The concept of design might seem broad or even abstract, but whether you recognize it or not, design affects almost every aspect of contemporary life. Consider how the layout of your living room can influence how comfortable you feel at home, or how the interface of a social media app can affect your personal relationships. The folks at Nashville Design Week are back to embrace that reality, and they’re offering a week full of events that explore all that design encompasses.
Now in its sixth year, Nashville Design Week is a citywide event that celebrates design and the many opportunities — and challenges — it can present. Urban designer Ron Yearwood is NDW’s director of strategy, and he tells the Scene that the organization seeks to create “bold conversations and collaborations” through workshops, demonstrations and panel discussions led by local creatives. This year’s classes range from podcasting and website design to repurposing projects, walking tours and more. These workshops go beyond simply teaching skills — they consider how we approach design, how we feel about it and where we can take it.
In anticipation of NDW, the Scene caught up with a few event hosts for an in-depth look at their offerings. You can learn even more about these events and others at nashvilledesignweek.org.
Design for Identity
Monday, Oct. 30
7-9:30 p.m. at Aero Build, 1015 W. Kirkland Ave., Suite 421; $25
“The human body was the first canvas,” Ania Diallo tells the Scene. Among the many art forms that Diallo has worked with, she’s been focusing on henna art lately, and plans to center a multidimensional body-art fashion show around it. Inspired by a Savage X Fenty fashion show, Diallo pitched the event with the idea that creative showcases can focus on more than one art form. Her event, made in collaboration with Kamilah Sanders and John Blackwell, will be a multimodal celebration of art, bodies, movement and culture. The show will represent several countries that have traditions with henna, honoring the different expressions of its use while also exploring how it can connect us as humans.
Design for a New Era of Film
Tuesday, Oct. 31
11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. at Arc Studios, 11 Willow St., No. 2; $20
Will we be replaced with technology? That’s a question that many professionals and creatives are asking amid the emergence of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Rather than feeling worried, Will Thomsen wants you to feel excited about it — particularly if you’re in the film industry. Thomsen is the founder of Fantastic Voyage, a new commercial production company that specializes in branded content and visual storytelling. He’s interested in new technologies and the way they influence creativity, and he’s created a lunchtime panel to explore this topic and share ideas and inspiration for leveraging new platforms in the film world.
“You can’t ignore it,” Thomsen tells the Scene. “Don’t be afraid of the opportunities technology is opening up for us — use them.” Thomsen will consider this concept with a lineup of industry professionals who have used A.I. in their own work, including Tanner Grandstaff, Ryan Berkey, Kali Bailey and Justin Wylie.
Design for the Black Culinary Experience
Wednesday, Nov. 1
7-9:30 p.m. at Hardison House, 1010 Hardison St. $40
Bound to be anything but bland, this workshop — hosted by Brian and Cassia Garrett — will consider the role of Black chefs and food professionals in the local culinary landscape. The Garretts are the co-founders of HUE, a business that showcases Black chefs through private dinners with an emphasis on storytelling. This marks the pair’s first event in Nashville, and they rounded up an impressive lineup of chefs and panelists including Marcus Buggs of Coneheads and Plane Jane, recent Chopped champion Star Maye, Karen Thomas of the Pepper Pott and chef Jerod Wilcher. The experience will feature small plates and discussion about representation, creativity and how design manifests in food — from high-end restaurants to your own kitchen. “We want to make the food experiences less transactional and really cause people to be intentional about what it is that they’re consuming,” says Cassia.
