Learning Programme Ardagh Young Creatives

Ardagh Young Creatives 2023

A vibrant programme to create pathways into design for young people to experiment and imagine a better future together.

Creating pathways into design

The Design Museum recognises that the design world isn’t as visibly diverse as it should be and wants to make a positive change.

Each year, the Ardagh Young Creatives programme welcomes a group of young people aged 14–16 based in London from underrepresented groups to explore all aspects of design and how it can be used to help solve issues.

How does it work?

A group of up to fifteen young people work together with the museum teams and guest designers on multiple workshops, mentorship sessions and hands-on activities to learn about the design process and work on developing a collective project for the duration of the programme.

Based on design thinking principles and methods, participants invest in the development of their ideas whilst learning about the value of design.

Working with established and emerging designers, the group takes part in co-creation and collaborative workshops. At the end of the programme, the young people work on a live build showcased at the museum where their final project is celebrated and displayed to the public.

In summary, the programme gives young people the opportunity to:

· Understand pathways into creative careers

· Develop digital & hands-on skills

· Work to a brief

· Co-create a group project with industry professionals

· Meet other young people

· Add to their CV and portfolio

· Learn employability skills and receive guidance from professional mentors

Related events

Until February 2025

Grazie Enzo: Contemporary Responses to Enzo Mari

Accompanying the retrospective exhibition 'Enzo Mari Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli', this free display showcases the work of 14 London-based designers, studios and collectives whose practices share an affinity with Enzo Mari's.

The display features 'Furniture from Breaking the Façade', 2021, designed by Ardagh Young Creatives (Studio Crypt) in collaboration with RESOLVE Collective.

Grazie Enzo: Find out more

FRIDAY 12 APRIL, 11:00 – 15:00

Ardagh Young Creatives x Resolve

Are you aged 14 – 25 and curious about furniture design? Do you consider yourself underrepresented in the design and creative fields? Join this collaborative workshop with Resolve Collective to learn how to make a seat inspired by the pioneering designer and artist Enzo Mari.

AYC x Resolve: Find out more

SUNDAY 21 APRIL, 11:00 – 15:00

Ardagh Young Creatives x Stephy Fung

Are you aged 14 – 25 and curious about fashion design? Do you consider yourself underrepresented in the design and creative fields? Come along to experiment and learn how to craft a garment using 3D technologies with fashion designer and digital artist Stephy Fung.

AYC x Stephy Fung: Find out more

2023 Facilitators

Harrison Marshall (CAUKIN Studio)

Marshall is a co-founder of CAUKIN Studio specialising in community-based architecture projects. The studio creates impact through design and architecture using their projects as a vehicle to educate and up skill local communities and international participants in design and construction. Their organisation was founded on the premise that everybody should have access to better designed and built spaces. The practice has worked on more than 50 design and construction projects worldwide, spending a combined total of more than 190,000 hours educating on site across 5 continents. Harrison has converted a skip into a tiny house in London where he currently lives as a statement in response to the rising cost of living and housing crisis.

Heba Tabidi & Rayan Elnayal (Space Black)

Space Black is a multidisciplinary creative studio founded by Black designers exploring alternative spatial futures for marginalised communities, seeking to embed design which is diverse across the design industry. Tabidi is a Civil Engineer, DJ and Creative Director who explores the intersection between technicality and creativity and how functional and efficient designs can bring joy and nurture communities, particularly within the spatial design and the built environment. Elnayal is an Architectural Designer, Artist and Educator whose work is influenced by magic realist and futuristic narratives from Sudan, the SWANA region and its diaspora. Since graduating from the University of Greenwich, Elnayal's work has been exhibited globally.

Samantha Russell (Tens Studio)

Tens Studio is a micro clothing brand based in London. Each collection grows from the creative experiments of founder Samantha Russell, whose purpose is to rewild the system and restore natural processes to the way clothes are made. The studio consciously uses resources including dead stock fabric, which is reworked into new garments or second-hand clothes that are naturally dyed with food waste or plants. Tens Studio is passionate about sharing their skills to make sustainable fashion more accessible and is committed to working in education and community outreach to share these enriching processes. Russell ran a natural dying and tie dye workshop for our Ardagh Young Creatives looking at the importance of natural dyes, pattern making and the theme of home.

Holly Rollins (ROLSTUDIO)

Founded by designer Holly Rollins, Rolstudio is a creative enterprise that delves into the realm of expressive furniture, as well as creating alternative experiences in public spaces. Following her MA graduation from Kingston School of Art, Rollins' work has gained recognition worldwide. Her aim is to craft both artistic and functional solutions that explore where emotions, shared cultural experiences, and our senses meet. She is dedicated to crafting experiences that unite the design community, collaborating with global design platforms and enthusiasts. Her work with Ardagh Young Creatives was to lead an inspirational workshop on the relationship between nature and furniture.

2023 Display

The Ardagh Young Creatives' display, 2023

From April to September 2023, the Ardagh Young Creatives programme at the Design Museum ran its third year. With Space Black (Heba Tabidi and Rayan Elnayal) as lead designers, the young people gathered to explore what design is and can be through workshops, site visits, mentoring sessions, conversations and activities as the foundations from which to understand the ever changing and rich world of creativity.

This year's theme is Home. Understanding home as a place, a space, a feeling, emotion and political statement were all integral to the young people and a sentiment they were keen to share with you, the public.

Each painted piece represents a 'home away from home' for these young people – from Algerian and Ukranian traditional patterns to images of flowers which inspire calm and an appreciation for natural beauty. Repeating patterns invite a sense of comfort and nostalgia whilst the typeface and font invite activation and a forward thinking youth.

From the young people:

"We are a vibrant and eclectic group of young people who have come from all over London to work together to represent what home means to us. This piece represents how we view home, and how home is not just a place but is also a feeling that defers from person to person."

"Home should be a place where you feel safe and comfortable. Throughout this project, comfort has been a recurring theme and we have created a piece to try and portray it. We hope that this piece can be a home away from home at the Design Museum."

Is there one true way to represent home? What is your home away from home? How can you build a home away from home?

Each individually painted piece is each young person’s own personal take on what home means to them, encapsulating feelings of comfort, familiarity and stability. Through their different cultures and experiences they created a piece that is truly authentic to them.

The Ardagh Young Creatives aims to lower or lessen barriers to access into the creative worlds, inspire the power and value of design and create tangible resources for the future for all young people.

Thank you to the young people who took part in this project: Amaan, Claire, Giselle, Ivan, Isata, Loran, Lynna, Maiya, Mira, Paula, Raizel, Ruben, Sienna, as well as this year's lead designers Space Black, and the many designers, facilitators, mentors, partners and teams who continue to support this programme.

The Design Museum Access

Download this PDF document that indicates the museum's spaces and instructs wayfinding.

Download building information

Background image by Justine Trickett.