Cover On the ground floor of NGV Australia, designers Jonathan Ben-Tovim, Liam Fleming, Andrew Carvolth, Michael Gittings and Kristin Burgham delve into the interplay between materiality, industrial grit and refined design sensibility at Melbourne Design Week
On the ground floor of NGV Australia, designers Jonathan Ben-Tovim, Liam Fleming, Andrew Carvolth, Michael Gittings and Kristin Burgham delve into the interplay between materiality, industrial grit and refined design sensibility at Melbourne Design Week
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Only one day remains to savour Melbourne Design Week, a platform where community, government, industry and the design world converge. If you haven’t yet, don’t miss the year’s most captivating highlights.
Design is not simply a creative discipline; it is a lens through which we examine life, challenge conventions and explore new possibilities. Whether in economics, medicine, science, ecology or technology, design shapes how we engage with the world, and its influence runs deep.
Melbourne Design Week emerged as a response to the rising prominence of design, creating a space for dialogue, reflection and collaboration across sectors. It’s where fresh ideas are shared, and the value of design in society is explored with real curiosity.
With just one day left (25 May 2025) to enjoy Melbourne Design Week, these events are well worth the visit:
Exhibition: “The Storm, The Craft & The Future: The Anton Gerner Exhibition II”
Back at the historic Labassa mansion in Victoria, acclaimed woodworker and designer Anton Gerner returns with ten striking new pieces for his second solo showcase. In this exquisite setting, contemporary craftsmanship meets storied heritage and extraordinary materials.
At the heart of the exhibition are two oak cabinets crafted from trees felled in England’s Great Storm of 1987—organic silhouettes echoing fallen trunks, rich with narrative. Alongside them stands an egg-shaped burl walnut chest of drawers, poised with delicate imbalance, and compact cabinets adorned with vivid geometric motifs. These pieces mark a departure from pure function, embracing sculptural flair. Framed by Labassa’s grand interiors, Gerner’s creations invite us to see furniture anew: as timeless works of art, shaped by the passage of time itself.
Exhibition: “The Kinetics of Thought: Tactile Sculpture and Contemporary Wood Design”
As part of Melbourne Design Week, artist Wanda Gillespie unveils her two-day exhibition, “The Kinetics of Thought”, set within the atmospheric Mural Hall at Abbotsford Convent.
A contemplative woodcarver, Gillespie’s practice lies at the intersection of the tangible and the metaphysical. Her work invites quiet introspection, reflecting on the systems through which we define, measure and seek meaning.
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This exhibition features intricately carved abacus sculptures and a reimagined Newton’s Cradle—no longer a tool of physics but a ceremonial object, infused with spiritual weight. Developed during her residency with the Victorian Woodworkers’ Association, Gillespie’s pieces challenge the ways we assign value, and the ecological toll of choices we scarcely notice.
Prayer beads appear throughout, not merely for counting, but as conduits for inner contemplation. These are poetic artefacts—meditative, symbolic, and attuned to the unseen forces that quietly shape our world.
Event information
Time: 13:00 – 17:00 (UTC+10)
Location: Mural Hall, Abbotsford Convent, Saint Heliers Street, Abbotsford VIC, Australia
Exhibition: “Made By Robots”
Above The “Made By Robots” exhibition was conceptualised by students from the Melbourne School of Design, and brought to life by Michael Park in collaboration with the Robotics Lab at MSD
The “Made By Robots” exhibition was conceptualised by students from the Melbourne School of Design, and brought to life by Michael Park in collaboration with the Robotics Lab at MSD
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The Made By Robots exhibition unveils a striking prototype—an off-centre habitat conceived especially for native bees and insects. Assembled on-site using salvaged wood and robotic assistance, the structure opens up fresh possibilities for architecture and urban design, moving away from conventions that serve only human needs.
This project imagines a more generous future, one where biodiversity is not an afterthought but part of the blueprint. Set within the evolving Fishermans Bend precinct, a post-industrial landscape undergoing redevelopment, Made By Robots proposes a web of small-scale living environments for other species, linking into “bio-corridors” that meander through the city.
The exhibition is the result of the Digital Fabrication Elective at the Melbourne School of Design (MSD), University of Melbourne. Designed by students and realised by Michael Park in collaboration with MSD’s Robotics Lab, the project was supported by FB IDEAs, the Creative Futures Fund (MSD), and Vaughan Constructions.
Event information
Time: 12:00 – 00:00 (UTC+10)
Location: 884 Lorimer Street, Port Melbourne VIC, Australia
Exhibition: “Threads of Connection (To Self)”
Threads of Connection (To Self) is an immersive fibre art installation exploring the quiet complexities of growth, resilience and selfhood. Inspired by artist Kasia Dudkiewicz’s personal journey, and presented under her label, Knotted By Hand, the exhibition transforms fibre into more than just medium. It becomes a path to healing, reflection and inner strength.
Delicate yet deeply expressive, the handwoven works trace an emotional arc from fragmentation to coherence, from uncertainty to clarity. Through textured landscapes of yarn and knotted forms, the pieces evoke movement and metamorphosis. Here, the process of growing up is not linear but layered, filled with imperfect beauty.
Alongside the exhibition, visitors can observe a live demonstration by Dudkiewicz, whose work is both intuitive and technically assured. A large-scale community tapestry, created collaboratively throughout the design week, invites the public to take part—each knot marking a shared moment, a quiet act of connection. The work concludes today.
Event information
Time: 10:00 – 16:00 (UTC+10)
Location: M+Co Living Showroom, 13 Roper Street, Moorabbin VIC, Australia
Exhibition: “Offcuts”
Making its debut at Melbourne Design Week, Offcuts by Made Studio reimagines the overlooked. Here, fragments of discarded oak become sculptural statements, works that challenge the idea of waste and celebrate the beauty of what remains.
Created by artist brothers Garrett and Alex Lark, the pieces stem from the surplus of the studio’s production process. Each offcut, once dismissed, is given a new life, transformed into objects that blur the line between furniture and art. Offcuts is not just a design showcase; it is a meditation on impermanence, regeneration, and our relationship with the material world.
Event information
Time: 11:00 – 16:00 (UTC+10)
Location: Made Studio, 175 Rose Street, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
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Exhibition: “Carrying Loud”
Carrying is no longer merely a gesture or a function, it becomes a design statement in Carrying Loud. In this inventive exhibition, bags are just the beginning. From cranes to shelves, hands to unseen forces, the idea of “carrying” expands into unexpected forms.
Playful yet thoughtful, the project poses a question: if we reframe the act of carrying through a design lens, what might it become? With support from the Alpaka brand, the exhibition bridges concept and commerce, offering insight into production methods, access to international networks and a space where ideas might take tangible form.
Event information
Time: 10:00 – 16:00 (UTC+10)
Location: Alpaka Labs, 28 Wharf Street, Docklands VIC, Australia
Credits
Images: Melbourne Design Week
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