Hear Alice Rawsthorn and Dana Tomic Hughes at 2017 DESIGN Canberra Festival + Ticket Giveaway!

DESIGN Canberra has announced keynote speakers for the inaugural National Design Writing Conference, Object Subject held on 10th November 2017. Led by Alice Rawsthorn, an award-winning design critic for the New York Times and Dana Tomic Hughes, an award-winning interior designer and founder of Yellowtrace (that’s us – woohoo!), Object Subject is set to make a mark on the three-week festival line up.

Exploring the way design speaks to us, and the way we speak about design, the inaugural design writing conference will be held at Roy Grounds’ iconic 1959 Shine Dome as a signature DESIGN Canberra event. For the first time, designers, writers, critics, bloggers, researchers, collectors, makers, curators and design lovers will come together to explore the creative and important ways that writing has become essential to the future of design.

The conference will launch during the DESIGN Canberra festival, which celebrates and promotes Canberra as a global city of design, transforming the nation’s capital into a new platform for experimentation and design.

Taking place on 10 November, the conference will include a full schedule of panel discussions and presentations. In her keynote, Alice Rawsthorn considers how writing could help to foster a more enlightened and nuanced understanding of design in the future, while Dana Tomic Hughes explores best practice in the digital space and a new way of storytelling. Panel topics range from design and object narratives, the rise of digital, to radical design communication. Alice and Dana will be joined by prominent writers including David Clarke, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Living; Stephen Todd, Design Editor of AFR Magazine and AFR Life&Leisure; and Jane Caro, author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator.

“We are honoured that Alice Rawsthorn and Dana Tomic Hughes have accepted our heartfelt invitation to lead this timely discussion about the future of design writing. Their presence as part of the conference and DESIGN Canberra embodies the vision and reach of Canberra’s fastest growing festival,” stated Rachael Coghlan CEO, Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre and Artistic Director, DESIGN Canberra.

Alice Rawsthorn is an award-winning design critic whose columns for the New York Times are syndicated worldwide. She is the author of several books on design, including the critically acclaimed Hello World: Where Design Meets Life. As the keynote speaker of the conference, Rawsthorn brings her insights into the world of design writing to Australia.

“It’s an exciting time for design in Australia. Our exposure and awareness of local and international practice is resulting in an unprecedented thirst for knowledge and appetite for design. I am thrilled to be a part of such an important event that promotes writing as a way of reflecting on and understanding design, ultimately leading to a healthier future for our industry,” stated Dana Tomic Hughes, Interior Designer and Founder of Yellowtrace.

“I am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and experience relating to: creating engagement; cultivating trust; and building an ongoing relationship with a design audience that’s becoming increasingly more fickle in a digital space that’s forever changing,” Tomic Hughes continued.

DESIGN Canberra 2017 will be inspired by the spirit of mid-century modernism, and the creativity, experimentation and optimism for which Canberra’s architecture is acclaimed. The festival will be held in locations all over Canberra from the 7th – 26th November 2017. For the full program of events, visit the DESIGN Canberra Festival website.

We are excited to be partnering with DESIGN Canberra and Craft ACT for a very special ticket giveaway.
Two people will win double passes to all of the following three events:
1. Inaugural National Design Writing Conference, Object Subject (Friday, 10th November).
2. Sell Out: Design Auction Party & Experimental Auction (Friday, 10th November).
3. Bloggers Breakfast with Dana Tomic Hughes (Saturday, 11th November).

For your chance to win one of TWO double passes to three DESIGN Canberra events listed above (total value of tickets is $1,440 AUD), simply fill out the form below and make sure you’re subscribed to our Daily Email and/ or Weekly Love Letter. Entries close at 11:59pm (AEST) on Tuesday 31st October. Two lucky winners will be selected and notified by email. Please refer to our full terms & conditions page for everything you need to know about this giveaway. Good luck!

Entry to '2017 DESIGN Canberra Festival' ticket giveaway has now closed. Thank you for your interest.

[Images courtesy of Design Canberra Festival.]