OFFSET 2014: Day one in pictures

“24 speakers, 2 rooms, 3 days… A lifetime of inspiration” reads OFFSET's strap line – and day one hasn't disappointed.

This morning, glorious sunshine welcomed huge crowds to Dublin’s impressive glass-fronted Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, along with a slightly bleary-eyed but excited Computer Arts team.

Italian illustrator Sarah Mazzetti kicked the morning off with a humorous, engaging portfolio session, before handing the main stage over to Ingi Erlingsson from Golden Wolf, ilovedust’s animation-focused sister studio.

Work hard, drink harder

Erlingsson presented Golden Wolf’s top ten golden rules, from ‘Walk the way of the wolf’ (“We see ourselves as a bunch of rebels who do what the fuck we want to do”) to ‘Work hard, drink harder’ (“The great thing about going out together, and getting along outside of work, is that it fosters a different way to get ideas”).

Are the rules working? Yes, if the audience's reaction to Golden Wolf's brain-numbing video for Dog Blood's single Chella Ride is anything to go by...

Pentagram’s Marina Willer extolled the virtues of getting out of control: “The best things happen in life that aren’t planned, and the same is true in design.”

Also getting ‘out of control’, although in rather a rowdier sense, was Mike Perry. He recounted the impressive story of Wondering About Wandering, a recent project that saw the illustrator hire out a massive warehouse in Brooklyn and host a three-month exhibition, complete with workshops, film screenings, experimental dance performances and plenty of debauched parties.

The experience was exhausting and exhilarating, and Perry ended his talk by announcing he was “ready to do another one now”, asking people interested to find him in the auditorium (whether he was joking or not remains unclear).

Playtime

In the afternoon, Jessica Walsh spoke to a packed-out auditorium – no mean feat, given its three-tiered, 2,000-plus capacity. Despite her jet-lagged state, Walsh’s Play talk went down a storm. The 20-something design star talked through her impressive career, tying the talk together by emphasising the value of play in her success.

“We’re made to believe that play is a waste of time as we get older,” she stated. “College was really like kindergarten for me. I learned how to play again.”

Scroll down for a selection of Computer Art's highlights from day one at OFFSET 2014…

Words: Ruth Hamilton