”.

Oliver Hegarty, head of the department of humanities, encouraged members of the general public to visit the exhibition.

“This is a space to explore ideas and concepts, to appreciate reality from alternative perspectives; a visit to the graduate design expo will certainly repay the effort,” he stated.

Further details about Design at AIT are at design.ait.ie and via the faculty’s Facebook page.