[Image Source: Seattle Design Festival]
As summer comes to a close, the Seattle design community gears up for the annual festival celebrating all things design- and city-centric. In its third year, the event’s hub returns to Pioneer Square, with the theme Design in Health, and runs from the 13th to the 22nd of September. This year also introduces a Design Block Pass, which gets you in to a selection of events throughout the ten days. For a purely à la carte experience, we’ve pared down the jam-packed festival into a digestible list of our picks. If you’ve got any tips or must-see recommendations, let us know in the comments below.
FILMS
Event: 16 Acres
Date: Friday 09.13.13
Tickets
Kick off the festival with this documentary that looks into the complexities of developing Ground Zero in New York City over the past decade.
Event: Archiculture
Date: Saturday 09.14.13
Tickets
Whether you want to relive those days in studio, or just curious as to what your friends who majored in architecture were doing most of the time, this documentary is up your alley.
For the full list of the mini-film fest, head over to SIFF.
EXHIBITS
Event: Park(ing) Day
Date: Friday 09.20.13
Free
Park(ing) Day is the nationally celebrated day of converting parking spaces within urban areas into pedestrian-engaging spaces. As incubators for potential parklets, pop-ups such as these have encouraged more permanent parklet installations planned for the city.
[Image Source: City Of Seattle]
Event: Design Jam: Urban Playground at Design Block
Date: Friday 09.20.13 – Sunday 09.22.13
Free
Check out the design competition to create an interactive urban playground out of the pure mix of basic materials, creativity, and sweat.
[Image Source: Trevor Dykstra]
LECTURES
Event: Enlivening Design for Aging
Date: Monday 09.16.13
Tickets
Hosted by The Hub, presenters in a variety of design disciplines discuss a new perspective towards designing for (long) life.
Event: Designing Data by Karen Cheng
Date: Thursday 09.19.13
Tickets
Head on over to the ARCADE-sponsored lecture with Karen Cheng, featured editor of the current issue, (on newsstands now,) on the endlessly fascinating intersection of data and design.
[Image Source: ARCADEl]
Event: PechaKucha 46: Walk This Town
Date: Friday 09.20.13
Free
Seattle’s chapter of PechaKucha celebrates pedestrian culture, and also happens to coincide with PechaKucha Global Night. Over 100 different cities will be hosting their PKNs on the 20th, Google Hangout-ready, and all.
[Image Source: PechaKucha]
TOURS
Event: Columbia City Walk2More Tour
Date: Saturday 09.14.13
Free with RSVP
Keeping true to the theme of the festival, this Walk2More tour is aimed to serve as a catalyst to encourage people to use their feet as transportation as much as possible. More than just an urban ideology, it promotes health and happiness. Local organization, Feet First, hosts the event, along with several other walking tours throughout the calendar year.
[Image Source: Rainier Valley Post]
Event: Pioneer Square Walking Tours (various)
Date: Saturday 09.21.13
Tickets:
Seattle Architecture Foundation Tour
ASLA Public Spaces Tour
Allied Arts Tour
Seattle’s oldest neighborhood is deep in the throes of a renaissance evidenced by the ongoing waterfront redevelopment, a burgeoning food & drink scene, and the steady cultural dynamic fostered by the monthly First Thursdays Artwalk. Functioning as the hub of this year’s Festival, Pioneer Square is the focus of several walking tours, aiming the spotlight at Seattle’s most pulse-worthy neighborhood.
[Image Source: Seattle Met]
Check out the full event calendar and map to design your own festival experience.
Huge thanks to all who’ve labored to put this event together. For more social media engagement, use the hashtag #SDF13 to search and to share.
Cheers from Team BUILD