Some excellent news for those in the design and architecture community came from Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) last week – the establishment of a Department of Contemporary Design and Architecture. Institutional support of design in Australia has been patchy at best over the years, with excellent initiatives such as the State of Design (also Victoria), scrapped, while ideas for a Museum of Design a la London have never gained the critical government or institutional support needed to get them off the ground.
Design and architecture inhabit an unusual space. In many ways, the showing of work in a gallery or museum (or even festival) setting is not required, especially when you consider the strength of the actual industries themselves – Cochlear bringing the latest design innovation to the world, global architecture firms like Woods Bagot competing on the world stage and firms from Europe and North America turning to Australia during dark economic times.
However, the chance to show design and architecture alongside art as an aesthetic form, as a practice to be documented and provide inspiration means showing the work at institutions such as the NGV are vital, especially when also considered as an educative tool to help Australians understand and appreciate good design.
Alongside the establishment of the Department at the NGV, two of the nation’s leading design advocates have been appointed: Ewan McEoin as The Hugh D.T. Williamson Senior Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture and Simone LeAmon as The Hugh D.T. Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture. As editor, educator, curator and past Creative Director of the aforementioned State of Design festival, McEoin is an excellent appointment, while LeAmon’s leadership as a designer, as well as curator, writer and lecturer is also a perfect fit.
“I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the new Department of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the NGV. It is so inspiring to see the NGV take the lead and establish the department – the first of its kind in Australia. I guess I could be a bit overwhelmed by the task ahead but I feel as if I have been working towards this my entire career,” says LeAmon.
“I have long admired the curatorial work of Paola Antonelli and the exhibitions delivered by MoMA. Thematic exhibitions curated with tremendous rigour. I’m also a fan of Vitra and 21-21 Design Sight in Tokyo. With more design curators and public/private organisations around the world now championing design its stimulating to see how approaches vary. I’d still like to see more independent and self-initiated presentations come from the design community itself – especially in Australia. I think this is ripe to occur and hopefully we can work together to establish a formidable public/private sector engagement with design.
“Design enriches culture and society, it allows us to express, question, propose and test ideas about life and the world. For this reason we must view design and architecture as vital forms of cultural production to better locate and understand human creativity in the 21st century. Galleries have always performed a role in showcasing creative excellence – both creative thinking and execution. As conversations around and on creativity evolve so must the institutions that embrace, represent and showcase it. Most importantly, galleries aim to establish a discourse around the work/creative output by examining what practitioners are doing, saying and effecting.”
A number of other design initiatives were announced:
· The Design Project Space for design and architecture projects, exhibitions, films and conversations, opening 2016.
· NGV Commission for Ephemeral Architecture is an annual temporary outdoor installation. The inaugural commission is “I Dips Me Lid” by John Wardle Architects, inspired by the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, offering shade, retreat and a place for performance and workshops.
· NGV design store will collaborate with designers, artists and manufacturers to produce, present and showcase design products from local and international designers.
Events and programs announced include:
· Design Speaks: Housing Futures – 31 July 2015. Featuring local and international architects, including Charles Renfro (New York), Kerstin Thompson (Melbourne) and Philip Thalis (Sydney).
· Parallels – Journeys into Contemporary Making – September 2015. The NGV in partnership with the National Craft Initiative (NCI) will present a major 2-day international conference designed to reframe conversations about contemporary craft and design practices.
· 2017 NGV Triennial. Work continues on this large-scale celebration of contemporary art design and architecture from around the world. Distinguishing itself from other contemporary art events, the NGV Triennial will provide a multidisciplinary focus on art, design and architecture, as well as fashion, film, performance and a variety of cultural practices.
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