The largest ever international presentation of Victorian design is on its way to Business of Design Week in Hong Kong, to be held from 3 to 8 December.
In 2018, Melbourne is the partner city for the event – the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to be coupled with the annual design showcase.
The event offers significant business opportunities for the Victorian design community, with 28 percent of all exporting Victorian design firms having clients in mainland China. It will be a platform for exchanging ideas and exploring new business and trade opportunities.
A convoy of 170 designers, design organizations and institutions will participate in the program. Approximately 90 Victorian designers and five universities will be represented at the Melbourne Pavilion, designed by Design Office. The pavilion will showcase a range of design and architecture projects and products, curated by the National Gallery of Victoria’s senior curator of contemporary design and architecture Ewan McEoin.
The presentation will be divided into six themes: design and play, design and making, design and wellbeing, design and identity, design and invention and furniture.
The architectural projects to be feature in the pavilion include Melbourne and Olympic Parks Stage 3 redevelopment by NH Architecture and Populous, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre by Silver Thomas Hanley, DesignInc and McBride Charles Ryan, The Royal Children’s Hospital by Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart, Huangpu East Bank Urban Forest Shanghai by Hassell, Yarra Pools by Wowowa, Nightingale 1 by Breathe Architecture, Repair 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale by Baracco and Wright Architects and Linda Tegg, The Australian Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne by TCL and the Visitor Centre by Kerstin Thompson, Jackalope Hotel by Carr, High Resolution Architecture and Titomic Printing by Alissa Andresek, Floe by Studio Rowland Snooks, and Sagrada Familia by Mark Burry.
Also featured are the International Indigenous Design Charter, Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria, Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts and IKE, the Design Institute of Australia, System Vase by Simon Lloyd and John Wardle and Australian architecture and design books by Uro Publishing.
More than 20 speakers from Melbourne will also be part of the speaker program, including Indigenous architect Jefa Greenaway and Victorian government architect Jill Garner.
The Victorian presentation at Hong Kong Business of Design Week is supported by the Australian Institute of Architects, the Design Institute of Australia, Australian Fashion Council, and Australian Graphic Design Association.
Victoria’s design sector contributes more than $5 billion to the local economy, including $400 million in exports. Victorian minister for creative industries, Martin Foley, said, “From globally recognized success stories to our rising new design talents, Victoria has so much to be proud of and this program represents our largest ever design-focused international trade mission.
“This is an incredible platform to showcase Melbourne’s design strengths to an audience of potential collaborators and trade partners and we are proud to be backing our designers to take on the world.”