DESIGN101 wrap up

For six weeks, the inaugural Design 101 Lecture Series saw a dedicated group of design lovers gather in the intimate setting of the Australian Design Centre to delve into the origins of design history and its influence on contemporary design. Many took advantage of the series ticket, attending all six sessions, and meeting together each week for a unique learning experience.

Hosted and moderated by Kathryn Hunyor of Artspeople, each evening covered a different historical movement and its protagonists and featured a key presentation by a design expert followed with a local, contemporary designer responding to how it had inspired their own work. The event concluded with a panel discussion and an always enthusiastic audience Q and A.

Week one set the scene asking the almost imperious question ‘What is Design?’ ( could this even be answered in one night? ) and tackled valiantly by writer and curator David Clark and industrial designer Adam Goodrum.

Week two featured the wonderful Dr Peter McNeil who provided a fascinating insight into the Arts and Craft Movement - questioning whether this was indeed revolution or just a marketable lifestyle - responded to by designer Rina Bernabei.

Ms Modernism aka Annalisa Capurro was the perfect choice for Week three’s lecture on The Bauhaus and joined by architect Rob Brown who responded with his own built projects which in keeping with Bauhaus principles are as beautiful as they are functional.

In week four we headed East and the audience were treated to a richly informative lecture by designer Eloise Rapp on how Japanese aesthetics underpin all of Japanese craft and design. Rapp was and joined by ‘Simply Native Japan’ founder Yukino Matsumoto.

Taking the audience through the history and timeless appeal of Scandinavian design was author and curator Mark Ian Jones, in week four, in conversation with Swedish born designer Anna-Carin McNamara.

In a wonderful finale, Walbanga and Wadi Wadi designer, artist and author Alison Page spoke passionately about Indigenous traditional knowledge and building on country, in a fitting conclusion to the series that had come full circle, tracing how the most ancient of design practices can guide us towards a bright, new and sustainable future.

Due to the overwhelming popularity, we are repeating the series starting on 11 August.

For tickets to the Design 101 series repeat click here.

Image: Design101. Photo: ADC