Overview
There's a week for everything, it seems — and in 2017, that includes design. The brand new, dedicated Melbourne Design Week will form part of the National Gallery of Victoria's just-announced inaugural Victorian Design Program. Yes, prepare to feast your eyes on a whole lot of local creativity.
Other than making everyone say the word design more often than we might normally, and not to be confused with the previous Melbourne International Design Week, Melbourne Design Week will take place every March from 2017, showcasing and celebrating all things related to the field: the business behind it, how it works in practice, its social impact and just how it helps make Melbourne such a liveable city. To kick things off, the first event will focus specifically on design values when it takes over the NGV from March 16 to 26.
The program will feature exhibitions, international guests and keynote speakers, product launches, programs for businesses and more, at both the NGV and other venues around the city. Anyone particularly interested in or working in a design-oriented area should be interested in the open-access component developed in conjunction with Open House Melbourne, which will connect Victorians to design-led businesses, manufacturers, facilities and institutions.
While the full March lineup won't be announced until February 1, 2017, the broader curated Victorian Design Program will run year-round, so keep your eyes peeled for NGV's new slate of design-centric drawcards. "The Gallery's vision is to present and make accessible design and architecture for a broad range of audiences," said NGV director Tony Ellwood.
Melbourne Design Week takes place from March 16 to 26, 2017. For more information, visit: www.ngv.vic.gov.au/melbourne-design-week-2/
Image: Haven't you always wanted ...? by M@STUDIO Architects for the 2016 NGV Architecture Commission. Photo: Peter Bennetts.