Sydney Design Week 2022, a program of exhibitions, talks, film screenings and workshops, takes place this week from 15 to 22 September 2022. Curated by writer, editor and Sydney Design Week Creative Director Stephen Todd, the 2022 program Making Now examines the role of design across various disciplines, from industrial and interior design to graphics, scenography, restaurant design and more.

“Sydney Design Week celebrates designers who are defining the cultural moment in Sydney and around the world. This year’s theme, Making Now, expands design parameters to explore myriad expressions across disciplines and industries. The program will set the scene for the future of design,” says Todd.

The DIA has selected seven highlights:

1. New Australian Design, an exhibition curated by Local Design Director Emma Elizabeth, will present new works by over 20 Australian designers, including Andrew Simpson, Tom Fereday, Amanda Talbot, Elliat Rich, Luke Storrier, Adam Goodrum, Leon Curtis, DesignByThem, Kenny Yong-soo Son, Patryk Koca, bernabeifreeman, Tom Skeehan, Henry Wilson, Sarah Ellison, Jon Goulder, Marlo Lyda, Alex Fitzpatrick, Olive Gill-Hille, Ivana Taylor, Tarryn Gill and David Tate, Edward Waring, Justin Kong, Jiaying Qian and more (Powerhouse Ultimo, opening 15 September).

2. Bruce Mau, visionary designer keynote in partnership with UNSW Faculty of Arts, Design Architecture on his design-thinking methodology for whole-system transformation, drawing on 30 years of design innovation and collaboration with leading brands, heads of state and renowned artists (Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

3. Mumbai-born co-founder of internationally renowned London-based design studio Doshi Levien, Nipa Doshi, will present a keynote on the importance of cross-cultural perspectives when designing for leading manufacturers and cultural institutions (Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

4. Sydney Design Week is partnering with the recently opened Ace Hotel, Sydney, the first Australian incarnation of the famed US hotel, to present a series of talks and workshops. Other Architects Director Grace Mortlock and Powerhouse Director, First Nations Emily McDaniel, will discuss the importance of creativity in the urban context. The team behind Ace Hotel’s rooftop restaurant Kiln, Fiona Lynch (CicciaBella Parramatta) and Mitch Orr (Pilu, ACME), will explore the role of design in the restaurant scene. Interior designer David Flack, Powerhouse Creative Industries Resident Nell, designer Elliat Rich and sculptor Sanné Mestrom will delve into pre and post-industrial creativity (Ace Hotel, 16 September).

5. Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert will unveil the research-led collection of filmmaker, photographer and interior designer Don Cameron who created his first signature range of furniture and lighting inspired by the Brutalist architecture of post-WWII Europe (1 September – 2 October).

6. In a combined open house event, Smart Design Studio (William Smart) and DesignByThem (Sarah Gibson and Nick Karlovasitis) invite the public into their studios and present an exhibition of new work launching DesignByThem’s new gallery space (Stokes Avenue Showroom, 18 September).

7. First Nations design practitioners Jo Kinniburgh and Shannon Foster of Bangawarra studio will share new insights, perspectives and stories through a walking tour, Design Studio In Focus (departing from Powerhouse Ultimo, 18 September).

For the complete program, you can go to https://sydneydesign.maas.museum/.