The Glasgow School of Art

The annual Inverness-based XpoNorth festival, until 2014 known as goNORTH, is Scotland's leading creative industries festival and takes place in Inverness. The festival covers crafts, fashion and textiles, writing, publishing screen, broadcast and music. 

Held in venues across the city of Inverness. By day, XpoNorth hosts a packed programme of more than 25 panels and workshops featuring leading industry players in the fields of crafts, publishing, screen, music and more. By night, it offers a beguiling blend of Highland hospitality in the form of relaxed networking events, coupled with a free music showcase in intimate venues and a curated short film programme. Free. 

https://xponorth.co.uk/

The Glasgow School of Art are taking part in the following events at the festival:

Design Network panel: Beyond the Logo

Wed 8th June, 12pm

The designer’s role in the reimagining and regeneration of towns, cities and communities. Leading figures from the international design world explore the transformational impact of design, and share areas of opportunity opening up to designers in new fields. 

Chaired by Claire English, BBC Culture Social Affairs presenter

Panellists

Professor Irene McAra – McWilliam OBE, Head of School of Design, The Glasgow School of Art. 
Ingrid van der Wacht. Ambassador for Design for Europe and freelance international projects manager for Dutch Design Week. 
Alex Milton. Programme Director of Irish Design 2015.
Anne Guiney. Director of Research, Van Alen Institute, New York.

Design Network and Publishing Network crossover panel. 

Designing Content and Storytelling for 21^st Century audiences

Eden Court. Wed 8th June, 1.30 pm. 

An inspirational ‘show and tell’ from four very different perspectives:

leading designers and content makers explore examples around the latest thinking in 21^st Century, trans-media content, and share ideas on how businesses can create their own great content. Chaired by Claire English, BBC Culture Social Affairs presenter

Panellists

Dr Daniel Livingstone, Digital Design Studio, The Glasgow School of Art
Paula Zuccotti. Strategist, ethnographer, industrial designer, trends forecaster and founder of The Overworld
Charles Kriel. Games, platforms and digital products creator
Eric Huang. Book publishing, licensing, brand development

Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam OBE. Keynote Speech

Wed 8 June, 4.30pm 

Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, Head of the School of Design at The Glasgow School of Art. 

In this inspirational keynote, Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam OBE explores the evolving nature of Design, proposing a new role for the discipline which she has called ‘Design Innovation’: a way of creatively working with partners nationally and internationally, across academic, business and civic sectors in order to address complex issues. 

She proposes that for positive change to occur and new cultures of innovation to emerge, designers need to integrate the social, cultural and technological opportunities that exist in our society prioritising solutions that generate ‘preferable futures’: that is, new ways of living and working that support human flourishing.

She will give examples of this approach in her work with businesses, public services, the Scottish Government, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Xpo North Welcome Ceremony

Wed 8 June, 6-8pm

Ironworks, Inverness

The Glasgow School of Art’s Design Network hosts this networking session featuring showcases from the GSA's Digital Design Studio, the Institute of Design Innovation and the BA (Hons) Fashion Design programme.  

3D printing for local businesses. Hosted by Dr Paul Smith

Thurs 9 June

Do you want to know more about digital fabrication technologies, including 3D printing?

Come and join the Digital Makers Network from Glasgow School of Art’s Institute of Design Innovation. This workshop gives you the opportunity to experiment with new ideas and techniques and try out 3D printing.

The Digital Makers Network is a research project within the Creative Futures Partnership between the Glasgow School of Art and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It explores the role for new digital design and new digital manufacturing technologies, like 3D printing, in creative rural enterprises, and researches the future for manufacturing across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.