Nine prominent Australian designers working across architecture, fashion, graphic design, textiles and interior design will be inducted into the Design Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame in May, the institute has announced.
Architects and interior designers Kirsten Stanisich, Harry Stephens and Gavan Ranger are included in the list, as are designers Dahl Collins, Robert Foster and George Freedman.
Three of the designers will be inducted posthumously – Dahl Collings, Robert Foster and George Freedman.
The 2019 inductees are:
Dahl Collings – graphic, exhibition and textile design
Born in 1909, Dahl Collings will be posthumously inducted for her pioneering of modernist design principles in Australia. Working in a number of mediums, Collins worked collaboratively with her husband Geoffrey Collings for much of her career
Robert Foster – industrial and product design
After studying gold and silver smithing at the Canberra School of Art, the late Robert Foster established design studio Fink and Co in 1993, which has produced a number of iconic product designs including the Fink water jug. He also received a number of major sculpture commissions during his lifetime, including the Ossolites in the foyer of the ActewAGL building in Canberra.
George Freedman – interior design
Born in New York, George Freedman arrived in Australia in 1968 to design the executive accommodation for the then-Bank of New South Wales (now Westpac) for Knoll International. Freedman later established Marsh Freedman Associates with partner Neville Marsh, who also joins the Hall of Fame this year.
Nicholas Huxley – fashion design and design education
Nicholas Huxley entered the East Sydney Technical College’s (now the TAFE NSW Fashion Design School) fashion design program in 1973 and taught there until his retirement in 2018. He has designed costumes for film and television, illustrations for fashion magazines, and served on design juries and committees.
Akira Isogawa – fashion and textile design
Born in Kyoto, Akira Isogawa studied fashion design in Sydney and opened his first boutique in the city in 1993. He has since shown collections in Australia and Paris and collaborated with the Sydney Dance Company, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Ballet. He has also entered into a number of commercial partnerships with companies such as Designer Rugs, Qantas and T2.
Neville Marsh – interior design and interior decoration
Born in Perth in 1931, the late Neville Marsh established Neville Marsh Interiors with Ray Seide in Sydney, and would go on to design the interiors of the Reader’s Digest Building and the new Her Majesty’s Theatre. He later established Marsh Freedman Associates in 1973 with partner George Freedman.
Gavan Ranger FDIA – architecture and interior design
Trained in architecture and engineering science, Gavan Ranger is a Fellow of the DIA, a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has served on a range of committees and advisory bodies and was recognised as one of South Australia’s 25 Design Icons of 2017.
Kirsten Stanisich FDIA – architecture and interior design
Following a long career with SJB Interiors that involved a number of significant projects, Kirsten Stanisich struck out on her own with Jonathan Richards to found Richards Stanisich in 2018. She was a board director and NSW president of the DIA from 2012 to 2014.
Harry Stephens FDIA – architecture, interior architecture and design education
With a career that began in the NSW Government Architect’s Branch, Harry Stephens has since gone on to influence the shape of design education in Australia. He taught at the Mary White Art School in Sydney in 1969 and in 1970 began teaching architecture at UNSW, where he established Australia’s first interior architecture degree course. He also played a significant role in establishing IDEA, the Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association, and has served as the National Director of the DIA.
