Design and architecture - News and events

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Events

Saturday in Design - Sydney

31 July – 1 August 2009

Saturday in Design is an annual trade event for the design community, taking place on alternative years in Sydney and Melbourne. It involves Australia's premier designer furniture, finishes, fixtures and lighting showrooms opening their doors on a Saturday to allow architects, designers, students and design-savvy members of the public to enjoy the product they specify, in a showroom environment.

The IKEA Home Project - Sydney

ikea sofa by naomi trosky

Ikea KLIPPAN sofa with cover designed by Naomi Trosky. Image courtesy of CarriageWorks,

28 July – 4 August

The IKEA Home Project will mark the 30th birthday of the iconic KLIPPAN sofa, one of IKEA's most recognisable and affordable items. A selection of acclaimed Australian artists are creating unique works which the public can buy. The artists create a one-off KLIPPAN cover in their own style, focusing on the theme of 'home'. The resulting works will be sold via an online auction event. Proceeds of the auction will be given as a cash donation to the Victorian Bushfire Relief effort. CarriageWorks, Redfern.

Sydney Design 09 - Sydney

1–16 August 2009

In its 13th year, Sydney Design 09 has an extensive and creative program of markets, late night events, discussions, exhibitions and workshops around the city. Various locations.

WORKSHOPPED 09 - Sydney

5–16 August 2009

WORKSHOPPED 09 will be one of the single largest events of Sydney Design 09 and is co-presented by the Powerhouse Museum. Chifley Plaza will host WORKSHOPPED 09 with approximately 1,000 invited guests from design, architecture, manufacture and media attending the VIP Opening Night, Tuesday 4 August, 2009. WORKSHOPPED looks for designers that have identified and considered the issues relating to production, whether limited or mass production and irrespective of the production method. Chifley Plaza.

Cicely & Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award 2009 - Melbourne

Lepidoptera chair

Simon LeAmon, Lepidoptera. Image courtesy of the Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award.

12 March – 30 August 2009

In 2009, the Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award has a focus on seat furniture design. The works on display are informed by a broad range of social, environmental, material, and aesthetic concerns. Elegant simplicity remains a central concern for some while others explore the possibilities inherent in innovative materials. Every work included in this exhibition embodies the potential to become a design classic of the future. National Gallery of Victoria.

International Urban Design Conference - Gold Coast, Queensland

2–4 September 2009

The 2nd International Urban Design Conference, Survival: Implementing Tomorrow's City, will identify and address ways to implement best practice sustainable actions and showcase exemplar projects for leaders, designers and communities to understand the complex issues involved and how to apply these to meet individual urban design challenges. Conrad Jupiters Hotel.

Draw the Line: the Architecture of LAB - Melbourne

18 July – 13 September 09

Draw the Line: the Architecture of LAB presents the process of architectural design through the material of the Federation Square NGV archive together with LAB’s subsequent projects. It explains how architects think about their designs and how concepts and processes become realised as architecture. The exhibitionl consists of conceptual material, working drawings and models. The Ian Potter Centre:NGV Australia. Federation Square.

Girls Night Out - Gold Coast and Brisbane, Queensland

24–25 September 2009

Touring Australia, Girls Night Out is a shopping experience for women, with dates for Melbourne and Sydney to be announced soon. Shop the latest trends in emerging fashions and accessories, taste a range of wines, sample beauty products and services, and get a Deluxe Goody Bag on entry. Various locations.

Glenn Murcutt: architecture for place - Sydney

Simpson-Lee House, Mount Wilson, NSW (detail). Photograph courtesy of Anthony Browell

Anthony Browell, Simpson-Lee House, Mount Wilson, NSW (detail). Image courtesy of the Museum of Sydney.

13 June – 5 October 2009

Architecture for place is a special exhibition that reveals the way Glenn Murcutt crafts his projects, with a selection of ideas presented from initial sketch to detailed construction drawings and the final built work. A series of photographs by Anthony Browell capture the essence of Murcutt’s architecture in constructed form. Murcutt's groundbreaking designs are internationally recognised as being at the forefront of contemporary architecture. His work is celebrated for its sustainability, harmony with the natural world, and resonance and unity with Australia’s diverse climate and topography. Museum of Sydney.

Easton Pearson - Brisbane

Rainbow Coalition_Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Sydney, 29 April 2008.

Rainbow Coalition.Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Sydney, 29 April 2008. Courtesy of Easton Pearson.

22 August – 8 November 2009

A survey exhibition of the Brisbane-based, internationally acclaimed fashion house Easton Pearson. The exhibition will feature designs drawn from Easton Pearson's own archive, and will explore the designers' eclectic sources of inspiration and the edgy glamour, embellished fabrics and vibrant colours. Gallery of Modern Art.

Featured projects

Art & Design Education Resource Guide

July 2009

The Art & Design Education Resource Guide (ADERG) is a comprehensive guide to art and design courses at all Australian universities, TAFE colleges and private schools. The online edition contains extended galleries, course information and news items from featured institutions in the print edition.

The Project - Sydney

July 2009

Similar to the Milan fair, design locations during Saturday in Design will be transformed for the occasion with the designers taking inspiration from product to create installations of every kind, shape and colour, as part of The Project in 2009. Members of Australia's best architecture, design and creative firms will partner up with participating SiD showrooms, and will be creating installations and innovations, using and inspired by showroom product.

AMCAT opens new museum space - Maitland, New South Wales

AMCAT display at Maitland

Image courtesy of the Australian Museum of Clothing and Textiles

June 2009

Australian Museum of Clothing and Textiles (AMCAT), established in 2005, features a wealth of local textile history and information. Among the many items of interest on show will be memorabilia from local industries of the past such as National Textiles (formerly known as Burlington Mills), Courtaulds Industries, Paynes Shoe Company, Osti and Bonds. The items currently date from the 1860s and range from working clothes and accessories through to refined garments worn by all classes, and an extensive range of household linen and adornments. Lieutenant Governor’s Residence Building at Maitland Gaol

HEAT - Queensland

April 2009

Queensland's new wave of environmental architects has a very simple objective—to promote and highlight the creative talent of Queensland's architects and to facilitate the export of this talent to the rest of the world. HEAT is a Queensland Government initiative through the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Creative Industries Unit. The Australian Institute of Architects is a key partner of the HEAT initiative.

Call for entries

mecu travel bursary

Entries by 31 July 2009

The mecu travel bursary identifies aspects of good subtropical design and policy making, and promotes the value that built environment professionals bring to the subtropical urban realm. The winner will receive a $10,000 bursary to be used for travelling internationally in 2010 to study sustainable design in subtropical urban locations. This may include travel to an international design event nominated by the applicant.

Announcements

Australian International Design Awards 2009 winners

29 May 2009

An economy airline seat topped this year's Australian International Design Awards. The Qantas A380 Economy Seat, designed by Qantas Airways and Marc Newson Ltd and built by Recaro Aircraft Seating won the 2009 Australian International Design Award of the Year. Judges were impressed by the level of innovation and flawless attention to detail applied to all aspects of the design.

 

For more on Australian Design, see our Australian Stories on Design and Architecture.

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