An international exhibition celebrating the career of one of the most influential and prolific design figures of the 1950s and 60s is the highlight of this year’s Sydney Design festival. “The biggest single problem in the design field today revolves … Continue reading
Café culture has become synonymous with sustainability across the country. Just take Kitchen by Mike, the Grounds and Cornersmith in Sydney for starters. Joost Bakker one of the earliest proponents of this movement continues to send his sustainability message through his ‘green’ building … Continue reading
Thanks to Arup Sydney the Powerhouse Museum acquired a model of the China Central TV headquarters in Beijing. Designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, its a sophisticated and controversial attempt to reinvent the office tower. Architects, journos and others have debated its … Continue reading
Continues from Ventura Lambrata 2013: part 1. Mindcraft is a group show of young Danish designers organized by Danish Crafts – a Danish ministry of culture organization. Held each year in Milan since 2008, it has shown at Lambrata for the … Continue reading
Having visited Milan for the last 4 years, I have grown to look forward to the young designer events held at alternative venues across the city more than I do the polished commerciality of the vast official fairgrounds at Rho. … Continue reading
British firm Wilkinson Eyre Architects has come out on top out of the eight invited international submissions for the $1.5 billion skyscraper to be built on the harbourfront of Sydney. Chosen by Crown Resorts the controversial 235 metre tall home for … Continue reading
The careers of architects and photographers are often intertwined. An outstanding case is Max Dupain, Australia’s leading photographer of architecture, whose work was crucial in building the reputations of several architects including Harry Seidler, Sydney Ancher and Glenn Murcutt. An international example … Continue reading
A record 160 entries have been awarded Good Design® in the 2013 Australian International Design Awards and are in the running for a coveted Design Award® recognising design excellence when winners are announced later this month as part of Vivid … Continue reading
The International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA2013) will take over Sydney in June 2013. According to this year’s organisers ‘Resistance is futile’…Indeed. What started out as a conference to discuss the effects of technology on traditional art practise in the … Continue reading
For the past month, the art museum at my university has been host to an exhibition of extraordinary beauty, fascinating experimentation, and craft technique of a skill that I thought was no longer found in the contemporary world. It was … Continue reading
Re Rag Rug is an experimental design and crafts project by two very talented Swedes, Katarina Brieditis and Katarina Evans. With backgrounds in textile design, product development and needlework, the duo were brought together through a shared interest in knitting, embroidery and … Continue reading
While there were a number of important furniture brands in Australia offering modernist designs during the 50s, 60s and 70s such as Danish Deluxe and Fler in Melbourne and TH Brown in Adelaide, Sydney’s Parker remains the most well known. … Continue reading
NINE-year-old Julian Peen, known online as Mindstorminventor, will be presenting a Master Class in Reverse on the Raspberry Pi, as part of the Vivid Sydney Ideas program. The Masterclass, to be held 8 June 2013 from 11am to 2pm at the Powerhouse … Continue reading
In 2013, Sydney Design, one of the world’s oldest running design festivals, decided to become more inclusive. As one of the few design festivals produced by a Museum, the festival is all about engaging audiences around design. What better way … Continue reading
Roseanne Bartley is a jewellery designer with a distinctive sense of civic responsibly – not as a recent development in her practice but something I have observed throughout her career. She is a designer that sees jewellery making as a … Continue reading
FOURTEEN year old Aidan Bray will be presenting a Master Class on the Arduino at the Powerhouse Museum, as part of the Vivid Sydney Ideas program. The “Master Class in Reverse” program, according to Lily Katakouzinos, the manager of contemporary … Continue reading
The first new building at the Central Park development on Broadway is making progress. Watching it is a bit different from following the progress of most new buildings – it’s literally growing, not just figuratively so. French botanist Patrick Blanc … Continue reading
In a world where changing climate conditions are seeing the rise of sea levels and increased rainfall, disadvantaged waterfront communities are bearing the brunt of consequent flooding and land loss. Makoko, the largest informal settlement in Lagos, Nigeria, is one … Continue reading
The four winning propositions for the CAPITheticAL competition for a hypothetical Australian capital were announced on 14 March. The CAPITheticAL competition, for the design of a hypothetical Australian capital, announced its winners on 14 March at the Gallery of Australian Design. … Continue reading
Forms in Succession #5, porcelain sculpture created by Japanese potter Shigekazu Nagae dances beautifully in this video. The paper ‘look-alike’ form evokes the aesthetics of origami – the art of Japanese paper-folding. Made by using a slip-cast technique the material speaks … Continue reading
Frame and Moooi are excited to announce the ten finalists for the year’s biggest interior design award. This year, the Frame Moooi Award received 861 submissions from a total of 71 countries. The finalists were selected by juror Jana Scholze, … Continue reading
Just released by the Australia Council for the Arts is Art Facts, the new home for statistics about Australian arts. Here you will find a range of facts about visual arts and craft in Australia and the latest trends to watch out … Continue reading
The recent death of Oscar Niemeyer attracted glowing tributes from around the world. As well as being truly venerable (104 years old) and extraordinarily prolific (about 400 projects), Niemeyer (or just Oscar as he is usually known in Brazil) was the last of the … Continue reading
The past few years have seen a resurgence in design as a driver of innovation. This has been visible in the popular managerial press and also the scholarly debate in management and design. Many foreign organisations and governments have already … Continue reading
With the latest instalment of the Broached Commissions project, entitled Broached East, half way through it’s stint in Melbourne, David Harrison spoke with Lou Weis founder and creative director of the project before he jetted off to Dubai to set … Continue reading
One of the nice things about a museum project going public is the response from people with relevant artefacts, stories, photographs etc. Often this can be frustrating – if only we had known about this before the exhibition was opened, … Continue reading
CODA, a New York based firm is the winner of the 2013 MoMA Young Architects Program. Each year emerging architects are invited to develop designs for a competition to create a temporary outdoor installation. The design must provide shade, seating … Continue reading
A recent study in the US has found that crowdfunding is becoming a driving force behind building and community projects. Whether this is the case in Australia is still unknown, yet Mathieu Gallios’ Reincarnated McMansion project which has had difficulty … Continue reading
Tokyo based Japanese architect, Toyo Ito has been named as the 2013 laureate of the prestigious International Pritzker Prize of architecture. The Pritzker is arguably the profession’s highest honour and Ito will join such luminaries as past winners, Frank Ghery, … Continue reading
With the completion of 1 Blight Street, Ingenhoven Architects + Architectus in collaboration with the Dexus Property Group, have delivered Australia’s highest rated Green Star Building in Sydney. Winner of the 2012 National Architecture Award, the building is the first … Continue reading
2013 is an important year for the Museum. Not only are we celebrating our 25th birthday, but we’re also celebrating 20 years of Student Fashion. The Student Fashion display has been held annually at the Powerhouse Museum since 1993. Initially established as The … Continue reading
With many designers lamenting the dwindling manufacturing landscape in Australia, David Harrison speaks with designers Gary Galego, Adam Cornish and Adam Goodrum about how they are working within these shrinking parameters. On the other side of the Tasman, Scott Bridgens, … Continue reading
Over the summer, Sydney had an unusual visitor to Darling Harbour: a big yellow duck, as cute as it was large, created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. Hofman visited the Museum on Sunday 6 January to speak about his work. … Continue reading
Is Tasmania at a tipping point? Over the next two weeks The Conversation, in conjunction with Griffith REVIEW and the University of Tasmania, is publishing a series of provocations. Our authors ask where does Tasmania’s future lie? Has it reached … Continue reading
The Clare Hotel on Broadway is closing this year. It will open again, but not as the comfortably crumpled venue of recent times. The Clare’s past and likely future are reflective of the fortunes of Sydney pubs. The Clare like … Continue reading
As the city continues its long journey to regeneration, a few locals are pumping life back into its streets.They’re transforming spaces left vacant by demolished buildings into hubs of activity, creating a sense of community again. Most of the city … Continue reading
The Powerhouse Museum recently interviewed James Cameron, winner of the Australian International Design Awards 2012, who was in Australia to meet with manufacturers of his Deep Sea Challenger and for the awards ceremony. With this confluence of events, we were very fortunate to … Continue reading
Recently I gave some help to a heritage architect working on the Broadway Central Park development. We were looking at the Kent Brewery photos in our Tooth & Co collection. I particularly enjoyed revisiting the Broadway photos, timely given that … Continue reading
2013 is well and truly upon us! As we approach the month of March, I’m sure many of us have settled into our respective plans for the year. I for one, have spent the last couple of months thinking about … Continue reading
Redefining the traditional mentality of ‘made-to-order’ manufacturing in Australia, a new breed of Creative Enablers are marrying their technical capabilities to the trajectories of leading designers, and broadening their product offering in the co-creation of new Australian design. Palamont Rotor, … Continue reading
Keith Hensel was principal designer at Breville, and previously a designer with Sunbeam and Nielsen Design Associates. For more than 20 years he had been involved in designing household products from lighting to kettles, toasters to toothbrushes. Hensel’s designs have … Continue reading
We’re familiar with Urban Gardens, Guerrilla Gardens, Community Gardens and now we have the beginnings of a City Farm with the launch of the new Summer Garden. In a the City Farm Feasibility Study prepared by CLOUSTON Associates, it was found that “The … Continue reading
For over two centuries, most women in Paris have been breaking the law! Each time they wore trousers in public in the French capital, they were infringing a law introduced on 17 November 1800 (known as the 26 Brumaire de … Continue reading
Bringing contemporary art to the people of Naples by train. Continue reading
Is upcycling a supersized home into two or three sustainable dwellings a lofty idea? Not so believes artist/ architect Mathieu Gallios who has worked on his Reincarnated McMansion project since 2007. To realise his vision he has teamed up with Peter Smith, architect/ planning/ … Continue reading
Raingardens could be a landscaping design solution to droughts and water shortage conditions. They are certainly changing the way Australians think about gardening and are rapidly becoming an important part of garden design, particularly in Melbourne. Melbourne Water, a water … Continue reading
The non-denominational charity OzHarvest has just had a Frost* and Droga5 makeover. In the business of rescuing excess food that otherwise becomes landfill from restaurants, food wholesalers and retailers, OzHarvest has grown to include distribution to charities supporting the vulnerable in Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and … Continue reading
Thinking globally and acting locally. How can we rethink, regenerate, rebrand, rework, reactivate cities dominated by singular economies for a vibrant and innovative future? The international design ideas competition, Transiting Cities – Low Carbon Futures, was open to designers from around … Continue reading
The Centenary of Canberra (1913-2013) is being celebrated throughout 2013 with a series of projects and events which acknowledge the unique nature of this planned capital. The prime goal of the Centenary was set in 2006 and seeks ‘to instil … Continue reading
After an international selection process, the title ‘European Capital of Culture’ has been awarded to the cities of Marseille, on the southeast coast of France, and Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia. This sought-after European title was created in … Continue reading
Rohan Nicol is a Wagga Wagga based designer with a craft background and a new design enterprise, Lucelux, which launched in 2009. Bridging the gap between manufacturing and design in Australia, Rohan has established an alliance with local manufacturer Precision … Continue reading
The Design Museum London has announced the 2013 nominations for the Designs of the Year. Highlights include a number of designs that set new directions and trends and others that reflect our concerns for the state of the world present and future; … Continue reading
Australian Institute of Architects National President Shelley Penn has announced the jury for the 2013 National Architecture Awards: Hannah Tribe – founder and director, Tribe Studio Shelley Penn – national president, Australian Institute of Architects Richard Hassell – founder and director, … Continue reading
Last year Dhub published an article on Australia’s need to increase productivity with investment in integrated business strategy to strengthen the manufacturing sector. The proposal will increase the success of creative ventures such as those undertaken by designers while improving Australia’s competitiveness on a global scale … Continue reading
The third edition of the International Design & Communication Awards (2013) for excellent communication and creativity in the art world is now open for entries. The IDCA awards assess communications, design and branding strategies within the arts and museum sphere. … Continue reading
The annual Engineering Excellence Awards exhibition is a collaboration between the Powerhouse Museum and the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia. The exhibition showcases innovative Australian engineering projects that have been developed for both local and global markets. All awards have … Continue reading
This June get crafty, learn new skills and pick the brains of some of Sydney’s hottest craft and design talent at a Make. Play Workshop which include: Brooching The Subject with Kelly Doust (AKA The Crafty Minx), P-P-Party Piñata with Kit Palaskas, Cut ‘n’ Paste Zines with Alex Falkiner and Pom Pom … Continue reading
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President’s Medals Student Awards are considered the most prestigious and long-lasting awards in architectural education in the world. First awarded in 1836 as the RIBA Silver Medal for an architectural essay (and awarded … Continue reading
Open International Design Competition for Building Resilient Cities ONE Prize Award aims to explore the social, economic, and ecological possibilities of urban transformation. This year’s competition is set in the context of severe climate dynamism. How can cities adapt to … Continue reading
Any person may participate. Participation extends to all design studios, companies, universities, research laboratories, inventors, design students and design professionals from anywhere in the world. All kinds of inventions, novelty designs and aesthetic designs that are not in the market, … Continue reading
Presented by ISEA2013 and the University of Technology Sydney and curated by Dr. Nigel Helyer Within the sonic world there is no separation; sound enters our bodies as vibration, immersive and continuous. Sound is the one fundamental phenomenon that we are immersed … Continue reading
The Powerhouse Museum contributes three exhibitions to ISEA2013 (19th International Symposium of Electronic Art), an international event of electronic art and ideas that takes place in a different location annually. Presented in Sydney by the Australian Network for Art and Technology … Continue reading
The annual City Design Awards provide recognition across the design spectrum and are open to design professionals, as well as those who commission design. The awards are cross-disciplinary, and celebrate and honour the role of design and the skills of … Continue reading
Head On Photo Festival, Australia’s largest photo festival and the world’s second largest festival. Heading into its fourth year, Head On celebrated a wide range of photography across all genres from photojournalism and reportage through commercial to fine-art. With over 200 … Continue reading
Craft Punk is suggesting some crafty ways you can warm-up this winter. Book a workshop lead by an industry expert and learn how to create a quirky tea-cosy, coffee plunger cosy or hat from industrially knitted off-cuts. Kill the chill … Continue reading
Over the last number of years Object: Australian Design Centre has explored many notions of design. From Freestyle: new Australian design for living in 2006 to HYPERCLAY: Contemporary Ceramics in 2011, Object has presented some of the most exciting current emerging and established practitioners … Continue reading
Tell us your big idea before Tuesday 30 April. Be quick and be part of Sydney’s leading festival of design, alongside other well-known local and international designers. Apply now. This year’s theme Design re-think asks: can clever design save the … Continue reading
EXPO 1 is an exploration of ecological challenges in the context of the economic and socio-political instability of the early 21st century. EXPO 1: New York will reconsider the museum from the ground up, presenting a simultaneity of modules, interventions, … Continue reading
Established in 1895 the Venice Biennale (La Biennale di Venezia) is the oldest and most prestigious event on the international contemporary visual arts calendar. Every two years, Venice becomes the world stage for the international visual arts community, with the … Continue reading
All around you in Sydney’s public spaces people are doing the most unexpected things. This exhibition celebrates the unusual stories of the city’s public buildings, parks and street corners, and may answer some of your burning questions about strange things you … Continue reading
Not only can you visit Sydney Design 2013 – you can be part of it. Applications are now open until Tuesday 30 April. Your application should respond to this year’s theme Design re-think: can clever design save the world? Can design transform, replenish … Continue reading
MoMA presents its first major exhibition on the work of Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, 1887–1965), encompassing his work as an architect, interior designer, artist, city planner, writer, and photographer. Conceived by guest curator Jean-Louis Cohen, the exhibition reveals the ways … Continue reading
The Biennale of Sydney has announced the 2014 exhibition will open to the public from 21 March until 9 June 2014, with the Vernissage to be held from Tuesday, 18 March to Thursday, 20 March 2014. The new dates mark … Continue reading
Museum Victoria is pleased to announce ‘Designing 007 – Fifty Years of Bond Style’ will be coming exclusively to Melbourne Museum from 1 November 2013. Designing 007 – Fifty Years of Bond Style’ presents the craft behind the icon, focusing … Continue reading
Think you deserve an award for a cultural project? Apply now for the IDCA awards. The third edition of the International Design & Communication Awards (IDCA) for excellent communications and creativity in the art world is now open for entries. … Continue reading
A’ Design Award & Competition, one of the world’s most known design awards program is offering 7500 Euros worth of prizes to as many as 20 contestants who submit the most compelling ideas to advance the A’ Design Awards & … Continue reading
Australia’s Gold Coast is on a global quest to develop a cultural heart and soul through the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct design competition. Formally launched by Gold Coast City Council in 2013, this initiative invites the world’s leading multi-disciplinary design teams … Continue reading
The City of Charles Sturt is pleased to announce a design competition seeking compelling design proposals to reinvigorate South Australia’s historic Henley Square and surrounding precinct. The competition invites submissions from registered architects and landscape architects in Australia. The Henley … Continue reading
The Lisbon Architecture Triennale has launched 3 competitions and a call for associated projects and invites participation from the creative community as well as students and practitioners from all over the world. Lisbon Triennale Millennium BCP Universities Award Competition: An … Continue reading