AOD Design Week 2008, AUGUST 3rd – 10th

AOD Design Week 2008 is the inaugural launch of an annual event to be based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Hosted by The Academy of Design (AOD), it strives to bring Design to the forefront of the expanding world of art and Design in Sri Lanka. The purpose of Design Week is to highlight the important contribution which good design makes to the cultural and economic life of Sri Lanka through fostering a reputation for creative excellence and innovation. By concentrating a large number of design events over a short period of a week, due to take place this August, the aim is to focus attention on a selection of design activity through Sri Lanka and also highlight the work of young designers.

Design Week aims to promote the creative industries and encourage its growth as a means of wealth generation and economic contribution. It aims to promote design in Sri Lanka as a serious educational discipline and a dynamic profession.

ABOUT AOD

Academy of Design (AOD) is the first fully integrated design school in Sri Lanka. It oers internationally recognized undergraduate qualifications in Fashion, Interior, Graphic, Multimedia and Jewellery Design. Begun in 2000, the school opened to offer an education that would meet the demand created in the area of Design. Currently AOD has an enrolment of over 200 fulltime students. Since its inception, AOD has grown in size and scope, and beginning in 2009, will offer a full 4year, internationally recognized Bachelors Degree program.

It is the vision of AOD for the Design Week to not only launch the visibility of its graduating alumni, but further, to promote the field of Design as a whole within Sri Lanka.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM OF EVENTS ‘08:

To build on public awareness and education, this week includes 30 events which include: conferences, introductory & advanced technical workshops, open exhibitions, and forums focused contemporary topics in the design industry. The content of these activities will be designed to touch on multiple areas and disciplines of design, and will be targeted at both professionals and non-professionals. The topics for these events will consist of a range of creative design issues in areas of the areas of: Fashion and Textile Design, Interior and Exhibition Design, Graphic Design, Jewellery Design, and Introductory Fine Arts Workshops. In addition, there will be special themed conferences focused on such important areas such as Ethical fashion, Green Design, and inter-disciplinary issues such as the Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture. These conferences and workshops will be led by local and international professionals in various design elds, and are destined to raise awareness around design as well as to increase opportunities to engender a strong industry in Sri Lanka.

AOD Design week will work in partnership with the following organizations and representative bodies: British Council, Alliance Francaise, Goethe Institut, and Barefoot Gallery.