The much-anticipated DESIGN Canberra Festival returns in November, bigger and better than ever. This year, the celebration of Canberra creatives embodies the theme of ‘transformation’ and sees the creative Capital come to life with installations, symposiums, workshops, markets, and exhibitions over 19 days, 2-22 November.
Locals are invited to join the celebrations with more than 250 events and activities on offer. The festival celebrates Canberra as a global city of design, as well as the creative energy that flows through the city and its people, and reflects on its legacy – from the creativity embedded in the culture of our First Nations People to its mid-century architectural designs. While the legacy we are paving for the future is captured in our sustainable homes, art and design are at the forefront of transformation.
“[The theme] came out of … the idea of alchemy; the idea of artists, crafters, and designers transforming raw material into objects that reflect our stories, have meaning, and make our lives more beautiful,” says Design Canberra Festival Director, Jodie Cunningham.
Cunningham says Canberrans often miscalculate how magnificent they and our city are. To help us gain insight into the world of art we have created, the festival is hosting a variety of talks and symposiums. Focusing on urban design and public art, the symposiums are led by experts in their fields, some travelling to share their wealth of knowledge.
“There are incredible people facilitating the symposiums; I’m looking to being part of the debates that are going on about design futures,” Cunningham says.
There will be opportunities for people to boost their wellbeing and make things by hand while learning from some of the Capital’s best and brightest artists. To make this year’s festival more inclusive and fun for everyone, children are encouraged to get involved with their own activities. They can plan for the future of Canberra as they see it, explore seed pods, and weave bush creatures in the Creative Kids Workshops.
“They are the future, and teaching them design thinking and tools for solving problems is absolutely critical for the future,” she says.
Installations created by artists from different stages in their artistic journey will be spread across the ACT. The Discover craft + design Trail sees senior artists mentor emerging craftspeople and designers in creating a number of installations with some of them entering the public art space for the first time. Two impressive installations come to the airport; one combines beautiful craft pieces from Uruguay with contemporary pieces made here; the other, created by Eggpicnic, is a large mural of the endangered species found in Australia’s alpine region.
“We want to see if public art can influence public understanding of conservation,” Cunningham says.
You don’t even have to leave your home to be part of the experience. After the success of the previous journalling challenges, this component has been expanded to the whole country; all you need to do is register and collect your journal from Eckersley’s Art and Craft. Each day of the festival, participants will be emailed a word prompt for them to create a response and share on Instagram. Not only does the challenge foster creativity, encourage connection, and improve wellbeing, but entrants will also have the chance to win $2,000.
The festival’s 2022 designer-in-residence is Canberra-based sculptor, Lucy Irvine. Originally from Scotland, Irvine takes utilitarian materials, such as cable ties and expansion-joined foam, and uses them to create intriguing works of art. For the festival, the artist and educator has transformed industrial materials into contemporary weaving pieces.
“She developed some work cast in bronze and they are all about transformation in weaving. She said transformation has no beginning or end, it is just about a process,” Cunningham says.
According to Cunningham, the festival’s theme of transformation is particularly apt at the moment, not just for creatives but also at a societal level, especially after the last couple of years of the pandemic.
“Our world is in a state of needing transformation desperately and we believe design thinking and creative thinking can help solve problems we are facing.”
Tickets for events can be bought via the festival’s website, with the ticket sales going to the artists involved.
For a full list of events in DESIGN Canberra, visit designcanberrafestival.com.au
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