Every year, some of the most creative minds in the country gather in Melbourne for an annual celebration of design, creativity and ingenuity. Melbourne Design Week, held annually at the end of May, is a festival that invites international and local artists, designers and publisher to share the ideas that move them. This platform runs through the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne surrounds and even into regional Victoria. Ultimately, this is a fair that stirs up new ideas, showcasing work that asks us all to consider how design can affect the way we live in an increasingly complex landscape.
This year, Melbourne Design Week runs from 14-24 May and has a packed program of tours, talks, exhibitions, events and workshops. Here, we share the highlights from this year's festival, the works and showcases that offered new perspectives, and a look into some of the most exciting moods in the modern design landscape.
Blend Volume II - Presented by NOMI & TOM MARK HENRY
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NOMI’s first Melbourne installation, Blend Volume II, has been curated by Tom Mark Henry Studio. This installation held at the gallery at 14 Langride showcases moments from the Blend Collection. Think chrome, mesh, marble and steel coming together in a melting pot of modern design that demonstrates both clarity and restraint.
You’ve Got Mail! –Presented by Athanasia Spathis & Sean Brickhill
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Have you ever really stopped to notice your letterbox? This often overlooked, yet completely ubiquitous object is a storyteller. It was once our communication link to the outside world, yet now, it sits at the front of our homes with a different purpose. Olivia Bossy, Kenny Yong Soo Son, Sean Brickhill, Belle Thierry, Nic Morgante, Adam Goodrum and Georgia Weitenberg all come together for this playful and immersive exhibition.
Being sensitive – Presented by Studio Kennon and RUSSH Magazine
Studio Kennon was joined by RUSSH Magazine for Being Sensitive, an ongoing dissertation exploring seense of place, and the ways architecture and interior design shape human emotion, memory and feeling. Part exhibition, part conversation, the evening brought together a community of artists, designers and creatives for Melbourne Design Week.
In Conversation with David Holmgren – Presented by RMIT University & Symbiocene Institute & NGV
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Environmental designer, ecological educator, and writer David Holmgren uses this one-hour talk to explore the notion of Symbiocene – the idea that humanity and nature can exist in harmony. In conversation, Holmgren discusses permaculture and muses on what the future could look like under what is now being recognised as a visionary paradigm.
The Sheepskin Suite – Presented by Wilson & Dorset
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This fully immersive experience unveils a sheepskin living room. A total take over of Abbotsford Convent, New Zealand design house Wilson & Dorset, reveals The Sheepskin Suite running across the full Melbourne Design Week festival period. Curated by Kelly Thompson Creative, this tactile installation invites viewers to touch and feel, reminding us of the origins of one of the most important fibres – wool.
It’s 2100: Welcome to the Symbiocene – Presented by RMIT University & Symbiocene Institute & NGV
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This half-day event posed an important question: "what if the future isn’t something that happens to us, but something we design together?" It was a symposium that encouraged participants to think boldly about the future, and imagine what the world would and could look like if we fixed some of our most pressing climate and ecological issues. It featured hosts: Naomi Stead, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor, Engagement, RMIT University; Andy Marks, Executive Director, The Symbiocene Institute and Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, National Gallery of Victoria.
Beyond Repair – Presented by Eva & Birkenstock Australia
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What does the end of life actually look like for apparel? Beyond Repair looks at the 5,000 pairs of Birkenstocks that are repaired each year and what happens when one of these shoes eventually reaches the end of its life. What can this material become next? The answer is unexpected. Entry is free at Eva’s Carlton House showroom and open to all.
Adam Cornish: Domestic Experiments – Presented by Oigåll Projects
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This free exhibition exploring the works of Adam Cornish. A pureplay industrial designer, his practice is one defined is underpinned by the idea that objects should arrive at their most natural expression over time. Prioritising function and clarity, and his work spans furniture, lighting, and product design. Oigåll Projects is excited to present this exhibition which showcases Cornish’s practice. Find it at 122 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy.
Interior Design Today – Presented by NGV
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This half-day event brings together leaders in design, development and architecture to share and discuss the changing shape of the spaces we call home. Each of the four sessions delve into a different aspect of contemporary living: floor plans, small spaces, curating art and Australian local design. Expect speakers and panelists like Colin Chee, Founder and Creative Director of Never Too Small; Sarah-Jane Pyke, Founder and Principal or Arent&Pyke; Tali Roth, Founder and Principal, Studio Tali Roth and Sophie Gannon, Director, of Sophie Gannon Gallery.
RE:BORN – Presented by Romance Was Born & Cultivated
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A free exhibition at Artbank in Melbourne, RE:BORN is an examination of how we can reimagine beauty and breathe new life into everyday objects. This collaboration between Romance Was Born and Cultivated takes secondhand pieces and restores them into a new and expressive form. Both brands pour their unique and whimsical lens into this restorative and delightful exhibition that reminds us that while nothing is temporary, nothing has to be wasted.
Table Manners – Presented by Union Magazine & Object Massive & Streifen
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This exhibition is an intimate exploration of the objects that we delicately and repeatedly bring into our mouths. Attitudes to the humble utensil are rarely neutral. Wide handles, unique textures, depth and curve can all evoke a unique response in the user. In Table Manners the history and significance of cutlery is explored in a masterful, yet totally personal way. This free exhibition is on at Florian Home.
Hannah St Hotel becomes a living experiment – In collaboration with Alice.D Studio and XFLOS
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In honour of Melbourne Design Week, the Hannah St Hotel transforms into a living and immersive micro-ecosystem. Alice.D Studio and floral artist XFLOS worked to turn the central elevator into a space where nature and sound converge. Tactile and immersive, the reimagining of the Hannah St Hotel elevator runs from 14–24 May.
The Pattern Project – Presented by Kowtow
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Enter Kowtow's Fitzroy store to discover The Pattern Project. Here, viewers are invited to see directly into the circular design practices at Kowtow. Reductive, plastic-free construction and thorough consideration into how a garment is eventually un-made, this project explores what it truly means to be circular rather than just linear. Visitors can collect their own pattern for a current-season style so they can make it at home.
David Flack in Conversation – Presented by NGV
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David Flack, found of Flack Studio discusses how his studio has grown from its earliest beginnings into a team that ideates some of the most recognised contemporary spaces. Flack muses on the nature of evolution and discusses some of his biggest and bolded projects. For this exclusive event at NGV International during Melbourne Design Week, Flack reflects on the evolution of the practice and speak to a selection of the studio’s most recognisable projects in conversation with NGV curator Dr Timothy Moore.
MUJI, Made. – Presented by Muji Australia
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MUJI, Made. is a look into the considered design principles behind Muji's design ethos. The objects we use every day need to be informed by the humans that use them, they need to be functional but they also need to be simple and refined. This exhibition reflects on how these ideas evolve and converge into a design intelligence that powers our every day living – while also including responses from Andrew Walter (A22a), Charlie White, Colby Vexler, Kim Bridgland (All Days), OKO OLO, Olivia Bossy and SOZOU.
