TALKS
The Melbourne Design Fair TALKS Program offers an exclusive look into the world of collectible design, this three-day program is curated into three TALK streams – The Interior, The Collector, and The Work.
Expect to hear engaging discussions and expert perspectives from the most talented and knowledgeable individuals in the Australian craft and design industry. The TALKS program offers a rare opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of collectible design, including insight into the culture of collecting, and creatively incorporating it in our lived spaces.
MAJOR PARTNER
Friday 19 May
The Work: CJ Anderson, Jay Jermyn, Dan Watson and Tamika Grant-Iramu in conversation with Dr Pippa Dickson | Booth A5
The Interior: David Hicks and Fiona Lynch in conversation with Jacqueline Foti-Lowe | Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
The Work: Kerryn Levy in conversation with Dr Pippa Dickson | Booth C3
Saturday 20 May
The Work: Nicolette Johnson, Jessica Murtagh, Paula Savage and Emma Jackson in conversation with Simone LeAmon | Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
The Work: Alex Seton in conversation with Aimee Frodsham | Booth C4
The Interior: Miriam Fanning and Hamish Guthrie in conversation with Jan Henderson | Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
The Work: Elliot Bastianon in conversation with Simone LeAmon | Booth A8
The Work: Geoff Newton in conversation with Dr Timothy Moore and Simone LeAmon | Booth D5
Sunday 21 May
The Work: Chris Cochius and Pamela Joyce in conversation with Dr Suzie Attiwill | Booth C8
The Collector: Jeromie Maver and Ian Wong in conversation with Alice Blackwood | Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
The Work: Manon van Kouswijk in conversation with Nick Selenitch | Booth D6
The Work: John Wardle and Rachel Fry in conversation | Booth A6
The Collector: Sally Dan-Cuthbert and Lou Weis in conversation with Amy Woodroffe | Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
The Work: Numbulwar Numburindi Artists in conversation with Shonae Hobson | Booth B3
The Work: Jay Jermyn, CJ Anderson, Tamika Grant-Iramu and Dan Watson in conversation with Dr Pippa Dickson | Friday 19 May, 1.00pm
Booth A5, artisan QLD
Jay Jermyn is an industrial designer, artist, and electronic dance musician based in the Gold Coast region, Queensland. Creating experimental lighting and object designs with a ‘techno’ aesthetic, his practice explores the intersection of the digital, physical, identity, and self-expression.
CJ Anderson has a talent for developing intriguing limited-edition and serial production based on ubiquitous furniture types. Drawing on industrial production, the handmade, and a diverse material palette, Anderson’s work brings focus to the emotional qualities of design.
Tamika Grant-Iramu is a Brisbane-based artist and designer who incorporates organic patterns and imagery through the medium of relief print carving techniques. Through her creative practice, Grant-Iramu explores her identity, seeking ways to connect with the different threads of her Papua New Guinean, European, and Torres Strait Islander heritage.
Dan Watson is a bladesmith and designer producing unique hand-forged knives and homewares from his home studio in Maleny in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland. A self-taught designer and craftsperson Watson desires to create beautiful, hand-crafted artefacts for a sustainable future.
Dr Pippa Dickson is one of the country’s strongest advocates for Australian craft and design with extensive leadership experience in organisations both nationally and internationally. Previous positions include Director of Asialink Arts; Director of the National Association for Visual Artists (NAVA); and Co-Chair of the National Craft Initiative. Dickson founded Design Island for Arts Tasmania, was Chair of Design Tasmania, and was the founding CEO of the Glenorchy Art & Sculpture Park, Hobart. In 2015 she was recognised as one of the 50 most influential people in Design by the Australian Centre for Design.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Jay Jermyn
The Interior: David Hicks and Fiona Lynch in conversation with Jaci Foti-Lowe | Friday 19 May, 2.00pm
Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
Join interior designers David Hicks and Fiona Lynch in conversation with design aficionado Jacqueline Foti-Lowe as they discuss their top picks at the Melbourne Design Fair and how they use rare, one-of-a-kind, and limited-edition collectible designs in enhancing interior spaces.
Established in 2000, the studio of David Hicks is renowned for luxurious interiors and building design that place importance on decorative layering, using collectible contemporary design and covetable vintage design in harmony. The Melbourne studio works intimately with clients around the globe, bringing vast knowledge of architectural detail and the decorative arts. In 2017 the work of David Hicks was profiled in ‘Intimate – A Private World of Interiors’ published by Thames and Hudson, Australia.
Fiona Lynch Office was established in 2013 and works on architectural and interior design projects at all scales, incorporating custom furniture, lighting, joinery, and object design with an emphasis on ecological responsibility. Recognised for their collaborations with an international roster of artists and designers, the Melbourne office regularly displays contemporary experimental design works in their gallery annex, Workshop.
Jacqueline Foti-Lowe is the founder of The Front Room, a gallery and design store in Melbourne, underpinned by her twenty years of experience within the global art and design community. With a professional background in architecture, Foti-Lowe is responsible for introducing a roll call of designers and furniture brands to the Australian marketplace. Establishing Hub Furniture in 2003 and the Hub General Store in 2017, Foti-Lowe represented many of the world’s most acclaimed furniture, lighting, flooring, and design brands.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Fiona Lynch Office
The Work: Kerryn Levy in conversation with Dr Pippa Dickson | Friday 19 May, 3.00pm
Booth C3, JamFactory
Kerryn Levy is an Adelaide-based ceramicist using traditional hand-building techniques to make sculptural vessels reminiscent of human, animal and botanical bodies. Conceived in pairs and groupings her vessels are an artistic expression of the colours and textures of the Australian landscape. A member of the JamFactory ceramic workshop since 2017, Levy’s work is held in the Shepparton Art Museum, Permanent Collection.
Dr Pippa Dickson is one of the country’s strongest advocates for Australian craft and design with extensive leadership experience in organisations both nationally and internationally. Previous positions include Director, Asialink Arts, Director of the National Association for Visual Artists (NAVA) and Co-Chair of the National Craft Initiative. Dickson founded Design Island for Arts Tasmania, was Chair of Design Tasmania and was the founding CEO of the Glenorchy Art & Sculpture Park, Hobart. In 2015 she was recognised as one of the 50 most influential people in Design by the Australian Centre for Design.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Kerryn Levy
The Work: Nicolette Johnson, Jessica Murtagh, Paula Savage and Emma Jackson in conversation with Simone LeAmon | Saturday 20 May, 12.00pm
Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
Join Nicolette Johnson, Jessica Murtagh, Paula Savage and Emma Jackson as they reflect on their practices and works in the exhibition FOCUS with NGV curator, Simone LeAmon. An exhibition recognising the skills and conceptual prowess of five accomplished Australian women designers and makers FOCUS underscores the importance of inspiring future generations of women in design and promoting diversity within the industry.
Emma Jackson merges her abiding interest in earth science and textiles to create large-scale works that communicate the complex geometries of deep time. Jackson established her own practice in 2021 after working with architectural firms Lyons and Wardle. Jackson’s PhD and teaching at RMIT were presented at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2018 and 2021 and in the same year, she was awarded the Australian Tapestry Design Prize for Architects.
Nicolette Johnson is a Brisbane-based ceramicist whose work is informed by a deep understanding of the myriad traditions, techniques, and symbols of vessel-making. With a background in photographic art and photojournalism, Johnson began working in ceramics in 2015. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney, Museum of Brisbane, and Griffith University Art Museum.
Jessica Murtagh is an Adelaide-based artist and designer who specialises in blown glass vessels. She draws inspiration from ancient Athenian ceramic amphoras, which often depicted scenes of daily life. In 2020 she was a finalist in the Tom Malone Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia and the Milano Vetro -35 Prize, Museum of Decorative Arts, Milan. Murtagh’s work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and Parliament House Collection, Canberra.
Paula Savage is a Mualgal woman from the Serganilgal clan group from the village of Dabu on Moa Island, Torres Strait, and the Kaurareg Nation of Muralag and Kiriri. A senior artist, Savage has been a member of Ngalmun Lagau Minaral Art Centre (Moa Arts) since 2017. Her works are renowned for bringing to life the enduring traditional material practices of her cultural heritage that are both learned and lived. Her work has appeared in national exhibitions including Longwater: Fibre Stories, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (2020) and Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of South Australia (2019).
Simone LeAmon is a designer and the inaugural Hugh D.T Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. An Adjunct Professor in the School of Design and Social Context, RMIT University, LeAmon was the recipient of the 2021 Good Designs Australia, Women in Design Award, for her life-long passion and unwavering dedication to the design profession in Australia.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS are presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz
Image: Nicolette Johnson
The Work: Alex Seton in conversation with Aimee Frodsham | Saturday 20 May, 1.00pm
Booth C4, Sullivan+Strumpf
Alex Seton’s artistic practice incorporates sculpture, photography, video and installation. In 2022 the Sydney-based artist undertook a six-week residency at Canberra Glassworks, resulting in a new series of light works exploring local histories of post-World War II Australia, immigrants and industry, wartime culture and endeavour, notions of beauty, progress and modernism. Seton’s work is held in collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Art Gallery of South Australia, Danish Royal Art Collection, Copenhagen, and Alnoba Art Park, New Hampshire, USA. Seton is represented by Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney.
Aimee Frodsham is the artistic director at the Canberra Glassworks managing exhibitions, artist residency and access programs, commissioning and retail areas of the organisation. Working closely with the glass workshop and its skilled practitioners, Frodsham has overseen major projects for Australian artists and designers Patricia Piccinini, Maree Clarke, Tony Albert and Lucy Simpson. Prior to this, Frodsham spent time at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Tate, London, where she worked as planning manager across four of Tate’s gallery sites.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS are presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Alex Seton
The Work: Miriam Fanning and Hamish Guthrie in conversation with Jan Henderson | Saturday 20 May, 2.00pm
Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
Join interior designers Miriam Fanning and Hamish Guthrie in conversation with design editor Jan Henderson as they discuss the collectible design on show at the Melbourne Design Fair and offer their thoughts on how it can be incorporated into contemporary interiors to create unique and inspiring spaces.
Miriam Fanning is the Principal of Mim Design, a Melbourne-based design practice lauded for its creativity, high end finishes and attention to detail. A fixture in the Australian design industry for more than twenty years, Mim Design works across residential, hospitality, hotel and retail design, delivering projects rich with character by combining contemporary, modern and collectible design.
Hamish Guthrie is a founding principal of Hecker Guthrie, a multi-disciplinary design practice with a twenty-year legacy in interiors across hospitality, residential, retail and commercial sectors. The Melbourne studio thoughtfully fosters linkages between art, craft, and design to create site-specific responses for interiors that celebrate ideas, authenticity, and materials.
Jan Henderson is the editor and program director of the INDE.Awards at Indesign Media, Asia Pacific, and principal of Henderson Media Consultants. Earlier roles include associate publisher at Architecture Media; editor of inside magazine, Australia; and Architel.tv, Australia. In 2021 Henderson in collaboration with architectural photographer Dianna Snape authored Architecture at the Heart of the Home published by Thames and Hudson, Australia.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Miriam Fanning
The Work: Elliot Bastianon | Saturday 20 May, 3.00pm
Booth A8, Elliot Bastianon
Elliot Bastianon is a designer and artist based in Canberra. He applies a conceptual approach to the design and production of experimental furniture and objects, employing a diverse and unconventional material palette to explore relationships between every day, science, and nature. Exhibiting since 2010, Bastianon has presented his work at NGV Triennial (2020); Melbourne Design Week (2018-2020); and Salone del Mobile, Milan (2018).
Simone LeAmon is a designer and the inaugural Hugh D.T Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. An Adjunct Professor in the School of Design and Social Context, RMIT University, LeAmon was the recipient of the 2021 Good Designs Australia, Women in Design Award, for her life-long passion and unwavering dedication to the design profession in Australia.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS are presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Elliot Bastianon
The Work: Geoff Newton in conversation with Dr Timothy Moore and Simone LeAmon on the work of Gaetano Pesce | Saturday 20 May, 4.00pm
Booth D5, Neon Parc
Geoff Newton is the director of Melbourne-based gallery Neon Parc. Established in 2006, the gallery represents emerging and established contemporary Australasian artists, staging a varied line-up of solo and group exhibitions, the exhibition program includes opportunities to contextualise local artists with their interstate, national and international peers. For Melbourne Design Fair, Neon Parc presents the work of Gaetano Pesce, Italian architect, industrial designer and design pioneer of twentieth century.
Dr Timothy Moore is a curator of design and architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria, senior lecturer at Monash University, and the director of research of Sibling Architecture. Sibling’s work was recently featured in the tome ‘More is More’ by Claire Bingham, which looks at how contemporary design has been shaped by the post-modern and Memphis movements.
Simone LeAmon is a designer and the inaugural Hugh D.T Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. An Adjunct Professor in the School of Design and Social Context, RMIT University, LeAmon was the recipient of the 2021 Good Designs Australia, Women in Design Award, for her lifelong passion and unwavering dedication to the design profession in Australia.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS are presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Gaetano Pesce
The Work: Chris Cochius and Pamela Joyce in conversation with Dr Suzie Attiwill | Sunday 21 May, 11.00am
Booth C8, Australian Tapestry Workshop
In 2019 visual artist Brook Andrew worked with the Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) to create a special edition of tapestries titled ‘Miili’. Join ATW master weavers Chris Cochius and Pamela Joyce as they discuss the process of weaving the work with Dr Suzie Attiwill.
Chris Cochius is a senior weaver at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. Since joining ATW in 1983 Cochius has led the production of some of the world’s finest tapestries. Working to reinterpret artworks as richly detailed textiles, Cochius has woven tapestries designed by eminent artists and designers including Avenue of Remembrance (2015) by Imants Tillers.
Pamela Joyce is a senior weaver at the Australian Tapestry Workshop. Joining ATW in 1980 Joyce has worked on numerous significant works including Roger Kemp’s tapestry suite in the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Victoria; Arthur Boyd’s Great Hall Tapestry (1988) Parliament House, Canberra; and Jørn Utzon’s tapestry Homage to Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach (2003) at the Sydney Opera House.
Dr Suzie Attiwill is Professor of Interior Design in the School of Architecture & Urban Design at RMIT University and has directed an independent practice involving the design of exhibitions, curatorial work and writing on a range of interdisciplinary projects in Australia and overseas since 1992. Attiwill was the Artistic Director at Craft Victoria (Craft) from 1996 to 1999 and is an honorary member of Australian Design Centre; Craft; and Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS are presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Australian Tapestry Workshop
The Collector: Jeromie Maver and Ian Wong in conversation with Alice Blackwood | Sunday 21 May, 12.00pm
Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
Join collectors Jeromie Maver and Ian Wong in conversation with design journalist Alice Blackwood as they share their wealth of knowledge and unique perspectives on collecting twentieth-century Australian furniture and product design.
Jeromie Maver is a researcher and collector of Australian mid-century design. He has spent the last eight years building an archive of print materials, ephemera and interviews relating to this period in Australian design history. Maver’s interest is currently focused on the design practice of Clement Meadmore and the émigré designers of the 1950s, particularly the design oeuvre of Professor George Korody and the Sydney-based atelier Artes Studio. Maver regularly lends advice on Australian design history to public institutions and organisations nationally and internationally.
Ian Wong is a designer, academic, curator and collector. Established in 2009 the Ian Wong Collection has a curatorial focus on Australian design and designers. He has curated a large number of exhibitions, both national and international on the topic of design. Ian is currently the creative director of the Alastair Swayn Legacy showcase and senior lecturer in the Department of Design at Monash University. Ian is a fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, President of Melbourne Movement and an expert on the history of Industrial Design of Australia.
Alice Blackwood is an editor, journalist and communications strategist and the current editor of Indesign magazine (AUS). With more than ten-years of experience reporting on Australian architecture and design, she is a passionate supporter of the local design community, focusing much of her reportage on profiling the faces and forces behind top projects, innovative products and industry initiatives. Blackwood is an active member of the Australian design and media community frequently acting as a panel moderator, MC, judge, commentator, mentor and advisor.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Ian Wong
The Work: Manon van Kouswijk in conversation with Nick Selenitsch | Sunday 21 May, 1.00pm
Booth D6, Funaki
Manon van Kouswijk is a Dutch artist and jewellery designer who has lived and worked in Melbourne since 2010. Her contemporary jewellery translates archetypal jewellery forms and motifs through a range of materials and processes. Van Kouswijk’s work is held in the collection of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; Art Gallery of South Australia; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Nicholas Selenitsch is a visual artist and lecturer in Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Selenitsch’s art practice promotes the artistic and social importance of play. He incorporates the aesthetics and motifs of games, sports and civic markings via installation, drawing, sculpture and public artworks. Selenitsch’s work is held in the collections of the National Gallery of Victoria; Monash University; and Artbank, Melbourne.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Manon van Kouswijk
The Work: John Wardle and Rachel Fry in conversation | Sunday 21 May, 2.00pm
Booth A6, C. Gallery
John Wardle is the founder of Wardle Architects, which has studios in Sydney and Melbourne. The practice’s portfolio spans domestic dwellings, university buildings, museums and large-scale commercial projects. An adjunct professor of architecture at the University of South Australia and the University of Melbourne, Wardle designs in a way that nurtures human connection, knowledge exchange and community. Outside architecture, his design work spans jewellery, furniture and ceramics.
Rachel Fry is the creative director and founder of C. Gallery. Known for her considered selection of atelier-based brands for Melbourne design showroom Criteria, C. Gallery opened its doors in late 2021, to prominent and emerging artists, both Australian and international, working to elevate quotidian mediums through unexpected forms. Through this newly expanded focus, C. Gallery shows sculpture, decorative and applied arts as a natural complement to Criteria’s longstanding interest in collectable design and art.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: John Wardle
The Collector: Sally Dan-Cuthbert and Lou Weis in conversation with Amy Woodroffe | Sunday 21 May, 3.00pm
Mercedes-Benz TALKS Space
Join gallerist Sally Dan-Cuthbert and creative director Lou Weis in conversation with design journalist and strategist Amy Woodroffe, as they explore the collecting cultures of contemporary design covering the various motivations of their clients and collaborations with practitioners.
Director Sally Dan-Cuthbert has worked for over 35 years in the art and design industry as an esteemed advisor, curator, and art specialist. She works closely with artists, designers, architects and collectors which results in meaningful exchanges and thoughtful collecting practices. Dan-Cuthbert sits on advisory committees and with not-for-profit arts organisations and is regularly invited onto projects as a mentor, judge and panellist. Sally is a longstanding benefactor of public galleries including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney; and National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne; as well as the Adelaide Biennial; and the Biennale of Sydney.
Lou Weis is a creative director and strategist with two decades of experience across the creative industries, working with festivals and companies to realise ideas that always stem from a passion for historical context. As the co-founder and director of Broached Commissions, they commission and create collectible designs and provide creative direction for public art and interior commercial spaces, such as hotels and hospitality.
Amy Woodroffe is a brand strategist, creative director and writer with twelve years of international experience within the publishing, design and fashion industries. In addition to her recent appointment as editor of Artichoke magazine in Melbourne, Woodroffe is the director of Værnis Studio—a creative agency she co-founded in Copenhagen in 2020. Through Værnis, Woodroffe and her collaborators work across hemispheres to support interior design, architecture and furniture clients with brand strategy, art direction, graphic design, and writing. Prior to founding Værnis Woodroffe was brand director at Kinfolk, Copenhagen.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Sally Dan Cuthbert
The Work: Numbulwar Numburindi Artists Joy Wilfred, Janette Murrungun and Rose Wilfred in conversation with Shonae Hobson | Sunday 21 May, 4.00pm
Booth B3, Agency
Joy Wilfred, Janette Murrungun and Rose Wilfred are acclaimed weavers and key members of Numbulwar Numburindi Arts community established in 2019,well-known for its fibre art. The community is located at the mouth of the Rose River on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria in east Arnhem Land and belongs to the Nunggayinbala clan. Numbulwar Numburindi Artists combine naturally dyed and locally harvested pandanus with bright and bold ghost nets- abandoned fishing line retrieved from Numbulwar’s shoreline. Owned and controlled by the community the Arts Centre was founded as a space to practice and engage with traditional culture and artistic expression.
Shonae Hobson is a Southern Kaantju woman from Coen, Cape York Peninsula. She currently works as Curator of First Nations Art at the National Gallery of Victoria. Hobson was the inaugural First Nations Curator at Bendigo Art Gallery from 2018-2021. Her curatorial practice is based on a collaborative approach to working with communities and artists to foster and build capacity for economic and social independence.
Melbourne Design Fair TALKS presented by Major Partner Mercedes-Benz.
Image: Numbulwar Numburindi Artists
MAJOR PARTNER
