‘The Joy of Living’ with Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres

Date: Thursday 30 June 2011

Venue: Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1

Time: 6.30pm

Entrance: £14 on the door or £9.50 + £1.50 in advance.

Box office and booking line: www.newdesigners.com 08448 480140

New Designers presents an evening for Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres as Max Fraser discusses ‘The Joy of Living’ with promising, emerging creatives such as jeweller Hannah Martin and textile Donna Wilson on Thursday 30 June at 6.30pm at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1. Signed, limited edition prints from ‘the Joy of Living’ project will be available to purchase in aid of this excellent cause. Contributors to the Joy of Living Project include world famous designers Barber Osgerby, Terence Conran, Tom Dixon, Ella Doran, Max Lamb, Rob Ryan and Sebastian Wrong. See maggiescentres.org for more details.

Earlier this year, design author Max Fraser set the challenge to a cross-section of new and established UK designers to create a desirable artwork that expresses the Joy of Living – all starting from a simple sheet of A4 graph paper.

“So many wonderful designers contributed to the Joy of Living project,’ comments Max Fraser, ‘ I’m looking forward to bringing some of them together at New Designers to discuss their work and their approach to design. In the spirit of the original project, we will also be inviting students exhibiting at New Designers to visit the Maggie’s space to create their own original design on a piece of graph paper; so as well as the limited edition prints from established names, we will be able to feature original work from the design stars of tomorrow.”

A Maggie’s spokesperson explains how the space at New Designers will work: “The Maggie’s space on the Atrium level, created by our partners at Coexistence, aims to recreate the feeling of walking into a Maggie’s centre. Built around the kitchen table as the centre of the community, Maggie’s Centres are open to anyone affected by cancer. There are no appointments or forms to fill in. You can stay as long as you want. Wander from room to room. Read some of the literature. Talk to others who recognise how you’re feeing. Sit at the kitchen table and read your paper or write your shopping list. There are no rules or regulations as to what you have to do.”

New Designers is the premiere showcase for the most exciting design graduates as they emerge from the UK’s design courses to start their professional careers in numerous creative industries embracing fashion, interior design, multi-media, furniture, products, architecture, graphics and more. The popular summer event gives a snapshot of the hottest ideas, the latest trends and creative minds as some 3500 dynamic new designers come together and present their impressive work at the Business Design Centre.