Melbourne Design Week 2024—Design The World You Want
Melbourne Design Week 2024 explores the theme Design The World You Want—bringing into focus the use of energy, ethics and ecology, to encourage positive change and reimagine existing systems.
Words: Hande Renshaw I Photography: Bashar Belal, Edmund Sumner, Alice Hutchinson
Limbo Accra’s Super Limbo, for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, curated by Tosin Oshiwono. Photo: Edmund Sumner
Standing Place from the Other Places series 2017 by Elliat Rich. Australian Furniture Design Award Winner 2017, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Installation view of (NO THINGS) MATTERS presented by Marlo Lyda at Villa Alba on display from 18-24 May 2023 as part of Melbourne Design Week 2023. Photo: Alice Hutchinson
Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo (pictured above + hero image). Photo: Bashar Belal for Identity Magazine
Genesis Lake, Bunurong Memorial Park. Photo: Jonathan Lang for Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust
Adrian Pepe’s Utility of Being for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, curated by Tosin Oshiwono. Photo: Edmund Sumner
Installation view of (NO THINGS) MATTERS presented by Marlo Lyda at Villa Alba on display from 18-24 May 2023 as part of Melbourne Design Week 2023. Photo: Alice Hutchinson
“Since 2017, Melbourne Design Week has become an important event for design practitioners throughout the country, providing a crucial platform for their work and encouraging critical thought that will help shape the future.”
Material Matters Exhibition. Photo: Courtesy of NGV
Material Matters Exhibition. Photo: Courtesy of NGV
Presented by Creative Victoria and delivered by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne Design Week is a vital platform for emerging and established creative practitioners, offering the Australian design community and audiences the opportunity to engage with a diverse program of talks, tours, exhibitions, installations, and workshops.
This year marks Melbourne Design Week’s eight edition and will include 11 days of 300+ innovative exhibitions, displays, symposiums and talks throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Exploring the theme, Design The World You Want, the 2024 program brings into focus the use of energy, ethics and ecology to encourage positive change, reimagine existing systems and offer innovative design solutions to complex global challenges. Energy examines how design can champion new technologies to enact society’s transition to renewables; ethics demonstrates how design can be guided by societal values; and ecology invites designers to respond to the physical environment and considering the influence of nature.
Highlights in this year’s program will include a keynote talk from Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo, Oshinowo Studio founder, architect and curator, a symposium exploring speculative riverside designs for the Birrarung, the tenth year of Melbourne Art Book Fair, plus presentations of work by Visnja Brdar, Jessie French, Sruli Recht and Ross Gardam.
Galleries and design curators will also present a series of exhibitions highlighting the inspiring scope of Australian designers with displays at Craft, Tarrawarra Musuem of Art, Tolarno, MUMA, Pieces of Eight, Useful Objects, and more. Australia's leading showrooms, brands and design studios will also participate with exhibitions taking place at venues including Aesop, Brickworks, Cult, Spacecraft, Tait, Living Edge, Mobilia, Christopher Boots and House Editions.
‘Since 2017, Melbourne Design Week has become an important event for design practitioners throughout the country, providing a crucial platform for their work and encouraging critical thought that will help shape the future. From commercial design objects to effective design solutions—the program of over 300 events showcases how Australia is leading design innovation globally,’ says Tony Ellwood AM, NGV director.
MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK
Thursday, May 23 to Sunday, June 2