Sydney Design 2011

July 30 - August 14 '11

Locations across Sydney

Sydney is gearing up for its annual festival of design; featuring over 100 events, including inspiring exhibitions, workshops, master classes, talks, installations and tours.

The event is produced by the Powerhouse Museum in association with more than 60 cultural institutions, organisations and individuals, and in the words of the organisers, will be "unpacking design, connecting people and creating meaningful dialogue around design issues."

The theme of this years selection is titled "Is Old New Again?" This is designed to express the current collisions seen in contemporary design between tradition, innovation, heritage and experimentation. The curators are keen to stress that this is not about nostalgia, but instead about the ways in which designers rework, recycle and reconfigure; and also a yearning in the part of both consumers and creators for a perceived connection and sincerity which the past seems to offer:
"At the core of this is a craving felt by designers and consumers for sincerity, honesty and fairness. Is the past offering a new starting point?"

Highlights of the diverse program include:
'Built', a group exhibition featuring Antonio Pio Saracino, Adam Goodrum, Kenan Wang and Anna Care, in which traditional furniture forms and aesthetics are reinterpreted into contemporary design pieces.
'Japanese Design Today 100'; a look back at the last 20 years of Japanese product design.
The 'Australian International Design Awards Exhibition', which recognises excellence in industrial design and innovation and features work by 9 selected finalists.
'Now and When: Australian Urbanism'; first exhibited in last years International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Italy. This is a conceptual architectural show which imagines a vision of Australian cities 40 years from now.

For further details and events see
Sydney Design 2011

Antonio Saracino, 'Ray Chair' (2010) Part of 'Built'

'Mogu', Yoshinobu Ishida, (2001) as part of 'Japan Design Today 100'

Australian International Design Awards

Now and When: Australian Urbanism