The two-day festival, which combines auditorium presentations, smaller ‘studio’ events and workshops, is building on the great success of its first two years. The organisers have attracted a wide-ranging group of contributors from the worlds of design, advertising and architecture, with an emphasis on creative thinkers. Speakers also come from technical industries and manufacturing, including the European Space Agency, GE Aviation, Jaguar Land Rover and Williams F1. Themes range from technology in design to exploring the mind of an inventor.
Malcolm Chapman CEng MIMechE is one of the Trustees and founders of the festival. He said: “The theme for this year is ‘Design can…’. We want to encourage a can-do attitude, to open up all of our ideas to what design represents and what good design can achieve. Engineers have a similar message to promote and the best ideas show that excellent design and perfect engineering are inseparable.”
It was thanks in part to his connection with other Institution members that Malcolm contacted Alex Heslop at JLR, and invited him to speak at Cheltenham. He said: “We look for examples of companies that have something to celebrate. The automotive industry, with Jaguar Land Rover as a leading example, has turned its business around and Alex and Richard will tell a fascinating story. They are hoping to bring some cars along with them, and the audience will have a chance to explore and ask questions about the engineering and design features of the new Range Rover models.”
Alex Heslop became involved with the Institution while he was a student. Having joined Jaguar, he worked through the MPDS scheme to become chartered with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers two years after graduating. Sixteen years later, he is a mentor on the long-running accredited scheme at Jaguar Land Rover, and regularly delivers presentations and talks linked with the Institution.
Alex outlines the presentation that he and his colleague, Richard Woolley, Chief Designer, will give at the Design Festival on Saturday 5 April at 1.30pm: a British manufacturing success story entitled ‘Lightweight materials; heavyweight success’.
“It’s predominantly a tour of design and engineering developments of the all-new aluminium Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, launched last year. We’ll start off with a little history about Jaguar Land Rover. Richard will explain how the design of this model came about and I’ll discuss the challenges of the engineering project, the features of the aluminium construction, and give the audience a good overview of and appreciation of how we go about designing and engineering this fleet.”
Alex has talked to audiences on a similar theme at Warwick University and at the University of the West of England in Bristol. He commented that he enjoys the opportunity to talk about his work with enthusiasts, and finds the questions that often arise from the audience interesting and stimulating.
Malcolm commented: “We are also very excited to have Kirsty Pinnell, a thriving composite design engineer progressing very successfully in what is often seen as a male-dominated industry. She will explain many of the improved safety features now happening in F1, thanks in many ways to improved design and materials.”
The Cheltenham Design Foundation and its Trustees also set up the Design Academy. This is a free course for students aged 14-16, which runs for six months of Saturday mornings. Students experience a broad selection of practical projects incorporating photography, design, engineering and a number of other design disciplines.
Malcolm added: “In a town famous for its festivals, we are a little start-up, but we have established ourselves and we are growing. As well as this year’s talks, the free workshops – which are run by local organisations such as GE Aviation and European Space Agency – should be great fun for children and teenagers.”
Tickets to individual events cost just £6, while day passes (entry to five events) cost just £20 each (£10 for students and under-18s).
Tickets are on sale now at http://www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk/whats-on/festivals/design-festival/
Full programme of events: www.cheltenhamdesignfestival.com