International fashion, interior, graphics, advertising and photography industry reps at Design Fest

• Range of exhibitions, forums and workshops for students and general public

For the third consecutive year, the Sri Lanka Design Festival is preparing to provide South-Asian region with a rare opportunity to witness and learn from the creative talent and expertise of globally renowned creative industry professionals. SLDF 2011 has invited a group of elite international designers, advertising gurus, photographers and opinion leaders to Sri Lanka, to take part in the festival in November.

SLDF is known for hosting exhibitions and shows that are interesting displays of design of international calibre. This year’s festival hosts a major design exhibition that highlights the creative genius of country’s young and emerging designers, through selected works of Academy of Design’s graphic, interior, fashion design and photography departments. The exhibition will be launched on 17 November through an exclusive cocktail party and will remain open to the public on 18, 19 and 20 November with free entrance.

Providing a special opportunity for the local graphics and advertising industry professionals and students to learn from global leaders in motion graphics, web design and advertising, SLDF hosts the Future of Visual Communication Forum on 19 November.  This forum is to include one-on-one interactive discussions on industry relevant topics by Barry Schwartz of ADDIKT Design Movement Amsterdam, Rajesh Dahiya of Co-Design India, Alain Parizeau – Graphic Design programme head of AOD and other international opinion leaders.

SLDF’s Interior Design Conference on 19 November will be led by American interior designer Donald Hill. Hill, whose expertise has won a clientele that includes world-famous musician David Bowie, Actor Steve Martin and Musician Donald Fagen will host interactive talks and discussions on professional practice on a burgeoning field, decorative art and interior design in the public sphere.

Providing an educational insight to today’s most popular form of art, SLDF will also host a Photography Forum and Workshop on 20 November. The morning forum includes a debate about the level of professionalism, the state of the commercial market, and the future of photography in Sri Lanka with some of country’s leading photographers while bringing up issues in the contemporary scene to raise some solutions to the direction of future professionals. The afternoon workshop will include a live, filmic photo shoot, with UK film and photography expert Chris Burgess with lessons on professional lighting and staging in photography.

SLDF’s organiser AOD, as the most active creative educator in the island, will also host a series of workshops for students between the ages of 14 to 21. This gives Sri Lanka’s young creative enthusiasts a rare opportunity to learn creative trends, tips and tricks from international designers and photographers.

The workshops focus on event branding, editorial design, fashion re-styling, interior design and photography. All workshops are conducted by international design professionals and will be an ideal opportunity for young students to gain international knowledge in design.

The special Photography section of the SLDF design exhibition and all photography workshops and forums are sponsored by the global imaging leader Canon – Metropolitan in Sri Lanka. The Fashion Restyling workshops are sponsored by the international provider of cutting edge sewing technology Brother by Office Network in Sri Lanka.

A full programme of SLDF is available online at www.srilankadesignfestival.com or from the festival secretariat at Academy of Design (AOD), 29, Lauries Road, Colombo 4. For more information call on +94 11 5737303 or visit between 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

SLDF is conceptualised and organised by AOD (www.aod.lk) – The Academy of Design; Sri Lanka’s pioneering design campus that offers international creative and design education while serving as a dynamic catalyst of the local creative industries. SLDF is endorsed by its key stakeholders, Sri Lanka Apparel and the Ministry of Economic Development.  SLDF is also partnered by Mount Lavinia Hotel – Festival Host, SriLankan Airlines – Official Airline, Sri Lanka Tourism – Tourism Partners, Textured Jersey – Fabric Partner, Coats – Thread Partner, TradeCard – Software Partner, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics – Freight and logistics partner, Norwegian Embassy – Cultural Partner, British Council – Knowledge Partner. Other associates include Sparklink Travels, Bates Strategic Alliance PR, Social M!dea, ADDIKT Design Movement, Images Group, CG Hairdressing, MTV/MBC and Fashion TV.