In recent years there has been a surge of interest in online faith-based and modest fashion through online shopping, social media (Twitter and Facebook) and blogs. Although this phenomenon is a global one, an emerging distinctive voice and aesthetic can … Continue reading
What better place than the Powerhouse Museum to contemplate our future. The Museum’s vast collection has archived over 200 years of Australian related history. By looking to our collection and exhibitions we are able to determine where we have come … Continue reading
This massive work of art was created by artist Janet Echelman and features in the Love Lace exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Placed between the Town Hall of Sydney and the Woolworths building in the centre of the city as … Continue reading
An exhibition celebrating wool highlights the significance of the material to the international design community in the 21st Century. The Wool Modern exhibition travelling the world and featuring global designer heavyweights has arrived in Sydney. The exhibition includes works made … Continue reading
This question will be at the heart of discussions at an upcoming symposium in Sydney. The event titled ‘7 Kinds of Happiness: Conversations on Design and Emotion’ is curated by Melbourne-based design studio, The Office for Good Design and will … Continue reading
Nostalgic, elegant, tacky, cheerful, tasteless, complex and superficial, it was everything and nothing. It was far more an attitude than an aesthetic searching to disrupt. Today postmodernism has become the movement we love to hate. Yet postmodernism gave us the … Continue reading
A few brightly lit, vinyl stencilled shopfronts give a small hint of the design momentum developing inside a few council owned buildings on Sydney’s once vital Oxford Street. In October 2011 the City of Sydney called for Expressions of Interest … Continue reading
Using the crowdfunding website, Pozible, the Australian Design Alliance (AdA) has launched a national fundraising campaign to raise money to create a national design policy. The Australian Design Alliance (AdA) is the alliance of peak professional organisations that represent designers … Continue reading
20 years is a long time in design. When Marc Newson was commissioned to create a chair for a Powerhouse exhibition in 1988 there was no ‘brand Newson’, no headline-making sales records, no globally-renowned manufacturers beating a path to his … Continue reading
Trent Jansen designs chairs, stools and accessories for bikes, among other things. He designs when he thinks there’s a need to design. He has won numerous awards including the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award in 2008. He is a conceptual … Continue reading
Walking around the streets of Pyrmont, where the Powerhouse Museum is located, you can see glimpses of sandstone both decorative and functional. The material that once formed the distinctive cliffs and gulleys on the peninsula now exists as layers beneath … Continue reading
2012 marks a new chapter in the story of Electrolux Design Lab as it enters its tenth year. Electrolux therefore invited design students globally to create a special anniversary logo for the concept. The competition has been conducted in collaboration … Continue reading
Liane Rossler is most well known as a co-founder of iconic Australian design company, Dinosaur Designs (with Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy). Last year Rossler left the company she had spent 25 years with and is now working across a very … Continue reading
As a recent UTS Design graduate, and a finalist in the upcoming Social Changemakers Exhibiton and Art Prize, Rachel Rodwell wants to make us think about the impact what we wear has on the environment. Her unique label ‘Podtex’ uses … Continue reading
What’s the fuss you say? Well today is the birthday of an Australian icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, fondly known as the coathanger. Now eighty years old the Bridge has become a symbol of Sydney and of Australia, its arch … Continue reading
Through market capitalisation analysis Apple Inc. is now identified as the largest corporation in the world. Apple’s first product was launched in 1976. Despite being on its knees prior to the introduction of the first iMac in 1998, it has … Continue reading
When you intern with a radical thinker like Gijs Bakker, you would expect to undergo some kind of liberating realisation. This is exactly what happened to Tasman Munro who was the winner of the Design NSW Travelling Scholarship in 2010. The … Continue reading
A new computer the size of a credit card and less than the cost of a cover for an iPhone is set to create a revolution in classrooms around the world. The Raspberry Pi is $35 computer with no keyboard, … Continue reading
The Design Museum in Shad Thames, London will transform into a museum for the twenty-first century when it relocates to a new site at the former Commonwealth Institute on London’s Kensington High Street. The transformation of the building into a … Continue reading
Over the years the Powerhouse Museum has actively developed its national and regional dress collection to reflect the multicultural nature of Australian communities and more effectively document their source cultures. We were very pleased therefore to acquire this beautifully made … Continue reading
Melbourne based ‘E-idealist’ designer and artist Stephen Mushin has set sail with a team of team of scientists, environmentalists and entrepreneurs on the International Antarctic Expedition (IAE) 2012 led by polar explorer and environmental leader Robert Swan. During the 16-day … Continue reading
From safety-pin earrings to homemade badges, punk has always embraced the DIY ethic. Indeed, just like lovers of knitting and embroidery they are known for doing it their own way. Continue reading
Love Lace opens at the Powerhouse Museum on July 29, coinciding with the launch of Sydney Design 2011. It features 130 lace works by 134 artists from 20 countries, drawn from finalists of the Powerhouse Museum’s third International Lace Awards. Continue reading
In this post-industrial age where fashion designers are developing their own scents and product designers are printing three-dimensional prototypes in moments, the protection of intellectual property is a crucial part of the design process for every maker and designer who wants to safeguard their design or idea. Continue reading
The winner of the prestigious 2011 Design NSW Travelling scholarship is passionate Sydney-based type designer and font maker, David Foster, who the judges predict will become one of Australia’s foremost typographers and a household name within the design community. Continue reading
Beating a highly competitive field of 150 applicants, four brilliant young Australian innovators from the fields of fashion, food farming, medical technology and mechanical engineering have been awarded a combined $60,000 prize pool from the British Council and LRQA (Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance), to make their Big Green Ideas a reality. Continue reading
Globalisation presents enormous challenges within our society. As businesses pursue worldwide success, economies and industries are becoming increasingly competitive. Noticeably, within this global environment, culture and creativity are taking the toll, with globalisation directly threatening individuality, and creative industries and communities all over the world demonstrating an increasing lack of originality. Continue reading
As Sydney experiences the onset of the ‘Korean Wave’ in 2011, Joanna Bayndrian considers what exactly sets Korean design apart. Continue reading
This year’s Sydney Design has come to a close, connecting people and creating meaningful dialogue around design issues.
Continue reading
Recently Powerhouse Museum curator, Dr. Charles Pickett made an excellent contribution to Inside the Collection blog about Osama’s lair. Continue reading to discover the architectural merits of hideout design and the features they share across the globe. The demise of Osama … Continue reading
This battered leather briefcase, housing a circuit board, cassette player and removable keyboard, seems an unlikely beginning to one of the great success stories of the modern age. The Apple 1 computer was the first product designed and manufactured by … Continue reading
More than a platform for extraordinary athletic feats, the Olympic Games have become a Cultural Olympiad whose purpose is to display the hosting nation’s cultural economy on a global scale. It’s a platform for designers to realise challenging architecture, make … Continue reading
Turning their noses up to ‘good taste’, mashing up art deco, kitsch and pop art, the Memphis Group had a radical attitude and an undeniable impact on design internationally when it emerged more than 30 years ago.
Continue reading
The CCTV (China Central Television) HQ, co-designed by Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren of OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) is an architectural and engineering spectacle. A unique space for public interaction it defies the usual notion of a ‘skyscraper’ and is … Continue reading
Adrian Franklin’s new book, published in association with the Powerhouse Museum, is a guide to mid-twentieth century design. In this extract he looks at the humble coffee table. If there is one item of furniture that is completely modern, it … Continue reading
Be it a pop-up cinema in Hackney, East London, a newspaper’s foray into iPad apps or a wind-propelled Landmine Detonator which cost $40 to produce; the list of Designs of the Year 2012 from the Design Museum, London highlights a refreshing diversity of global design talent. Continue reading
Frame, wheels, pedals, seat: the formula for a making a bicycle has remained relatively steady throughout time. Sequins, dog house, golden leaf, bamboo: these are just a few examples of the immense diversity of material components and varied compositions of this creation which have resulted in some very obscure and often peculiar designs of this enduring invention.
These ramekins were mass produced by Martin Boyd Potteries, a company established in 1946 by Guy Martin Boyd (a member of Australia’s artistic/literary Boyd family) and Norma Flegg. When new, the ramekins were valued for their fresh appearance and solid … Continue reading
Memories and food are often entwined. Like Marcel Proust and his Aunt Léonie and her lime blossom madeleines, Korean-Australian artist Joungmee Do’s memories are closely linked to the food she ate as a child. She explores her own personal memories … Continue reading
Dropping the anchor in New York City has been a chance for illustrator and comic creator, Matthew Huynh, to cross off some major career goals and ride the waves of international acclaim. The Australian emerged during what may be seen … Continue reading
A new exhibition called ‘Flight Assembled Architecture’ is creating a buzz (or hum perhaps) in architecture schools and offices around the world. Flight Assembled Architecture is the first architectural installation assembled by flying robots, free from the touch of human … Continue reading
Metaphor is an essential ingredient of the work of American mixed-media artist, Anne Mondro, overall winner of the Powerhouse Museum’s 2011 International Love Lace Award. Her winning entry, Detroit’s Shadow, is a life sized crocheted reproduction of a Model N … Continue reading
If you’re the type of design lover who expresses themselves by wearing mostly black or perhaps muted tones, preferring an understated style (which means avoiding bursts of flamboyance and primary colours at all costs) then you probably decided not to … Continue reading
Ai Weiwei’s life and career gets a positive surge with the recent announcement of his collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron as part of an annual commission for the Serpentine Gallery’s temporary pavilion for the London cultural Olympiad. The Serpentine … Continue reading
The biggest name in architecture will be the subject of a major exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in late 2012. Australia’s first major exhibition devoted to the work of Le Corbusier will celebrate the work of the most influential architect … Continue reading
Not what you were expecting – tricked you! Have you bought shoes for 99 cents and got ten years international travel out of them? Well a Mr Fuller bought these in 1978 and trudged them all around Europe. He mended … Continue reading
A recent post in Dhub pointed to new directions in robotics. Flying drones constructed an architectural model out of foam blocks for the ‘vertical village’ that will be located in the rural area of Meuse in France. The brief video … Continue reading
For many designers, the National Year of Reading means one thing: typography. This is the case for the Sydney-based font fanatic, Gemma O’Brien. The young designer made a name for herself when she released the video Write Here, Write Now … Continue reading
Paperback. Softback. Hardcover. Dust-jacket. Words to comfort every book fetishist and print lover. This year, the Australian Publishers Association (APA) Book Design Awards will celebrate the best of book design in Australia for the 60th time. Much has changed in … Continue reading
For graphic designer and typographer, Luca Ionescu, inspiration comes from the need to make things better. As the owner and director of Sydney based design studio, Like Minded Studio, Ionescu spends his days in a lettering, typography and illustration bubble. … Continue reading
If the rain abates and the sun shines, the city of Sydney will come to life as 1000s of men and women fly into Sydney from around Australia and the world for the 2012 Sydney Mardi Gras which kicked off … Continue reading
Celebrities have recently discovered a power in associating with design. Madonna as usual has displayed her inimitable ability to be at the vanguard by using Marc Newson’s Lockheed Lounge in her music video for ‘Rain’ in 1993. The lounge makes … Continue reading
Locally sourced mud and moss was used to create an outdoor gallery of poetry on the walls of Sydney’s iconic Paddington Reservoir Gardens. The typographic installation, Modern Day Mossages, features words and phrases by emerging Sydney poets pays tribute to … Continue reading
May feels like a wonderful month for design and good place to start my monthly Editor’s Letter. Not only do we start to see trickles of good ideas streaming into the design scene from the Salone Internazionale del Mobile but … Continue reading
Welcome to D*Hub’s ‘Loves’ column. We’ve invited design lovers to share their favourite object in the Powerhouse Museum Collection. Penny Craswell is the Editor of architecture and design magazine, Artichoke, and a long-time fan of great design. Craswell shares what she loves most … Continue reading
International ArtExpo is selecting all interesting video/short films and photo works to include in the next 2012 Exhibition: Hidden Cities - International Videoart Festival and Photo Exhibition at Koza Visual Culture and Arts Association in Istanbul, Turkey (May 10-12, 2012). The deadline for applications is … Continue reading
Welcome to D*Hub’s new ‘Loves’ column. We’ve invited design lovers to share their favourite object in the Powerhouse Museum Collection. Fenella Kernebone is a long-time fan of great design and is first to share what she loves most in the Museum’s … Continue reading
Wednesday 30 May 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum) Can we predict the next shift in technology, behaviour or communication? What are the next big opportunities for creative thinkers and makers? What do audiences want … Continue reading
When: Saturday 23rd June 2012 Time: 1-3pm Where: Customs House Library, Circular Quay, Sydney Are you renovating or building? Do you have plans and ideas you’d like to discuss with green architects? The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) would like to … Continue reading
Call for Artists: Hidden Cities & Hybrid Identities – International Videoart Festival and Photo Exhibition International ArtExpo is selecting video, short films and photo works to include in the next 2012 Exhibition. Screenings and exhibition will be held at: Riparte cafè … Continue reading
The National Portrait Gallery and Macquarie Group Foundation are calling all creative types aged 18 – 30 to submit a screen-based digital portrait (moving image, video, animation and code works etc.) for the I.D. Digital Portraiture Award. You don’t have … Continue reading
The Powerhouse Museum has announced the theme for this year’s Sydney Design festival: Design Re-think. This year’s festival will once again include a range of events, from exhibitions to workshops, talks to tours, all with ‘Design Re-think’ at their core … Continue reading
fastBREAK is a monthly series of rapid-fire interactive talks hosted by non-profit youth organisation Vibewire Youth Inc. and the Powerhouse Museum. Each month, five sharp young entrepreneurs from various industries tackle big questions with five-minute responses around themes of creativity, … Continue reading
A CHANCE FOR CREATIVES TO WIN $10,000 AND A TRIP TO THE UK This year, the British Council’s Realise Your Dream celebrates 10 years of nurturing Australian creative talent by offering three lucky winners the chance to win a $10,000 … Continue reading
Cover your vitals with some crafty love by discovering some funky new techniques including upholstering, felt riveting and leather work in hands-on workshops led by design industry experts. Learn how to resurrect your favourite chair with upholstery or construct an … Continue reading
Do you love fashion? Always talking, writing, blogging or tweeting about it with friends? Learn how to fashion that passion into a serious career as a fashion publicist, journalist, stylist or blogger when you attend Sydney’s first ever Prospect 360 … Continue reading
Applications open Sunday 15 April, 2012 for an exciting new competition aimed at discovering Australia’s most promising new label. With a panel of judges from the most influential sectors of fashion, a prize worth more than $20,000 and an event … Continue reading
Sydney Open presents a brand new series of talks at Historic Houses Trust exploring Sydney’s architecture, heritage and design – from bungalows to beach shacks. The Lecture Series will explore historical and contemporary perspectives in architecture, heritage, design and development. … Continue reading
Women with Clever Hands: Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Gong Djambatjmala is an exhibition of the fibre work made by women from Gapuwiyak in Arnhem Land. Gapuwiyak (Lake Evella) is an inland community on the Gove peninsula established in 1969, situated on the … Continue reading
Fans of architecture with a penchant for building models from Lego will pleased to hear that the Powerhouse Museum will be hosting the Sydney Brick Show. Visitors will be able to experience amazing creations built by Adult Fans of LEGO® from across … Continue reading
Established in 2003, Electrolux Design Lab is an annual global design competition open to undergraduate and graduate industrial design students who are invited to present innovative ideas for household appliances of the future. The competition theme for 2012 is ‘Design … Continue reading
Crumbling Ecologies: the impact of impending economic forces on Melbourne’s art and culture. Jasmine Targett’s Crumbling Ecologies project uses the ecological conundrum as a metaphor to discuss crumbling diversity and sustainability across Victoria’s diminishing arts schools. The works presented critically address how the … Continue reading
poster for tomorrow 2012: Gender Equality Now! We are thrilled to disclose the brief for the new edition of poster for tomorrow: Gender Equality Now! Women’s conditions have undergone undeniable improvements during the last century. But these improvements haven’t happened … Continue reading
agIdeas International Design Week Speakers announced. Presenting an incredible line-up of 40 international creative leaders and home grown talents who will engage in an exciting program that will look at what is happening in design today from across the design … Continue reading
Competition closes 2 August. The James Dyson Award is an international student design award running in 18 countries. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to encourage the next generation of design … Continue reading