Where did it go from there?
In 1999 with the support of the Art Teachers
Association of Ireland, Aidine brought the competition to the whole
of Munster in 1999. Things got
bigger and better, with 155 students from nine schools making 38
costumes.
And then there was Coke...
Then in 2000 Coca-Cola came on board as sponsors of what was now
an annual display of student talent. 1,700 students from 88 schools
took part and the 33 finalist costumes went on show in front an
audience of 700. The phenomenon that is "The Coca-Cola Form
and Fusion Design Awards" was born.
And then it became the
All Island Final
In 2002, the competition went into Northern
Ireland schools as part of the GCSE, AS and O level course work
for the first time and was a wonderful success. An Astounding 7000
students from hundreds of schools North and South made an incredible
1500 costumes.
The All Ireland Grande Finale was hosted by Ray D'Arcy (Eurostar
and Today FM) and was held in the prestigious Green Glens Arena
in Millstreet, Co. Cork. 35 costumes enthralled, electrified and
inspired a 2500 strong audience. The event attracted the attention
of local, regional and major newspapers and from such programmes
as RTE's "The Late Late Show", TV3's
"Ireland AM" and "Entertainment Programme",
UTV's "GMTV" and the "Gerry Kelly Show" etc...
So what happened in 2003?
In 2003 over 350 schools and over 9,000
students officially registered in "The Coca-Cola Form and Fusion
Design Awards". Almost 9,800 people attended the regional heats
in five venues around the country. There were 34 amazing shows where
for the first time ever at the qualifying heats students were given
the opportunity to model their creations on a catwalk stage with
professional lighting. An audience of almost 3,000 strong were then
mesmerized by the chosen costumes for The Grande Finale in Millstreet
May 2003.
"In 2004,
some major transformations"
2004 brought some exciting changes to
the competition. This year, the production values of each heat grew
and four provincial heats were held in Belfast, Galway, Cork and
Dublin. This led to a led a 4500 audience to the All Island extravaganza
in Ireland's most prestigious venue "The Point Depot" in Dublin.
2004 - 2005 Going
from strength to strength
This year we seek to develop the Awards further. We're introducing
the chance for teachers and students around the country to come
up with their own categories suggestions, we are making the heats
and final better than ever and we've a brilliant new team at the
ready to kick start this year's competition.
We are delighted to announce our new Senior
Event Producer for Form and Fusion - Dyane Hanrahan, a former Theatre
Company Manager with Corcadorca, one of the most successful Theatre
Companies in Ireland, where she produced The Trial of Jesus, Ireland's
biggest outdoor theatrical event and the magical Mid Summer Night's
Dream in Fitzgerald's park and Fota. Dyane is also a former Education
Officer with Cork Opera House and most recently the Producer for
one of the largest events in Ireland this year (The European Day
of Welcomes).
We are also joined by Sue Baker, our new Production
Manager for Form and Fusion and a graduate of Drama and Theatre
Studies at Roehampton Institute in London. Sue has taught a Multidiscipline
Performance Arts course for high school teenagers in the USA in
1997 & 1998 and has travelled to the West Bank & Gaza Strip in 2000
to work as part of a creative and cultural exchange programme sponsored
by the British Council. Sue's been settled in Cork for the past
four years and has been working professionally in the theatre and
arts sector ever since - touring extensively and coordinating events
of all sizes. Before joining Real Event Solutions this year, Sue
was a Production Manager with Meridian Theatre.
We are delighted to welcome everyone on board
and look forward to delivering an even more exciting "Coca-Cola
Form and Fusion Design Awards" in 2004/2005. Don't forget that the
CCF&FA team and all the gang at Real Event Solutions are here to
assist you with each new phase of the competition and really looking
forward to working with you this year.
Meet the Team...
Aidine O Reilly (Creator/Executive Producer)
Dyane Hanrahan (Event Producer/Director)
Sue Baker (Project Manager)
Robert Feeney (Administrator)
Real Event Solutions are
committed to ensuring that the original spirit of the competition
- educational values expressed through design excellence - still
hold.
|
