30 May 2000
YOUNG DESIGNERS CARVE OUT CAREERS IN SPECIALIST FURNITURE
An exhibition featuring the work of some of Northern Ireland's brightest and most talented young furniture designers was opened today by Dr Sean Farren, the Minister for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment.
Speaking at the opening of the Furniture for a New Age Exhibition, which has been organised by the Upper Bann Institute of Further and Higher Education, Dr Farren said: "You only have to look at the furniture on display to see the outstanding creativity and skills of our young designers.
"Their work is tangible proof that Northern Ireland can produce the talented young people it needs to compete in increasingly competitive international markets."
All the furniture on display at the exhibition has been produced by 24 students on a unique BTEC National and Higher National Diploma course which is being pioneered by the Upper Bann Institute with funding from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Training and Employment.
Dr Farren added: "By using some of the most modern teaching methods and equipment currently available, allied to some innovative thinking and commitment, the Upper Bann Institute has given these young students the chance to turn their potential into reality.
"The quality of their work is truly striking and I hope that this exhibition will not only act as a launch pad for success for these young designers, but also encourage others to carve out a career for themselves."
The exhibition is being held in the Waterfront hall, Belfast and will run from 29th May to 10th June. It is the first of its kind to be presented to the Northern Ireland public. On display will be a range of contemporary timepieces, unusual mirrors, innovative chairs and elegant cabinets, all totally and visually different from the ordinary, but still functional.
Dr. Gordon Byrne, Director of the Upper Bann Institute of Further and Higher Education said: "These courses provide aspiring young designer craftsmen and women with comprehensive training in the skills needed for creative furniture making.
"The inventiveness and innovativeness of these designs on display show that we in Northern Ireland can produce craft products that are second to none in the international market.
"I am confident that the talent which produced these superb craft items will go on to provide the future backbone of our home furniture industry."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The BTEC National and Higher National Diploma Course in 3-D Design and Manufacture of Furniture is exclusively delivered in Northern Ireland by the Lurgan Campus of the Upper Bann Institute of Further and Higher Education.
For further information please contact Paul Rainey on 028 90257792.