Powerhouse Announces Sydney Design Week 2022

Powerhouse has announced Sydney Design Week 2022, a seven-day program of exhibitions, talks, film screenings and workshops presented with the support of Principal Partner Holdmark across the city’s design hubs from 15-22 September 2022.

Curated by writer, editor and Creative Director Stephen Todd, the 2022 program Making Now examines the role of design across a range of disciplines, from industrial and interior design to graphics, scenography, restaurant design and more.

“Sydney Design Week celebrates designers who are defining the cultural moment in Sydney and around the world. This year’s theme ‘Making Now’ expands the parameters of ‘design’ to explore myriad expressions across disciplines and industries. The program will set the scene for the future of design,” said Stephen Todd, Sydney Design Week Creative Director.

New Australian Design, an exhibition curated by Local Design Director Emma Elizabeth, will present new works by over 20 Australian designers including Andrew Simpson, Tom Fereday, Amanda Talbot, Elliat Rich, Luke Storrier, Adam Goodrum, Leon Curtis, DesignByThem, Kenny Yong-soo Son, Patryk Koca, bernabeifreeman, Tom Skeehan, Henry Wilson, Sarah Ellison, Jon Goulder, Marlo Lyda, Alex Fitzpatrick, Olive Gill-Hille, Ivana Taylor, Tarryn Gill and David Tate, Edward Waring, Justin Kong, Jiaying Qian and more (Powerhouse Ultimo, opening 15 September).

Visionary Canadian designer, author and co-founder and CEO of Chicago-based holistic design collective Massive Change Network, Bruce Mau will present a keynote in partnership with UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture on Mau’s life-centred design principles in the context of the city, setting the stage for their new collaboration titled Massive Action Sydney (Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

Mumbai-born co-founder of internationally renowned London-based design studio Doshi Levien, Nipa Doshi will present a keynote on the importance of cross-cultural perspectives when designing for leading manufacturers and cultural institutions (Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

Sydney Design Week is partnering with the recently opened Ace Hotel Sydney, the first Australian incarnation of the famed US hotel, to present a series of talks and workshops. Other Architects Director Grace Mortlock and Powerhouse Director, First Nations Emily McDaniel will discuss the importance of creativity in the urban context. The team behind Ace Hotel’s rooftop restaurant Kiln, Fiona Lynch (CicciaBella Parramatta) and Mitch Orr (Pilu, ACME) will explore the role of design in the restaurant scene. Interior designer David Flack, Powerhouse Creative Industries Resident Nell, designer Elliat Rich and sculptor Sanné Mestrom will delve into pre- and post-industrial creativity (Ace Hotel Sydney, 16 September).

Making Western Sydney is a walking tour of the major new architecture around Parramatta CBD with principals from design studios including Fender Katsalidis, Hills Thalis, Blight Rayner, JPW and Tzannes, followed by an afternoon of public talks and a live-streamed presentation on the new flagship Powerhouse Parramatta with the architectural partnership Moreau Kusunoki (Paris) and Genton (Sydney) (talks at Engineering and Innovation Hub, Western Sydney University, 17 September).

Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert will unveil the research-led collection of filmmaker, photographer and interior designer Don Cameron who created his first signature range of furniture and lighting inspired by the Brutalist architecture of post-WWII Europe (1 September – 2 October).

In a combined open house event, Smart Design Studio (William Smart) and DesignByThem (Sarah Gibson and Nick Karlovasitis) invite the public into their studios and present an exhibition of new work launching DesignByThem’s new gallery space (Stokes Avenue Showroom, 18 September).

First Nations design practitioners Jo Kinniburgh and Shannon Foster of Bangawarra studio will share new insights, perspectives and stories through a walking tour, Design Studio In Focus (departing from Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

The Cultivated program presented by CULT import furniture showroom will invite visitors behind-the-scenes of the restoration process of ten Arne Jacobsen ‘Series 7’ chairs (Powerhouse Ultimo Workshop,17 and 18 September).

Tin Sheds Gallery will be transformed into a spatial laboratory with a new exhibition Banquet inspired by food production and Roman Emperor Nero Germanicus’ rotating Golden Banquet Room, featuring architectural machines, drawings and performance (1 September – 8 October).

A series of films at Golden Age Cinema will explore a range of iconic designers across the decades and how they’ve shaped today’s international design landscape, from graphic design to revolutionary architects (17 – 21 September).

Workshops include Making Paper Plane Chairs, inspired by the Paper Planes armchair designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso (Powerhouse Ultimo, 17 and 18 September 2022). Community clay workshops will be led by local ceramicists whose works appear throughout Ace Hotel Sydney (Ace Hotel, 17 – 18 September).

The program will be launched with a special Powerhouse Late featuring a conversation with Curious Practice, the studio behind the third Powerhouse Architecture Commission, Cadeau and designers from the New Australian Design exhibition (Powerhouse Ultimo, 15 September).

“Powerhouse Ultimo has a renewed focus on design and its importance in shaping our world. Sydney Design Week offers a dedicated platform to spotlight the incredible innovation propelling the Australian design industry, whilst also connecting audiences with the work of remarkable international designers engaging with social and cultural issues of today,” said Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah.

More information and full program available here.

Sydney Design Week 2022 is also supported by University Partner Western Sydney University and Venue Partner Ace Hotel Sydney.