Shop local this season in support of the U of A Student Design Association
Our favourite time of the year is just around the corner… that’s right… the holiday season is coming and it’s one of the best times of year to support local. This December, the Student Design Association will be back with the third installment of their ever-popular annual pop-up shop. Showcasing and selling the exceptional work and talent of emerging design students at the U of A, the shop has a new name to go with it’s new location. Built, taking place December 9-23rd, at a Kingsway Mall.
We caught up with the Built team to ask a few questions.
Pop Pop Shop 2015. Photographer: Alyssa Lau
You’ve seen great success with past pop-up shops and it seems like it has been growing since the first one.
Yes absolutely, each consecutive year has been a learning experience, the last two years the shop has been called Pop Pop and this year’s shop is called Built. The name change signifies a new direction we are taking in terms of the art direction – we have a very talented lead graphic designer this year who is developing our visual system, his work can be seen on our instagram at @hellosda. We are also continuing to refine the shop’s products and increasing the number of students involved. We are also making an effort to advertise Built more effectively and expand our audience.
Pop Pop 2015 Timelapse (Behind the Scenes) from The Student Design Association on Vimeo
What kinds of things will people be able to see and buy at the shop?
Students in the Art and Design program tend to have a wide range of interests, so we are lucky to have an incredibly diverse range of objects for sale. We try to avoid objects that are “craft” or one off items such as paintings or hand-bound books. We encourage students to create objects that are mass producible, and feel like refined and finished products. You can expect to see furniture, jewellery, and housewares, such as cutting boards and planters, just as a few examples. We will also be selling prints from students who have studied printmaking at the university, as printmaking lends itself well to mass production.
Photographer: Alyssa Lau
What makes this pop-up unique?
We are unique in that we focus on selling products that are designed, manufactured and branded by students and alumni of the design program, who receive training in product development and graphic work. These products are intended to be as close as achievable to the same quality you’d find in a normal retail store, except they’re made right here by designers living and working in Edmonton. By utilizing our skills as designers, we feel that we can differentiate ourselves from other Pop Up shops, craft markets, and retail stores in Edmonton.
Photographer: Alyssa Lau
Is this the first year you will have work from Alumni and other designers? What do you hope that will bring to the shop?
No, we have had Alumni submissions since the shop began in 2014. In terms of what we hope to accomplish, we want Built to represent the Bachelor of Design program as completely as possible. We aim to show the growth of designers as they progress and graduate from the program, and therefore feel it is necessary to include work from first year students, all the way to graduates who now run their own businesses. It is also an excellent way for students to make connections with alumni members.
Presenter: University of Alberta Student Design Association
Event Title: Built
Dates: December 9 -23, 2016
Venue: Kingsway Mall
For more info:www.thesda.ca
Follow the SDA on Instagram:@hellosda
Photographer: Alyssa Lau
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