Sydney Design 2010 | yellowtrace Picks.

As most of you design folk would know, Sydney Design 2010 is rapidly approaching (eek!) and with it a bunch of excellent events around our glorious city. Ummm… excitement! From this Saturday 31st July, until Sunday 15th August, Sydney Design will host one if its most dynamic programs in 14 years. The city-wide program boasts more than 70 events and activities, all with an engaging common theme ‘Tell us a Story’.

So if you are like me and can get easily overwhelmed by too much choice, I thought I’d share with you my picks of the events that are not to be missed. So here we go.

Iron Designer.

If you love getting inside other designers’ heads, then you will probably love this event. Iron Designer is all about revealing the way designers think and how they translate that thought process into something tangible.

Inspired by the Japanese cooking show, Iron Designer introduces a cast of design disciples who battle on stage for the coveted crown. Hosted by ABC media presenter Robbie Buck, a cast of designers go head-to-head to create a piece of work in the space of 20 minutes. Teams from design outfits including: Frost Design, Digital Eskimo, Blue Sky Design Group, Sixty40, 4Design, PIDCOCK Architecture + Sustainablity, UTS School of Design and Tribe Studio.
6 August, Friday
6pm for 6.30pm – 9.30pm
Powerhouse Museum, Coles Theatre and Foyer
Cost: $30 adults / $26 powerhouse members, students or groups
More info and bookings.

International Speaker: Giovanna Castiglioni.

Announcement to all Design Lovers out there – this one is not to be missed guys! I’ve already got my tickets so hope to see you there.

Achille Castiglioni’s daughter Giovanna will talk about life and work of her father, who was an influential architect, designer, inventor and dreamer. Achille Castiglioni was a leading light among industrial designers of the 20th century, producing iconic furniture, lighting pieces and modernist accessories with an element of whimsy. He once said, “I see around me a professional disease of taking everything too seriously. One of my secrets is to joke all the time.” Heeeelloooooo!!! EXTREME LOVE alert people!!!

For more information on Studio Museum Achille Castiglioni click here.

Thursday 12 August,
6pm for 6.30pm
Powerhouse Museum,
Coles Theatre and Foyer
Cost: $20 adult, $16 Powerhouse member, $16 students or groups.
More info and bookings.

Young Blood: Designers Market/ designboom mart.

Did someone say shopping? Ummmm… yes please! Even better if you get to meet and buy direct from the best new design talent in the country, right?

This year, Young Blood will be joined by the international designboom mart. Browse unique fashion, furniture, jewellery, graphics and more from around the world.
Friday 13 August 10am-9pm
Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August 10am-5pm
Powerhouse Museum
Cost: $5 entry to both Young Blood and designboom mart; includes Museum entry, bookings recommended.
Free for Powerhouse members and Sydney Design Pass holders.
More info on Young Blood and designboom mart.

Workshopped 10: A Design Decade.

Showcasing a stellar range of Australian furniture, lighting and product design conceived by emerging young designers, Workshopped 10 focuses on the work of designers that are ‘creating the future, inspiring, enhancing and
making a difference’. Now in its tenth year, Workshopped 10 is one of the single largest events of Sydney Design 2010.
5-14 August
8.30am – 6.30pm
Chifley Plaza, Sydney
Cost: FREE

Knitty Gritty & Loopy Transformations.

Knitty Gritty & Loopy presents a series of workshops that use design to transform everyday waste items into by-products of love. Instead of ending up as landfill, ‘unwanted’ material is re-invented as giant fabric mandalas, woven fans, puppets, jewellery and baskets. If you can imagine it, then Knitty Gritty & Loopy can probably show you how to make it.

The workshops also function as an ongoing installation to encourage waste awareness by telling the story of where things come from and where they go. Discover what’s involved in the creation of everyday items such as paper, magazines, eggshells, plastic containers and bags. Then find out what happens to them when they are discarded as waste. By inspiring and educating while instilling positivity through action, Knitty Gritty & Loopy increase your fun levels by reducing your carbon footprint. The series of workshops will eventuate into an exhibition at the Hill Street Precinct where a large woven cane house will be used as the central storytelling feature of the project.

Workshops: 11am-3pm, Saturday 31 July, 7 and 14 August.
Exhibition: 11am-3pm, Saturday & Sunday, 14 & 15 August
Workshop is at The Sewing Room, 8 Hill Street, Surry Hills.
Exhibition is at Hill Street Precinct, 2 Hill Street, Surry Hills
Cost: FREE

Benini and Fashion Photography.

Bruno Benini is recognised as one of Australia’s leading 20th century fashion photographers. For five decades the Italian immigrant recorded the evolution of fashion, from the 1950s through to the 1990s. Establishing his studio in Melbourne in the mid 1950s, Benini refined his craft, working alongside famed photographers Helmut Newton and Athol Shmith. His marriage to artist Hazel led to the formation of an innovative partnership – Bruno as the elegant photographer and Hazel as the creative fashion stylist. Together, the couple produced some of Australia’s most memorable and elegant images.

Drawing on the remarkable fashion photography archive of Benini, the exhibition features vintage and recent photographic prints, original colour transparencies and black-and-white negatives, and biographical material, dating from the 1950s through to the photographer’s death in 2001.
31 July 2010-February 2011, daily
10am-5pm
Powerhouse Museum
Cost: Free with Museum entry

Small Stories Big Picture.

Small Stories Big Picture is a self guided cycling tour is being held each Saturday during Sydney Design 2010, where 25 people will be invited to join a cycling tour of the Sydney suburb to showcase the creativity buzzing around the 2010 postcode.

This is a great opportunity to “get on your bike”, unleash the photographer within and explore some lesser-known parts of Surry Hills. Each participant will be provided with a bike, a LOMO camera, a map and passport to aid in their self-guided tour which will start and end at cloth and Metalab, meeting in the middle at I Ran The Wrong Way. These three venues will also be showcasing Designers’ Sushi exhibition – an exciting new project which challenges designers and creatives to re-imagine everyday objects (and yours truly is also participating – eek!). You will also get to collect stamps from bespoke retailers along the way, which can be used for discounts later on.

The whole event will wrap up at the end of Sydney Design 2010 with an exhibition of selected photographs and a party at The Beresford on August 18th, where there will also be a photo swap and a raffle of the LOMO cameras.

Phew. So much action packed into a fabulous little event, no?

Saturday 31 July, 7 and 14 August
Collect your passport, camera and bike from Metalab or Cloth, according to your booking.
Cost: FREE
Bookings: Email | Online

PechaKucha Night.

Pecha Kucha is an open forum of ideas, a slide night for anyone with something creative to share. Approximately 10 speakers on the night present 20 slides and are given 20 seconds per slide.
10 August, Tuesday
7pm for 7.30pm start
The Ivy Room, The Ivy Hotel, 330 George Street Sydney
FREE entry

Future Classic & Australia INfront Designer Disco.

And just because I like to party… Dancing and design – does it get any better? Make your way to the Civic Hotel for a night of cool beats. Australian INfront are bringing the Designer Disco to life with the record label Future Classic. This offshoot of Future Classic’s insanely popular underground clubnight Adult Disco burns the disco flame until late, late, late. Meanwhile, in the laneway behind the venue, an exhibition of lightbox artworks illuminate and enlighten.

The array of cutting-edge Sydney designers involved include Alter, Future Classic, Greedy Hen, Leif Podhajsky, Like Minded Studio, Miricro/Maricar, Sensory, Sopp Collective, String Theory, Toko and We Buy Your Kids.
10pm till late, Saturday 14 August
The Civic Hotel & laneway, 388 Pitt Street