Dundee Design Festival opens in former Michelin tyre factory

Dundee Design Festival opens in former tyre factory The Dundee Design Festival has opened in a former tyre factory on the outskirts of the city.

More than 180 designers are expected to attend the event, which closes on Sunday.

Free exhibitions, workshops and talks are to take place across 10,000 sq metres of space at the Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc site.

The festival is helping to mark the 10th anniversary of Dundee being recognised as a Unesco City of Design .

The week-long free event features 10 installations and exhibitions including a maze made from fabric and displays of more than 70 examples of Scottish design.

Creative director Stacey Hunter said: "To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dundee's Unesco City of Design status I wanted to put a spotlight on that talent and help festival-goers see Scotland's strength as a design nation.

"Our designers receive world-class training in our design schools, benefit from strong connections to manufacturing and wider industry and their international outlook continues to see them at the forefront of global conversations on design."

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said the festival was a celebration of innovation, design, and creativity.

He added: "This year's event highlights the extraordinary talent of our designers and their commitment to sustainability and forward-thinking practices."

The festival is a Dundee City of Design project.

Executive director Annie Marrs said the event had developed in such a way that it suited unusual spaces such as the former tyre factory.

She said: "This year, we've been delighted at the amount of support we've had, not only across Dundee, but also across Scotland.

"Dundee is truly on the radar of designers as our reputation grows."

Michelin Dundee closed in 2020 with the loss of more than 800 jobs.

The factory opened in 1971, with production beginning the following year and it produced more than 300 million car tyres in its lifetime.