SLDF 2024: All set for Innovation Island
Aimee Kyffin
The Sri Lanka Design Festival (SLDF) is set to take place on a grand scale this year marking 15 years of advancing innovation, creativity, and collaboration. Organised by the Academy of Design (AOD), one of Sri Lanka’s leading design education institutes, the festival underscores a profound appreciation of the role played by creative industries in driving economic recovery and social progress with this year’s theme ‘Innovation Island’.
SLDF 2024 will be held from November 7-10 at the recently opened Cinnamon Life City of Dreams, a vibrant venue that will host an exciting blend of exhibitions, immersive workshops, discussions and interactive experiences.
With over 30 key speakers, the event will focus on themes surrounding design, entrepreneurial creativity, sustainable luxury, artistic expression and activism, and typography. The festival will also have interior exhibitions, tours and music programmes throughout the day and invites the public to explore the transformative power of design and the resilience and creativity of this island nation.
A model design
The festival kicks off on November 7 with the finale of Creative Entrepreneurs for Social Change, a competition organised by Lanka Angels Network and AOD. Five finalists will present their projects that tackle pressing social challenges such as sustainability, community development, education and healthcare through creative solutions rooted in design. The winner will receive guidance in developing their project into a fully-fledged solution capable of making a positive impact through mentorship from Lanka Angel Network.
As part of its emphasis on typography and design, SLDF will feature multiple talks and discussions by experts in the field such as Anant Ahuja, co-founder and managing partner of The Irregulars Alliance—one of India’s most eclectic creative collectives. Ahuja who takes a human-first approach to brand-building, communication systems, and cultural projects for global giants like Apple, Meta, and Spotify will share his experiences in his talk ‘Against the Grain: The inner workings of the Irregulars Alliance’ on November 8.
Ahuja, who was featured in Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30 list in 2020, will also explore the intersection of design, art, and business while shedding light on how innovative thinking can drive commercial success and share valuable insights on harnessing creativity to enhance brand narratives and foster sustainable growth in ‘Creative Commerce: A Conversation on Entrepreneurial Creativity’ on November 9.
Women who have made significant contributions to typography in the region will gather on November 10 in ‘Women Shaping Typography: Insights from South Asia’. Pooja Saxena, an award-winning type designer with a focus on Indic scripts, will be joined by Dr. Sumanthri Samarawikrama, a senior lecturer at the University of Moratuwa known for her research on Sinhala typography and establishment of the discipline in Sri Lanka, and Malindi Jayathunga, an art director and co-founder of the Akuru Collective, to reflect on their respective journeys and the importance of fostering design communities.
Anant Ahuja
In ‘Not Just Fast Luxe: Strategies for Extending Luxury Lifecycle’ on November 8, Aimee Kyffin, a senior service and user experience designer at Chemistry, a design consultancy based in Singapore and Amsterdam will be in a discussion on how her team at Chemistry is overcoming the increased pressure faced by luxury brands to become more sustainable with innovative solutions.
Also on November 8, Chris Sanderson and Martin Raymond, co-founders of The Future Laboratory and experts in trend forecasting, will explore the key factors that drive future consumer desires with insights drawn from their work with clients such as Chanel, H&M, and General Motors in their talk ‘The Future is Now: How to Better Understand What’s Driving Your Customers’ Consumer Behaviour’.
The next day, Chani Perera will delve into how creative challenges can be transformed into opportunities for growth in ‘A Creative Block is a Building Block’. With over 15 years of experience in design communication and extensive work across diverse sectors, Chani illustrates how moments of creative blockage are not obstacles but catalysts for innovation. Dutch designer Noud Sleumer, whose work focuses on deconstructing everyday objects, products and systems, will share his unique approach with ‘Unraveling Design: Rethinking Everyday Objects and Systems’.
Also on November 9, ‘Voices of Renewal: Art and Women as Catalysts for Change’, moderated by Radhika Hettiarachchi, brings together award-winning poet and author Ramya Jirasinghe, leading LGBTQ+ activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, and artist and environmental advocate Anoma Wijewardene to explore how women’s movements and artistic expression are pivotal in driving social, cultural, and environmental progress.
Pooja Saxena
In another panel discussion, ‘Shaping Society Through Design: Using Creativity for Impact’, Aadhitya Jayaseelan, founder of Kayamai Studios, Dinara Punchihewa, filmmaker and performing artist, and Deanna Jayasundera, co-founder of refind.lk, will reflect on how art and design can serve as tools for social change.
On November 10, Radhika Hettiarachchi will discuss with well-known artist Anoma Wijewardene how she uses her art to address critical social, political, and environmental challenges that threaten the unity of life in ‘Art, Memory, and the Pursuit for Unity’.
In ‘Human Centric Design’, Ruchi Dhillon, a chartered architect with over 30 years of experience across Sri Lanka, India, and Australia, will lead a discussion on how we can shift the focus from purely technological and aesthetic considerations to a more human-centred approach in built environments. Veteran architect Murad Ismail and author Ashok Ferrey will join in the discussion to dig into strategies for engaging citizens in the design process, highlighting the need to preserve the unique identity of their city amidst rapid change.
For more details on the programme for the upcoming festival, visit https://www.srilankadesignfestival.lk/ Prior registration is required for all events.
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