Design X Nature: Exhibition

Thought-Provoking Outdoor Exhibition Activates Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne as a Living Gallery.

This spring, a thought-provoking outdoor exhibition Design X Nature will activate the Australian Drylands Precinct at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.

From 25 September to 18 October Design X Nature turns the Gardens into a living gallery, inviting audiences to experience how natural systems can shape creative practice, material experimentation and ecological thinking.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors can deepen their experience through a series of walks, talks and workshops that expand the artwork themes and offer opportunities to engage directly with artists and experts.

The exhibition features new works by Courtney Coombs, Cara Johnson, Bethany Kiss and Soft Meadow Collective, each offering a distinct perspective on nature-led design. Developed through a 2025 research lab residency at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, the commissions reflect a unique cross-disciplinary collaboration between artists, designers and the Gardens’ scientific experts which fostered new ways of thinking about design, grounded in observation, research and environmental knowledge.

Historically, major design innovations have drawn inspiration from the natural world. Design X Nature continues this tradition, presenting contemporary responses to environmental challenges and demonstrating how creative practices can engage with ecological systems in meaningful ways.

Design X Nature offers a fresh way to explore the Gardens, bringing together art, research and environment to spark curiosity and inspire new ways of thinking about design and nature.

For full program details, visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria website.

This program is presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in association with Melbourne Fringe and RMIT University. Design X Nature is made possible thanks to the generous support of Henrietta Flinn and Simon Scott.

For more information visit Design X Nature: Exhibition