A new initiative is putting Dublin design on the map: quite literally in this case.
Dubbed the "new map", the project by Pivot Dublin allows users to browse over 200 independent design studios, cafes, restaurants, bars, galleries and other venues around Dublin as recommended by designers living and working in the city. As well as a printed leaflet the map is also available as an interactive webpage which allows users to filter by the type of venue and to click on individual premises for information about each location.
Designer Conor Nolan of the Conor & David studio said "it's really Dublin by Dubliners".
"I suppose the idea behind it is to promote design in the city but the map is not strictly a design guide...it's a look at Dublin from a designer's perspective so places you might hang out, little secret places that tourist might not necessarily be familiar with from traditional guidebooks," he said, adding that the map will be updated as people nominate other premises and populated with more information over time.
Ali Grehan, Dublin City Architect said that, as well as promoting what Dublin has to offer, the "new map" also demonstrates the entrepreneurial and economic potential of Ireland's design community: "We need to actually demonstrate what's here in Dublin, that there so many independent small design shops and studios which have sprung up over the last few years and they are selling the work of young and not-so-young Irish designers and this stuff is really world class. Hand in hand with that is this great scene of shops, bars and cafes," she said.
"The genesis goes back to the Dublin Pivot project which started in 2009 when we wanted to make a bid for World Design Capital. We did incredibly well in that competition: we came second to Cape Town. So much enthusiasm had built up with producing this bid, this huge collaborative effort...and there was an appetite for us to continue with the project," she said, adding that the map helped to show and promote the strength of Irish design.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí who was on hand to launch the map at Dublin City Hall this morning said that he viewed Dublin as a "series of cubby holes" which the map would help people uncover: "I think designers look at the city through a different lens. There are things here that your average tourist will not be aware of...I think it brings out a different perspective," he said.