Lovers of all fine things form and function will want to get amongst Sydney Design Week, a seven-day program of exhibitions, talks, film screenings and workshops presented by the Powerhouse Museum across the city’s design hubs from September 15-22. The 2022 program Making Now examines the role of design across a range of disciplines, from industrial and interior design to graphics, scenography, restaurant design and more.
The program will be launched with a special Powerhouse Late, the museum’s series of after-dark soirees, featuring a conversation with Curious Practice, the studio behind the third Powerhouse Architecture Commission, Cadeau and designers from the special New Australian Design exhibition (Powerhouse Ultimo, September 15). New Australian Design is an exhibition curated by Local Design director Emma Elizabeth, which will present new works by over 20 Australian designers (Powerhouse Ultimo, opening September 15).
Sydney Design Week is also partnering with the recently opened Ace Hotel Sydney, the first Australian incarnation of the famed US hotel, to present a series of talks and workshops. Other Architects director Grace Mortlock and Powerhouse director, First Nations Emily McDaniel will discuss the importance of creativity in the urban context. The team behind Ace Hotel’s rooftop restaurant Kiln, Fiona Lynch (CicciaBella Parramatta) and Mitch Orr (Pilu, ACME) will explore the role of design in the restaurant scene. Interior designer David Flack, Powerhouse Creative Industries Resident Nell, designer Elliat Rich and sculptor Sanné Mestrom will delve into pre-and post-industrial creativity (Ace Hotel Sydney, September 16).
A series of films at Golden Age Cinema will explore a range of iconic designers across the decades and how they’ve shaped today’s international design landscape, from graphic design to revolutionary architects (September 17-21). Workshops include Making Paper Plane Chairs, inspired by the Paper Planes armchair designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso (Powerhouse Ultimo, September 17-18). Community clay workshops will be led by local ceramicists whose works appear throughout Ace Hotel Sydney (Ace Hotel, September 17-18).
The city’s west is in the spotlight for Making Western Sydney, a walking tour of the major new architecture around Parramatta CBD with principals from design studios including Fender Katsalidis, Hills Thalis, Blight Rayner, JPW and Tzannes; followed by an afternoon of public talks and a live-streamed presentation on the new flagship Powerhouse Parramatta with the architectural partnership Moreau Kusunoki (Paris) and Genton (Sydney) (talks at Engineering and Innovation Hub, Western Sydney University, September 17).
There’s even more in store, including talks from international speakers such as visionary Canadian designer Bruce Mau (Massive Change Network) and Mumbai-born co-founder of internationally renowned London-based design studio Doshi Levien, Nipa Doshi. Check out the full program here.