The fast growing DESIGN Canberra festival is calling out for proposals for outstanding architecture projects to be included in the 2020 program.
DESIGN Canberra has resonated with architecture lovers from all over Australia, proving itself a powerful platform to celebrate the best in architecture from the Canberra Region and beyond. The festival weaves together design excellence, design heritage and design education in a new vision which reaches beyond the borders of the ACT and Australia. In 2018, the festival celebrated the work and legacy of beloved Italian-born Australian architect, the late Enrico Taglietti (1926-2019) and collaborated with acclaimed Japanese architect Kengo Kuma for an ephemeral installation on Aspen Island in collaboration with the University of Canberra. In 2019, DESIGN Canberra shone a light on one of Australia’s most internationally renowned architects, John Andrews.
Tours and talks have captured audiences’ and media attention, attracting national interest for Collins Caddaye’s Swan House (2018) and Rob Henry Architects’ Concrete House (2019). The most popular program of the festival is Living Rooms. An open home with a difference, Living Rooms is an opportunity to explore some of Canberra’s finest houses, meet architects, and discover works on sale by local artists and craft practitioners.
Proposals are now welcome for architectural projects to be showcased in the festival (9–29 November 2020). The theme of DESIGN Canberra 2020 is ‘Care’:
“In 2020, the value of care is more important than ever: for our community, for our environment, for architecture and for our world. The festival will become a collaborative forum for contemporary, experimental and authentic design to celebrate and explore the ways that care and caring is valuable and vital,” said CEO of Craft ACT: Craft & Design, and Artistic Director of DESIGN Canberra, Rachael Coghlan.
A unique example of an architectural collaboration is the ‘Embassy of Kindness’ project (2018). An initiative of artist @legojacker for DESIGN Canberra, the Embassy was a mobile exhibition and conversation space reimagined and built by the Australian Institute of Architects ACT Emerging Architects and Graduates Network (EmAGN ACT). To find out more information or make a submission, visit the DESIGN Canberra website.
DESIGN Canberra is the primary outreach program for Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre, a non-for-profit membership-based organisation which supports artists, craft practitioners, designers and makers at every stage of their careers. Now in its seventh year, the festival will present over 200 events, exhibitions, talks, tours, activations, markets, collaborations, artists’ studios and open homes. DESIGN Canberra has been created for all interests and all ages, with most events throughout the festival free and easily accessible. Last year, the festival attracted a record 114,770 people.