Design Diplomacy is a series of public conversations in an ambassador or high commissioner residence or chancery.

A design professional from the hosting embassy’s country meets a Canberra designer in a new card game in which playful and intelligent questions challenge both the speakers and the audience to reflect upon design as a part of intercultural exchange. The concept boldly combines prestigious diplomatic settings and architecture with informal discussions. Importantly, it builds vital international links for the embassies, speakers and audiences. Design Diplomacy was launched in 2016 as part of the Helsinki Design Week program and in 2018 will be a signature DESIGN Canberra event. It is always extremely well received by designers, embassies and audiences.

DESIGN Canberra is delighted to announce that participating embassies in 2018 are those of New Zealand and Italy.

At the inaugural Design Diplomacy event for DESIGN Canberra, the New Zealand High Commissioner, Chris Seed, will host a conversation between Canberra designers Alison Jackson and Dan Lorrimer and NZ artist Michel Tuffrey.

About the New Zealand High Commission

The New Zealand High Commission in Canberra was designed and built in 1973 by the Ministry of Works, the New Zealand Government Architect at the time.

It was extensively remodelled in 2017 by Studio Design + Architecture. New Zealand-sourced design items have been incorporated throughout the building. A tawa veneer is featured as an insert in the New Zealand wall in the entrance; other items include New Zealand carpets, furniture, works of art and fabrics.

Michel Tuffrey (Wellington, New Zealand)

Michel Tuffrey is a multi-media artist from Wellington, NZ. His heritage is Samoan, Rarotongan (Cook Islands) and Ma’ohi Tahitian. Tuffery exceeds the boundaries of contemporary media, collaborating on installation and performance artworks that traverse cultural boundaries and defy concrete categorisation. His woodcuts, lithographs, drawings, paintings on tapa cloth and canvas, sculpture, performances, emblematic carvings and multi-storey architectural projections are the artistic offerings of a keen historian and active participator in contemporary culture.

Alison Jackson and Dan Lorrimer (Canberra, Australia)

Alison Jackson is a designer, maker and contemporary Silversmith based in Canberra Australia. Completing a Gold and Silversmithing degree at the Australian National University, Alison holds over a decade of artistic and technical metal forming expertise. Craftsmanship and the way pieces are made has always been an influence to Alison. From the way two surfaces join together, a junction, or the way an edge has been finished, it’s all in the details of an object. It is the perfection of being imperfect and the distinctive nature of structures and objects that inspires her. Alison’s work is held in both public and private collections, including a large acquisition by the Canberra Museum and Gallery. A recipient of numerous notable awards and grants such as the Australia Council for the Arts and artsACT project grants, Alison’s work has been exhibited widely within Australia and also internationally, including at Inhorgenta (Germany) and Milan Design Week (Italy).

Dan Lorrimer’s practice incorporates sculpture and object design. His work is driven by a deep understanding of materials, industrial processes and a keen sense of exploration through making. Lorrimer explores notions of movement, energy, solidity and illusion through minimalist sculptural forms, often located between the artificial and natural world. Over the last 7 years Lorrimer has developed a highly productive studio specialising in metal forming. Lorrimer also works with many artists and designers as a prototype and fabrication specialist. Lorrimer graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Sculpture from the Australian National University, Canberra in 2009 and has since established a fully equipped independent metal forming workshop. He has exhibited widely in both Sydney and Canberra and is currently represented by Flinders Lane Gallery Melbourne.

Expressions of interest for this event have now closed.