Dublin’s Instituto Cer-vantes recognises the Spanish influence on modern design with a special exhibition running till next month.
Desigñ: Spanish Accent comprises 70 original posters, many representing globally recognised Spanish creations and brand names like Camper and Munich, and designers such as Manolo Blahnik and Patricia Urquiola. But newer independent and progressive creators are also represented.
At the launch evening, Carolina Blázquez of Ecoalf – a Spanish company that designs clothes and accessories using recycled materials – was on hand to show off a waistcoat made from recycled fishing nets.
“We make one metre of recycled thread from 135g of fishing net that otherwise would be thrown into the ocean,” she said. “This is just one example of our policy of combining design, recycling and sustainability.”
Instituto Cervantes director Rosa León emphasised that Dublin is the first city to host this exhibition outside of Spain.
“Desigñ arrives at Dublin with the objective of giving Spanish design its rightful place,” she said.
Desigñ: Spanish Accent is running till 28 April at the Instituto Cervantes on Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 (near the National Gallery).
Instituto Cervantes also offers a wide range of cultural activities and language courses to promote the Spanish language as well as Spanish and Hispanic-American culture.
Sergio Angulo Bujanda is an MA student in journalism at DCU.
