This April, Winchester will throw open its doors for an extraordinary pilot event, From Behind Closed Doors. This festival is a vibrant showcase of our creative industries and is your chance to experience the talent that usually works quietly behind the scenes.
Join us 24 to 26 April to experience industrial and product design, graphics, marketing, architecture, video production, fashion and creative digital services – all in one city, showcasing the breadth and depth of local talent.
The weekend opens with the Creative Winchester Exhibition. A dozen of the city’s most respected creative businesses will showcase their work at the Winchester School of Art West Side Exhibition space adjacent to Winchester Gallery. Discover local creative businesses working at a national and international scale, with renowned brands and on award-winning projects. Expect to learn more about each studios’ work and their unique connection to Winchester. Following a private view on Friday evening, the exhibition will be open 25 and 26 April, 10am to 4pm, free admission.
The centrepiece of the weekend is the open studios tour. On Saturday 25 April, creatives will open the doors of their studios to the public. Each studio will showcase its working space, giving you the chance to take a behind-the-scenes tour. Staff will be on hand to talk about their work, approach and favourite projects. It is a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain of creative studios and is not to be missed. Discover which studios are taking part here: behindcloseddoorsfest.com
Dr Paul Spencer, Executive Director at Winchester BID, said: “Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) is thrilled to be supporting From Behind Closed Doors, which will showcase some of the incredible creative talent and creative businesses we have in the city delivering diverse and exciting projects locally, nationally and internationally. This is a unique opportunity to find out more about the creative industries sector in Winchester, learn about their fascinating and impactful work, and visit creative studios not usually open to the public to see behind the scenes. An event not to be missed!”
In March, the team at design and innovation studio Rodd facilitated a 24-Hour Design Challenge. Through an educational partnership with Dr. Shan Wang of Winchester School of Art the challenge was a great way to bring professional designers and ‘designers in training’ together to explore how inclusive design principles can start to address a real-life city challenge. Over the years, Rodd have proudly partnered with leading design academics and regularly support internal design teams to champion and deploy design inclusion within global brands such as Inclusive Streetscape for the London Paralympic Games and designing disaster recovery innovations alongside survivors of Japan’s Kobe Earthquake. The outcome of the challenge will be exhibited at the Creative Winchester Exhibition.
Ben Davies, Managing Director at Rodd and Co-Founder of From Behind Closed Doors Festival, said: “Good design is inclusive design, and the 24-hour challenge is a great forum to demonstrate that design is a societal super-power. Creating strong ideas, whilst the ideas on show are only 24 hours old… it’s incredible how the needs of the city can be addressed very quickly and extremely effectively if put in the right hands”.
From Behind Closed Doors is a celebration of creative partnership across Winchester. Conceptualised by Rodd and Winchester City Council and brought to life with additional support from Winchester School of Art, Winchester BID, the Royal Society of Arts and Southern Creative Catalyst this event is the first of its kind locally. Studios, agencies and educators have come together to share their work and connect students and the public with the city’s vibrant creative talent.
Winchester is a beautiful heritage city, but it is also a creative powerhouse, which is largely under recognised locally and nationally. Opening spaces and showcasing the exceptional work being produced in Winchester is a way for us start gaining the recognition we rightly deserve.
Photograph: Rodd design and innovation studio based in St Thomas Street.
