Taking place from July 20 - 31 2011, the State of Design festival is the largest and most innovative design event in Australia and the heart of design thinking and design activity each year.
Design for Everyone, the festival's public program, will engage and inspire a broad audience through informative workshops and creative activities across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Responding to the 2011 festival theme, "Design That Moves," Design for Everyone will explore how we are influenced by our experiences in, on and around projects that are transformative, mobile and networked. Events will be presented in transitional zones: platforms, public urban spaces, foyers and stairs as the festival explores how Melbourne can use design to become a more active city.
Highlights of the Design for Everyone program will include:
Look.Stop.Shop presented by the City of Melbourne is a design-led walk through Melbourne's city centre. Exploring the festival theme, a select group of retailers will create unique window displays and in-store installations. With many installations located in street level stores, this diverse retail landscape will provide 24 hour viewing.
72 Hour Urban Action presented by RMIT, is an internationally reaching event. Ten teams across ten sites will have only 72 hours to construct a project in response to a brief. With sites located at the Docklands, this will be one of the most anticipated design events on the calendar.
Paper Plane Academy is now in its fourth year and a firm favourite with all ages. Everyone is welcome to come join the fun making and flying their own unique aerodynamic paper creations at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
Melbourne Open House (July 30 - 31) provides a rare opportunity to discover the often hidden wealth of design, architecture, engineering and historic buildings nestled around the city. In 2011, Melbourne Open House promises to be bigger than ever, exploring 75 buildings. It is an event not to be missed.
Late Night Platform at ACCA will be co-hosted by State of Design and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art across three nights of the festival. The events will be sited within the Nathan Coley exhibition Appearances and include Pecha Kucha, the recording of Triple R's The Architects Radio Show and a Speakeasy Cinema's forum.
Design To Go Working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, State of Design will deliver a touring children's design program that will take design to three regional Victorian schools. The program will introduce design to school children through hands-on activities led by architects and industrial designers.
The Sound of Buildings is a Smartphone multimedia tour of a number of Melbourne's most architecturally significant buildings told through the voices of designers, builders, building users and children. This interactive tour will provide listeners with a deeper understanding and context around the selected buildings as well as highlighting Melbourne's rich architectural stock and tradition of quality design.