Scottish cities get into design

A major new festival celebrating design across all six of Scotland's cities is set to start this March.

Holidaymakers looking to take a city break to Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling, Inverness, Edinburgh or Glasgow will be able to catch one of the Six Cities Design Festival exhibitions.

Each of the shows will examine a very different side of how design has become an essential part of our lives.

Adventurous and active holidaymakers will be keen to head up to Aberdeen in May as the Aberdeen Art Gallery's exhibition will focus on designs created in response to harsh conditions and extreme climates.

The Extreme North exhibition runs from May 17th until August 12th 2007.

Along with the exhibition, the gallery also contains modern art, 19th century paintings, decorative art, contemporary craft works and silverware.

The city is also a good place for accessing to Scotland's malt whisky trail, where whisky enthusiasts can tour the distilleries across the region.

Other highlights include Union Street, which is lined by impressive granite buildings as well as being a main shopping area, and museums devoted to Aberdeen's seafaring ways as well as a lighthouse.

Further south-west visitors to Stirling will get a chance to see 100 classic chair designs on loan from Germany's Vitra Design Museum, at Cowanes Hospital Hall from in May and June 2007.

Other attractions in Scotland's smallest city include a cliff-top castle, battle sites and scenic walks.

In the Highlands of Scotland, the city of Inverness will be hosting an exhibition on housing sustainability with a Scandinavian twist from May 2007.

Developed in association with the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the exhibition features small-scale models as well as walk-through three-dimensional constructions made of recycled materials.

The exhibition will be held at Castle Wynd at the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.

Other attractions in the city include the grand Inverness Castle, which overlooks the River Ness. Inverness is also the place to go if you want to visit one of Scotland's most infamous stretches of water, Loch Ness, as well as explore the other features of the remote Highlands.

Other exhibitions in the series include a modern interior design exhibition in Dundee at Dundee Contemporary Arts, a extensive look at design in air travel at Glasgow's Tramway and innovative design at the City Arts Centre

For more information on the Six Cities Design Festival see www.six-cities.com