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2011 Designing a Capital: Crafting a City

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Canberra Glassworks. Photograph: Lannon Harley, Tanner Architects

Another year passes and the pace has quickened in the planning of the 2013 Centenary of Canberra celebrations. The 2011 Designing a Capital: Crafting a City program opened with the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre curated exhibition, Embracing innovation. Australian craft artists and designer makers engaging with practice-led research, digital technology and design thinking showcased the scope of innovation taking place in the sector.

The program continued with the lively discussion Talking art precints, which examined the creation and existence of art precincts and hubs in Canberra, followed by a two day talkfest that explored design education and the role of craft and design thinking in building a creative capital.

The first day of the talkfest, DesignPlan ACT: a conversation about design education, was a half day symposium held at The Australian National University (ANU) School of Art which included a public art forum, a symposium, and the opening of the international touring exhibition Japan Design Today 100 and the exhibition The Ceramic Murals and Related Works - Margo Lewers.

The second day, City of design talkfest, was held at Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre and included a series of presentations by innovators, creative thinkers and cultural planners; a panel discussion which drew out the conversation on how trans-disciplinary collaborations can benefit the cultural, social and economic wealth of Canberra; and a viewing of the exhibition Embracing innovation with a networking event and opportunity to meet with international educator, independent curator and writer Vicki Halper.

Audiences were invited to join the discussions and debates, to probe and explore, and to enjoy our program of events, talks and exhibitions.

» Artbytes Designing a Capital: Crafting a City 2011

Embracing innovation

Twenty121, Tim Barrass (sound), Stephen Barrass, Linda Davy, Robert Davy, Joel Davy, Yiffy the Plushie Tuffet, 2011, furniture, soft circuits, mechatronics

Friday 1 April - Saturday 7 May 2011
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre Gallery

Helen O'Neil, Advisor to the Minister for the Arts, Mr Simon Crean MP opened our Embracing innovation exhibition on Thursday 31 March 2011 to a record audience of over 250 people. Craft artists and designer makers from around Australia engaging with practice-led research, digital technology and design thinking showcased the scope of innovation taking place in the sector.

The result of turning concepts such as 'innovation' into practice and the realisation of ideas was evident in the exhibition. As Glen Martin so aptly puts it in his article, "Embracing innovation is an exhibition that reclaims the word through showing the results of such engagement, experimentation and play."

Embracing innovation was a Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre curated exhibition. Craft artists and designer makers embracing innovation in trans-disciplinary research, digital technology and design thinking were selected to exhibit, and showcased how innovation and advances in technologies are changing the way they engage, design and create.

Exhibiting artists: Stephen Barrass, Marco Chan, Penelope Forlano, Chris Hardy, Dr Carlos Montana-Hoyos, Gilbert Riedelbauch, Andrew Welch, Mitchell Whitelaw, and Tim Brook, Ruth Hingston and Alistair Riddell.

» Read the exhibition article, Innovation Reclaimed, by Glen Martin
» Download artist information   File size: 857 kB
» Read the opening speech by Helen O'Neil, Advisor to the Minister for the Arts, Mr Simon Crean MP
» Canberra Contemporary Art Space - Electric Chairs
» Canberra Contemporary Art Space - Yiffie The Plushie Tuffett

Talking art precincts

Audience, chair and panel at Talking art precincts

Thursday 17 March 2011
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
6.00pm - 7.30pm

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre, in partnership with Canberra Contemporary Art Space, presented Talking art precincts, the second event in the 2011 Designing a Capital: Crafting a City program. The evening was well-attended with over 40 people joining us in the Centre's Gallery space to hear a lively and informative discussion between the panellists. The creation and existence of art precincts and hubs in Canberra, and the role of government and the private sector in the development and nourishment of these creative spaces, was examined.

Chair: David Broker, Director, Canberra Contemporary Art Space

Panel: Robyn Archer AO, Creative Director, Canberra 100; Susan Conroy, Cultural Planner; and Ann Cleary, Senior Lecturer in Architecture, University of Canberra

» Artbytes Talking art precincts

Pecha Kucha Canberra

Pecha Kucha Canberra Volume 9 poster

Thursday 24 March 2011
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
7.00pm

Pecha Kucha Canberra teamed up with Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre to host Volume 9 as part of the 2011 Designing a Capital: Crafting a City program. The evening drew together over 80 of Canberra's creative finest for a lively and entertaining evening of short presentations.

Glen Martin, Pecha Kucha Canberra (PKC) coordinator, said of the event,

"PKC Vol 9 was a great success based on the strength of the presenters and their ideas, which made for an engaging, inspiring and entertaining evening. The fact that we're able to tie in to the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre program meant in this case we could contribute to ideas about our city and the roles that craft, design, art and media play in making it an ideal place to live.

We ran out of beer, we had a full space full of chat, and we had a lot of presenters and audience members interacting afterwards, which is what the event is for. As always, the Centre's space suited our needs perfectly, and the event is so much easier to run thanks to our relationship with the Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre team: they know what they're doing, they let us do what we need to do, and everyone has a good time as a result. Volume 9 was my favourite Pecha Kucha night so far."

Pecha Kucha Night is a global initiative, developed in 2003, which enables artists, musicians, craft practitioners and designers to meet, network and show their work to an interested audience in a public forum.

For more information on Pecha Kucha Canberra visit the website

DesignPlan ACT: a conversation about design education

KikkoMan Soy Sauce Dispenser 150ml, 1961, Kikkoman Corporation, Photograph: Kikkoman Corporation
Yamaha Passol motorcycle, 2003.

Thursday 7 April 2011
The Australian National University (ANU) School of Art

Session 1
ANU School of Art, Lecture Theatre, Childers Street, Acton
1.00pm - 2.00pm

The ANU School of Art hosted a public art forum keynote address by international educator, independent curator and writer Vicki Halper. Halper discussed the relationship of studio craft and design as seen through the eyes of American practitioners after World War II.

Halper's presentation was engaging and relevant to practitioners operating in the field of craft and design today, attested to by the full audience in the ANU School of Art lecture theatre.

Vicki Halper's speaking tour was managed by Craft Australia and supported by Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre. It was made possible through the International Visiting Curator program, an initiative of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council for the Arts.

Session 2
ANU School of Art, Lecture Theatre, Childers Street, Acton
2.30pm - 5.00pm

Following the keynote address, the ANU School of Art hosted an afternoon of talks and presentations from leaders in their field. With a particular focus on activities in the ACT, this symposium presented the current view of designers, makers and educators who actively inform and work in craft and design education. The session allowed audiences to gain an insight into craft and design education locally, interstate and overseas. Finishing with a Q&A session, it was possible for the audience to engage with the expertise of the panel.

Presentations were given by a representative from each of Canberra's higher educational institutions offering courses in art and design, as well as a representative from the University of South Australia's School of Art, Architecture and Design. The audience gained a strong insight into local craft and design education, how the field is currently operating, and where craft and design education is heading in the Australian Capital Territory, and nationally throughout Australia.

Chair: Catrina Vignando, General Manager, Craft Australia

Speakers:

  • Dr Andrew Welch, Studio Head of Jewellery and Metal, School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia
  • Gilbert Riedelbauch, Head of Core Studies, Design Arts Coordinator, School of Art, Australian National University
  • Dr Eugenie Keefer Bell, Associate Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra
  • Fiona Dace-Lynn, Education Program Manager, Environmental Design and Graphic Arts, Canberra Institute of Technology

» Gilbert Riedelbauch - Craft and design experience in Canberra for Vicki Halper

Japanese Design Today 100

Coro-hako, Bench, 1994, by designer Katsushi Nagumo

Friday 8 April - Thursday 21 April 2011
ANU School of Art Gallery

The design of household items acts as a mirror that reflects our lifestyle. This exhibition introduced 92 designs for household items that were produced during the 1990s, and 13 others, in which it was possible to see the roots of contemporary design, from the postwar Japan of the 1950s.

The exhibition was officially opened at 6.00pm on Thursday 7 April 2011 by Dr Robert Bell AM, Senior Curator Decorative Arts and Design, National Gallery of Australia and His Excellency Mr Shigekazu Sato, Ambassador of Japan.

Japanese Design Today 100 was a Japan Foundation touring exhibition, in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan.

» ANU School of Art Gallery - Japanese Design Today 100
» Listen to the 666 ABC Canberra radio interview - 'Japan Design Today 100' Exhibition

The Ceramic Murals and Related Works - Margo Lewers

Mosaic mural Expansion by Margo Lewers

Friday 8 April - Thursday 21 April 2011
ANU School of Art Foyer Gallery

The Australian National University ANU School of Art welcomed the opportunity to present an exhibition tribute to prominent Australian abstract artist Margo lewers (1908-1978). The exhibition focused attention on the artist's mosaics and related work and the restoration of her large public art commission at the Canberra Rex Hotel, mosaic mural Expansion, completed in 1960.

The exhibition was officially opened at 6.00pm on Thursday 7 April 2011 by Dr Robert Bell AM, Senior Curator Decorative Arts and Design, National Gallery of Australia in conjunction with Japanese Design Today 100.

Many thanks went to the ACT Heritage Council; Conservator, Gillian Mitchell; Darani Lewers; Tanya Crothers and Peter Pinson for facilitating the exhibition.

» ANU School of Art Gallery - The Ceramic Murals and Related Works - Margo Lewers

City of design talkfest

Chair and speakers at City of design talkfest, session 1
Audience at City of design talkfest
Johnathan Efkarpidis presenting at City of design talkfest, session 1

Friday 8 April 2011
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre

Session 1
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
1.00pm - 3.30pm

Canberra is crafting itself into a city to lead the future.
Innovators and creative thinkers spoke on the role of craft and design in Canberra in building creative capital and ways forward for the 21st century. Invited speakers gave insights into their development of high-level design and creative thinking programs. The speakers then discussed the internal and external perceptions of Canberra and the way in which we, as Canberrans, communicate the creative potential of our city to the rest of the nation and the world.

Chair: Barbara McConchie, School Manager, ANU School of Art

Speakers: Ann Jakle, Executive Director, Canberra Glassworks; Johnathan Efkarpidis, Director, Molonglo Group; Pamille Berg, Pamille Berg Consulting Pty Ltd; Rebecca Eggleston, Urban and Creative Strategy, FORM Western Australia; and
George Thompson, 2010 graduate from the University of Canberra

Presentations:

  • Rebecca Eggleston spoke about FORM, the peak organisation for craft and design in Perth, and their approach to building a state of creativity in Western Australia. Rebecca spoke in detail about FORM's Midland Atelier project. Midland Atelier embraces a trans-disciplinary framework to drive cultural innovation through creative thinking. This project brings together the creative sector, politics, commerce and industry to develop an environment of sustainability for creative professional practice;
  • Ann Jakle contextualised the 11 years of planning and the adaptive redesign and reuse that went into the Canberra Glassworks being established in Canberra's original Powerhouse heritage building in May 2006. As Ann stated, "this unique facility has gone from being a power generator to a generator of art, ideas and experiences";
  • Pamille Berg explained the philosophy and approach to the involvement of artists, craftspeople, and designer makers in the actual making and conceptualising of the buildings and landscape at New Acton. Pamille focused on a glimpse of what it means to craft a city at this moment in time - at the beginning of the 21st century - reiterating that this is not a time for weakness or indecision, but a time to take control of the legacy that we will leave behind. She discussed 'crafting a city' using the New Acton project as a backdrop;
  • Johnathan Efkarpidis shared his passion to see Canberra change, develop and grow in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way throughout the 21st century as the city is further 'crafted'. Johnathan elaborated on the Molonglo Group's
    New Acton project and their belief in and commitment to creating beautifully designed, environmental buildings that are economically sustainable and which incorporate art, craft and design; and
  • George Thompson explained his research project, the Accessible Kitchen. George was the recipient of a
    Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre 2010 Emerging Artist Support Scheme Award. He outlined his use of principles of universal design in developing a kitchen that allows the user to continue to cook, and thus live at home, well into their retirement. This concept kitchen would alleviate the growing pressure on aged care facilities that we face with an aging population, he argued.

Audience at City of design talkfest, session 2

Session 2
Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
1.00pm - 3.30pm

Presented in partnership with Craft Australia, urban planners, architects, artists and educators came together to draw out the conversation on how trans-disciplinary collaborations can benefit the cultural, social and economic wealth of Canberra. Invited panel members threw open discussions around the role of craft and design in urban planning and cultural development from a trans-disciplinary perspective, and the capacity of craft and design to influence, and be influenced by, the city and urban landscape in Canberra.

Chair: Catrina Vignando, General Manager, Craft Australia

Panel: Vicki Halper, Senior Fellow, Smithsonian American Art Museum; Catherine Neilson, National Project Manager, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects; Rebecca Eggleston, Urban and Creative Strategy, FORM Western Australia; and
Dr Mitchell Whitelaw, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Design and Creative Practice, University of Canberra

» Artbytes City of design talkfest

Images (top to bottom):

  1. Canberra Glassworks
  2. Twenty121, Tim Barrass (sound), Stephen Barrass, Linda Davy, Robert Davy, Joel Davy, Yiffy the Plushie Tuffet, 2011, furniture, soft circuits, mechatronics
  3. Audience, chair and panel at Talking art precincts
  4. Pecha Kucha Canberra Volume 9 poster
  5. KikkoMan Soy Sauce Dispenser 150ml, 1961, Kikkoman Corporation
  6. Yamaha Passol motorcycle, 2003
  7. Katsushi Nagumo (designer), Coro-hako, bench, 1994
  8. Margo Lewers, Expansion (detail), 1960
  9. Chair and speakers at City of design talkfest, Session 1
  10. Audience at City of design talkfest, Session 1
  11. Johnathan Efkarpidis presenting at City of design talkfest, Session 1
  12. Audience, chair and panel at City of design talkfest, Session 2

Photograph 1: Lannon Harley, Tanner Architects
Photograph 2: Creative Image Photography
Photographs 3, 9,10,11 and 12: Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre
Photograph 4: courtesy of Pecha Kucha Canberra
Photograph 5: Kikkoman Corporation


To make these events happen Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre acknowledges the support of:

The Australian National University Craft Australia Canberra Contemporary Art Space
Canberra Glassworks Form University of Canberra
Canberra Institute of Technology Pecha Kucha Canberra