Kilkenny County Council are looking for a name to bestow upon the new pedestrian bridge. Was thinking a lot about this and after taking part in the recent Craft Council event for anniversary of the Kilkenny Design Workshops came up with the William Walsh Bridge Under the leadership of William Walsh of Córas Tráchtála the former stables at Kilkenny Castle were acquired and converted. Designers from across Europe were employed as lead designers and mentors, producing prototypes which were offered on a royalty basis to industry. Initially the emphasis was on craft-based industries but over time the workshops expanded to include industrial and product design. KDW provided an interdisciplinary environment for individual designers who produced designs for goods using various materials and techniques, and for different market segments. 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Kilkenny Design Workshops [KDW]. Today in Kilkenny we use the tag line the creative heart of Ireland ( strangely as just a tourist pitch), this tag line is directly related and attributed to William Walshs vision. Kilkenny has a strong craft industry while I believe the creativity in industry is still yet to be explored and taken advantage of. The new bridge would be an interesting metaphor to bring notoriety to his name and let the people of Kilkenny know the importance of William Walshs role in creating the creative heart of Ireland here in Kilkenny. It could also act as a catalyst to bring Kilkenny forward as and to be seen as a creative hub for industry, craft and living!
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 20:38:20 +0000