What to See at Melbourne Design Week 2022
From exhibitions and talks to a brand new collectible design fair, our editor-in-chief rounds up her pick of events coming up during this year’s Melbourne Design Week and Art Book Fair
A&A, MotherSon coffee table
Exhibition:
A&A
Presented by Tolarno Galleries, A&A is a solo exhibition by industrial designer and Rigg Prize-winner Adam Goodrum and straw marquetry artisan Arthur Seigneur. The focus of the exhibition is a highly graphic black and white piece that marks a departure from the colours in their debut exhibition Exquisite Corpse at Melbourne Design Week 2020, and will surely be no less stunning.
Anna Varendorff for ACV chairs at After Hours
Exhibition:
After Hours
Hosted at Volker Haug Studio, After Hours is an exhibition of side projects: the work we do when we’re not ‘at work’. Showcasing creations by a select group of multidisciplinary artists and designers including Kennedy Nolan, Edition Office and Khai Liew, this exhibition explores the artistic projects and passions that live outside their main bodies of work.
Ella Saddington for Alternative Provisions. Image by Henry Trumble
Exhibition:
Alternative Provisions
In Alternative Provisions, Craft Victoria presents the work of designers and makers who are exploring how unexpected and underutilised materials can be reused and developed in interesting ways. Each of the exhibitors foraged for their material — either organic or discarded waste products — to create works that offer production alternatives and tell new stories.
Talk:
Bauhaus X IKEA: Legacies of Modernism
Founded in 1919, The Bauhaus school was a hotbed for many modernist ideas. In 1943, a decade after the Bauhaus closed, IKEA was founded and had many of the same ideals as the Bauhaus. Since then, both entities have had a profound impact on modern society. As the world is faced with climate change and increased pollution, mostly stemming from over consumption, this panel discussion, presented by Uro Publications, explores what can we learn from the legacies of both Bauhaus and IKEA.
Book launch:
Better Together: Some Documents of Contemporary Australian Architecture and Their Stories
When we think of how architecture is practised, we tend to think of sketches, diagrams, plans and physical models. However, these represent only a small portion of the full story. Architectural production today encompasses a myriad of documents that defy the traditional conventions of the profession. The book Better Together: (33) Documents of Contemporary Australian Architecture & Their Associated Short Stories examines 33 artefacts involved in the design and construction of contemporary architecture.
Originally developed as an exhibition at Monash University’s MADA Gallery, but cancelled due to the pandemic, Better Together serves as a cross-section of work from some of the most compelling Australian architects practising today.
William Smart, Chairity. Image by Fiona Susanto
Exhibition:
The Chairity Project
Presented by Cult Design, The 2022 Chairity Project is the fourth edition of an initiative that invites leading Australian creatives to reinvent an iconic chair design. This year, Cult has invited 18 creatives including Claire Delmar, Alexandra Donohoe Church, Tom Fereday, Yasmine Ghoniem, Adam Goodrum and William Smart to reinterpret the iconic 1950s Result chair by Friso Kramer and Wim Rietveld for Ahrend, now in production by HAY. The final pieces will be exhibited at Cult Melbourne before being sold at auction with all proceeds going to five charities.
Exhibition:
Corner Suite II: Art, Furniture & Furnishings
Presented by No Order Market, this exhibition blurs the lines between a residential and commercial presentation, showcasing new works by established and emerging designers that are sustainable, thoughtful and cheerful — something we can all do with more of in our living spaces.
Álvaro Catalán de Ocón, Plastic Rivers
Exhibition:
Futures Collective
Presented by Spence & Lyda, Futures Collective is an edit of local and global talent, all championing authenticity and sustainability in design. Set within the historic grounds of Villa Alba, the curated showcase will include Spanish designer Álvaro Catalán de Ocón’s new Plastic Rivers rug collection, as well as a capsule collection by Melbourne designer Fiona Lynch.
Woodturner Charles Sandford. Image courtesy of Charles Sandford
Panel discussion:
Hands of the Artisans
Presented and hosted by Articolo and moderated by Suzy Annetta, this discussion will examine the responsibility and opportunity for designers and the wider industry to invest in artisanal craft and local industry. The panel will include artist Emma Davies, woodturner and joiner Paul Bianchi, and glassblowers Cain Lambourne and Eileen Gordon.
Chairs by Dean Toepfer and Roslyn Orsto
Exhibition:
JamFactory
Adelaide-based not-for-profit organisation JamFactory has for 50 years championed local designers, craftspeople and artisans. In collaboration with RMIT Hub, JamFactory presents two exhibitions: Fortified brings together a new wave of artists and designers, paired with the next generation of Barossa Valley producers to create some unexpected outcomes, while Exchange will showcase the work of Indigenous artists and designers who worked together to produce furniture, ceramics, metal and glass that offer a new way of engaging with First Nations material, culture and storytelling.
Another Bureau of Design for Material Culture. Image by Annika Kafcaloudis
Exhibition:
Material Culture
Melbourne-based art director Marsha Golemac presents an exhibition that questions the evolution of material culture and expands on conversations about why and how things are made, and what social, functional or symbolic needs they satisfy. Material Culture features the work of 16 designers, makers and artists, and encourages each to embrace the traditional and the ultra-modern in terms of technique, using a natural or cultural resource with a focus on tactility and materiality.
Christopher Boots, Vanity Screen at PRESENT. Image by Christine Francis
Fair:
Melbourne Design Fair
A first of its kind for the southern hemisphere, the new Melbourne Design Fair will showcases the best collectible contemporary design from over 100 Australian designers and makers with presentations across two platforms: PRESENT will be staged by leading commercial galleries, studios, design organisations and agencies, and SELECT will include works for sale curated by the NGV’s department of contemporary design and architecture.
Elliat Rich for Self Portrait
Exhibition:
Self Portrait
Hosted by Friends & Associates, Self Portrait is an exhibition that asks artists and designers to look introspectively and think about their personal and professional selves, representing themselves in a single object. Contributors include Tom Fereday, Dale Hardiman, Claudia Lau, Makiko Ryojin Tom Skeehan, Studio Tops and Damien Wright.
Claire Ellis, Solace. Image by Annika Kafcaloudis
Exhibition:
Solace by Claire Ellis
Ceramicist Claire Ellis presents a series of wheel-thrown lidded vessels, a culmination of her research into the use of egg shells, glass and plastic in her practice. The work is a practical solution to ‘ecological grief’, the sense of experienced and anticipated loss caused by environmental degradation and climate change.
Exhibition:
Vital Pleasures
Presented by Its Nice Inside, Vital Pleasures is a group exhibition of digital, physical and paper works from a diverse range of designers from Australia and the USA. It offers a platform for the practitioners to question what it means to design and create in a world of uncertain futures and shows how designers have managed to stay focused and connected through a series of lockdowns.
Jenna Lee (Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman and Karra Jarri), doedoet: to tie up – 1, 2021. Recycled 925 silver and red kumihimo silk cord. Collection of the artist. Image by Fred Kroh
Panel discussion:
What Is Blak Design?
Presented by the Koorie Heritage Trust, What is Blak Design? is a panel discussion exploring the history, nuances, concepts and realities of Blak Design today. Referencing both the 2018 exhibition Blak Design Matters and the more recent Blak Jewellery exhibition, Tom Mosby leads a conversation with significant First Nations designers, creatives and industry experts exploring questions around what meaningful Indigenous design is and why it matters, and how Indigenous design is defined, received and made visible in Australia’s contemporary design landscape.
Text / Suzy Annetta
