September 2017 marks 40 years since courses first began at Parnham College

Celebrate the launch of Beyond Parnham and join John Makepeace, Glenn Adamson, Richard Sennett and Catharine Rossi in an exclusive talk about the importance of making, design and the future of craftsmanship.

September 2017 marks 40 years since courses first began at Parnham College, the world famous design school created by John Makepeace OBE, that trained a fascinating new generation of international designers, whose work has changed contemporary design ever since.

Honouring this milestone anniversary, John Makepeace, winner of the 2016 Prince Philip Designers Prize, this September, releases www.beyondparnham.com – a limited-edition, 184-page book, detailing Parnham College’s innovative vision and cultural legacy, revealing highly personal reflections from over 100 renowned Parnham alumni and the esteemed tutors who trained them.

Combining the art, craft and business of furniture-making in one immersive two-year residential course, Parnham College inspired a design approach that ignited the careers of its illustrious alumni – award-winning designers that include highly influential names such as Konstantin Grcic, Wales and Wales, Sean Sutcliffe (Benchmark), David Linley (Linley), Mark Boddington (Silver Lining), Juliane Trummer (from the 787 Dreamliner team), Jake Phipps, Sarah Kay, Jim Partridge and Guy Mallinson (RIBA Awards Short List 2017).

Beyond Parnham, the celebration of an educational phenomenon that inspired a generation of designers and furniture makers: forty years on, they reflect on their careers.

5 Sept at The Design Museum – The Matter of Making – 18:15-19:45

To celebrate the 40-year anniversary of Parnham College and unveil the publication of ‘Beyond Parnham’, The Design Museum is bringing together leading voices in the field of craft on the 5th Sept, to discuss the Parnham legacy and the value of making and craftsmanship in design today.

Join an esteemed panel of speakers including John Makepeace, Glenn Adamson, Richard Sennett and Catharine Rossi in an exclusive talk about the importance of making, design and the future of craftsmanship.

In recent years, we have seen a revival in the desire to learn practical skills and processes among designers across all disciplines. Rejecting the status quo, designer-makers are applying humanistic and tactile sensibilities to create individual objects to express ideas.

What do we mean by craft today? In an age of robotic production, where digital technologies present new opportunities to designers and makers, our perception of craft is changing; this special evening explores the past, present and future of craftsmanship.

With the calibre of speakers from the design and craft world, this will be quite an event and you are warmly invited to attend: https://designmuseum.org/things-to-do/talks-and-events/parnham-the-matter-of-making

As well as being chaired by the panel above and a detailed Q&A session, John Makepeace will be signing copies of Beyond Parnham which will be officially launched during the evening.

For information about Beyond Parnham, please visit www.beyondparnham.com