The Powerhouse announced the Sydney Design Week 2023 program, featuring more than 60 events, including tours, workshops and public architecture presented across the city from 15–24 September 2023. The DIA is participating this year and takes a close look at the program.

Titled Amodern, in response to the work of prolific sociologist Bruno Latour (1947–2022), the program enlists six fields of enquiry to explore the complex and interconnected social and natural ecologies in which contemporary design operates. These fields of enquiry are Ecosystems, Material Cultures, Communal Cities, Micro Cycles, Connected Threads and Photofields.

Sydney Design Week 2023 has been programmed by Creative Director Keinton Butler, the Powerhouse's senior curator of design and architecture. Keinton says: "Amodern, the 27th Sydney Design Week, platforms the critical research, industries, infrastructure and technologies that underpin design practice in Sydney while embracing plural perspectives from our local communities." 

Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said, "Powerhouse is committed to sustainable and ethical research and design principles to create a future where nature is embedded into architecture. To coincide with the launch of Sydney Design Week, Powerhouse has announced the acquisition of the Jetsam table by acclaimed Australian designer Brodie Neill who collaborated with marine scientists to create this iconic work from recycled plastic found in the ocean. This is one of the museum's most significant recent design acquisitions and is a pivotal moment for the Powerhouse collection."

This year's program includes:

Keynote: Kwangho Lee

Inspired by his grandfather, who used natural materials from his farm to create ordinary items, the internationally acclaimed South Korean designer Kwangho Lee creates everyday objects with a fresh perspective. In 2009, Lee was nominated for the jury's selection of 'Designer of The Future' at Design Miami/Basel and, in 2023, was shortlisted as Wallpaper magazine's 'Designer of the Year'. His works are included in permanent collections at Powerhouse, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and he most recently collaborated on a new furniture collection for Swedish brand Hem. In a special keynote at Powerhouse Ultimo on 16 September, Lee will delve into his practice.

DIA Design Days - Mindful Materiality  

Presented by the DIA and moderated by industrial designer Nila Rezaei, this discussion explores the work of four local designers, artists and writers who place materials at the core of their practice. 

Speakers include author and design writer Penny Craswell, design-maker Marlo Lyda, experimental textile and fashion designer Alia Parker and sculptor Alex Seton. Whether by examining the properties of marble as a poetic device, implementing regenerative solutions at the nexus of biology and design, or finding sustainable and ethical ways of engaging with materiality, all hope to leave a lasting positive impact.

This event is for design professionals, researchers, sustainability advocates, cultural enthusiasts, and those interested in the transformative power of design in shaping our material, cultural, and technological futures. It is taking place at Shades Bar on 23 September.

Ocean Terrazzo

Three experts in science, cultural studies and design consider the issue of plastic and global ecosystems in a panel discussion on 24 September. Dr Jennifer Lavers, who collaborated with Brodie Neill on the Jetsam table, will join Professor Gay Hawkins and Powerhouse curator Angelique Hutchison to discuss the role of design solutions to the problem of plastic.  

Objects testify

Objects testify is a community-engaged program exploring the colonial legacies of Australia's built environment and its ongoing impact on First Nations communities, led by Wiradjuri anti-disciplinary artist and Powerhouse design resident Joel Sherwood Spring, Objects testify is presented at UTS Gallery from 15 September.  

Architecture Amplified: Building Communities

Inspired by Parramatta's civic and cultural hub PHIVE, curator Kate Goodwin and Co-Director of Sibling Architecture Qianyi Lim interrogate the relationships between architecture, communities and equitable environments through a vibrant program of walks, talks and site-specific performances presented on 16 September.

Nawal Sari. Photo: Peter Hayes 

Modest Fashion Design Studio

A full-day, intensive workshop led by fashion designers and digital creatives exploring the innovation and beauty of contemporary modest fashion. Participants will collaborate with industry leaders and emerging talent to explore the intersection of contemporary design, cultural identity and sustainability. Workshop leaders include digital creator and fashion influencer Nawal Sari, designer Anjilla Seddeqi, Powerhouse curator Glynis Jones, designer Aheda Zanetti, FDS at TAFE NSW Head of Fashion Design Laura Washington, founder of Fashions of Multicultural Australia Sonia Gandhi and co-founder of TWIICE Niagara Momin. Saturday, 16 September, at Parramatta Female Factory, North Parramatta. 

Ace Hotel

Sydney Design Week will partner with Ace Hotel Sydney for a second year to co-present a series of talks, workshops and a special Supper Session at Australia's first incarnation of the famed US hotel.

To attend the DIA Design Days - Mindful Materiality  

To read more on the full program