2 July 2009 – Australia’s longest-running design festival Sydney Design 09 celebrates local and international design with a diverse program of more than 70 events running 1 to 16 August 2009.
The vibrant program features a range of exhibitions, local and international speakers, tours, markets and workshops designed to engage and inspire audiences across more than 35 venues in and around Sydney.
Highlights at the festival’s main precinct, the Powerhouse Museum, include international guest speaker UK designer Paul Cocksedge, Eat Green Design, Young Blood: Designers Market, Australian International Design Awards exhibition, late night event Play Late, the Design Underground Basement tours, and the new media installation Artefact H10515.
International guest speaker Paul Cockedge is one of the most innovative and creative minds working in design today. The London-based designer/inventor/artist launched four new lights, created in concert with Japan’s Yamagiwa for Italy’s Flos, at Salon del Mobile, Milan, earlier in the year. Cocksedge’s illustrated lecture on Monday 3 August will outline some of his extraordinary design ideas and his sources of inspiration.
Creative platform and restaurant Eat Green Design, presented by the Powerhouse Museum in partnership with Cilla Maden of Collaborate, is set to challenge our perceptions of ‘sustainability’. Eat Green Design is a sustainable temporary exhibition, restaurant and ideas incubator, hosting diners, guest speakers, and the latest ‘green’ products from 1 – 12 August at the Museum.
Supporting emerging designers is a key element of Sydney Design 09 and the Powerhouse’s commitment to nurturing local design. The Young Blood: Designers Market brings the freshest design talent under one roof on Friday evening and Saturday, 14 and 15 August. Meet the makers themselves and find original pieces from fashion, furniture and jewellery to graphic, product, landscape and lighting design.
The Australian International Design Awards 09 exhibition will feature the most outstanding examples of the latest Australian design and innovation. This year’s selection covers a dynamic range of technology and design, including a battery-heated wetsuit, foldable commuter bike, sleep disorder testing device and a transportable sink.
The Museum will stay open late on Friday 7 August for Play Late, an evening of creative stimulation and socialising. Local designers will orchestrate the interactive rich program, which includes light projections inside and on the outside of the building, multi-media installations and guerrilla knitting.
Get up close to the riches of the embroidery collection and fashion accessories from around the world guided by Museum curators. A series of exclusive basement tours will give rare access to the Museum’s extensive fashion and design collections in storage.
Workshopped 09 will showcase new Australian design that is ‘creating a future; inspiring, enhancing or making a difference’. Co-produced with the Powerhouse Museum and held at Chifley Plaza, the exhibition gives designers the opportunity to take their work beyond prototype. Designers exhibiting this year include Tomek Archer, Charles Wilson, Gary Galego, David Knott and collaborators Ueno Fukutoshi and Akira Isogawa.
Engage with design hands-on as part of the festival’s Bespoke Workshop Series. The range of workshops for beginners and experienced include couture beading, silversmithing, glassblowing, letterpress design, shoemaking, fashion design, fashion drawing, electronic media arts, tapestry weaving and more.
The winner of the Design NSW: Travelling Scholarship, presented by the Powerhouse Museum and Arts NSW in partnership with the British Council, will also be announced during Sydney Design 09. Valued at $18,000, the scholarship will assist a NSW designer at the beginning of their career undertake a program of professional development overseas. An exhibition of the short-listed entries will be available to view on the Powerhouse Museum’s online design resource dhub.org.
Sydney Design’s many partners and supporters will also bring the festival to life across the city, presenting a great program of exhibitions, events, walks, talks and workshops.
Visit sydneydesign.com.au for the full program and to book tickets or a Festival Pass.
Sydney Design 09 Festival Pass ($16) includes:
• Unlimited visits to the Museum during Sydney Design 09
• Entry to Play Late, 7 August, 6pm
• Entry to Young Blood: Designers Market 14 & 15 August, 6-9pm & 10am–5pm
Sydney Design 09 Opening Night Pass ($69) includes:
• Invitation to Opening Night party, 31 July, 6pm
• Entry to talk by international designer Paul Cocksedge, 3 August, 6pm
Combine both passes and save with the Sydney Design 09 Opening Night Pass PLUS Festival Pass for $79.
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