Swayn Senior Fellowship in Australian Design
In 2019, The Swayn Gallery of Australian Design collaborated with the National Museum of Australia to create the Swayn Senior Fellowship in Australian Design.
Swayn Senior Fellowship in Australian Design
The Fellowship was established to develop the program for the Swayn Centre for Australian Design, a curatorial centre at the National Museum of Australia.
The Swayn Centre for Australian Design explored the identity and characteristics of contemporary Australian design through links with the design profession, peak bodies and the National Museum of Australia’s vast collection.
The Swayn Senior Fellow in Australian Design focused on all aspects of design, including architecture, landscape architecture, fashion, graphic design, furniture as well as product and digital design. The Fellowship aimed to increase public connection to and appreciation of Australian design, through collections, collaborations, exhibitions, events, and research.
Adrienne Erickson
Adrienne Erickson served as the inaugural Swayn Senior Fellow from 2019 to 2021. Her work focused on Indigenous-led fashion and textile design, sustainable futures, and experimental digital design. This Fellowship period was significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr Lyndon Anderson
Dr Lyndon Anderson held the Fellowship from 2022 to 2024. His work highlighted the contributions of influential Australian designers - past and present - and helped to empower the next generation of designers to find and express their voice.
Material World Exhibition
Material World was a compelling exhibition that delved into the story of design—shaped by necessity, creativity, commerce, and research—through both traditional and emerging materials and technologies.
Developed in a collaboration between the Swayn Gallery of Australian Design and the National Museum of Australia, the exhibition showcased the evolution of human design by featuring objects from research centres, designers, and the National Museum of Australia’s collection. These objects were displayed in the Gandel Atrium from 27 April 2023 to 1 April 2024.
The exhibition highlighted the creativity and innovation of First Nations peoples, early settlers, scientists, engineers, designers, artists, and architects.
Curated by Adjunct Professor Lyndon Anderson, Swayn Senior Fellow in Australian Design (pictured above), Material World featured objects crafted from glass, leather, ceramics, metal, and wood.
The exhibition could be experienced as a whole or as five smaller showcases, each focusing on a specific material and its evolution - from First Nations applications to space exploration.
Adjunct Professor Lyndon Anderson
Professor Anderson emphasised the exhibition’s significance in revealing the deep connections between culture, design, technology, and materials.
Material World Image and Header Image credit: National Museum of Australia
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‘Material Ecologies Design Lab‘ by Kate Scardifield. Material World: Nature’s Lab, New Materials in Design, Visions Theatre, National Museum of Australia. Wednesday 27 September 2023
‘Presentation‘ by Peter Besley. Material World: Nature’s Lab, New Materials in Design, Visions Theatre, National Museum of Australia. Wednesday 27 September 2023
‘Refashioned’ RMIT Link Arts & Culture as part of the 2013 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program by Alia Parker. Material World: Nature’s Lab, New Materials in Design, Visions Theatre, National Museum of Australia. Wednesday 27 September 2023
‘Everything Old is New Again‘ by Iain Maxwell. Material World: Nature’s Lab, New Materials in Design, Visions Theatre, National Museum of Australia. Wednesday 27 September 2023
‘Diminutive Architects: Biomimicry, Renaissance Insects and Architects’ by Dr Lyndon Anderson. Published in The Museum, Issue 20, December 2022
‘Reinventing the Wheel’ by Dr Lyndon Anderson. NMA Blog published 3 July 2023
‘A Postwar Australian Interior Design History: The Story of an Emerging Field’ by Catriona Quinn. Published in The Museum, Issue 22 September 2023
‘From Grass Reeds to Glass Canes and Back Again: Some Recent Innovations in Glass‘ by Lyndon Anderson. Published in The Museum. Issue 22 September 2023
‘The Built Environment in the ‘Age of Treaty’: Simon Jackson in Conversation with Jefa Greenaway‘ Published in The Museum. Issue 22 September 2023
‘The Golden Age of Australian Travel Posters’ by David Whitbread. Published in The Museum. Issue 22 September 2023
‘Four Object Stories of the Snowy Hydro‘ by Joni Taylor. Published in The Museum. Issue 22 September 2023
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Blueprint For Living, ABC RN Material World – A story of design, technology, material and culture
Blueprint For Living is a weekly rummage through the essential cultural ingredients — design, food, travel, gardens and fashion — for a good life.
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Emile Theau and Alastair Pilley, designers and co-founders of Sine Surf, wanted to eliminate polluting and harmful materials such as plastic-based foams and fibreglass from surfboards. Their boards are made of Paulownia, a light, fine-grained and warp-resistant hardwood that is fast-growing and can be sustainably harvested. The manufacturing process produces less than 500 grams of waste and the finished board is 95 per cent biodegradable.
‘Points’ or spearheads are traditionally made from stone and used for the tips of spears and as exchange items. After European colonisation, Indigenous people were quick to make use of new materials such as glass and ceramics. Easy to work with, they gave a very sharp edge and were readily available. The one featured was made from an old glass bottle. The consistent flaking properties of glass meant points could be longer and more finely shaped than those made from stone.
Made from a lightweight metal alloy called nitinol. It has been shape-set, which means the metal ‘remembers’ its shape when expanded. The compressed stent is small enough to be inserted in the artery via a tube. When in position, it expands to the set shape, holding the artery open.
InBetween Exhibition
Inbetween: Cultural Connections through Design was an immersive, large-scale filmic experience reimagined from an exhibition in Australia’s pavilion at the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture by creative directors Jefa Greenaway and Tristan Wong.
The exhibition was showcased at the National Museum of Australia from November 2021 to June 2022. It featured a collection of architectural projects selected for their powerful representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures, highlighting the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge, agency, and voice.
Embedding practices and knowledge that has been around for more than 60,000 years into the way we design buildings creates opportunities for a new kind of architecture that is better for people, cities and the environment.
Tristan Wong
Spanning locations across Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Fiji, and Vanuatu, Inbetween fostered cross-cultural exchanges and demonstrated the potential of architecture to enrich and revitalise First Nations knowledge, cultures, and identities. The curators adapted the exhibition to a virtual format due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, ensuring its impact endured beyond the biennale. More information here
krakani lumi, wukalia walk. Location: wukalina/Mount William National Park (North East Nation) lutruwita (Tasmania). Language/cultural groups: trawlwoolway, palawa pakana. Architects: Taylor + Hinds Architects. Photo: Adam Gibson krakani lumi (resting place) is a standing camp at the foot of wukalina (Mount William), within the Mount William National Park, located on lutruwita’s (Tasmania’s) north-eastern coastal plains. It acts as accommodation for a cultural walk that is guided and operated by the wukalina walk, a subsidiary enterprise of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania. This project is strongly informed by the siting, materials and traditional half-domed forms of ancient palawa/pakana shelters. krakani lumi incorporates traditional interiors lined in blackwood, and the exterior is clad in robustly detailed charred silver top ash. When opened by cultural custodians, the interiors reveal the stories of the surrounding Country. When not in use, the storytelling interiors are concealed and protected by the robust charred exterior, which becomes a shadow against the coastal banksia that surround the site.
For Our Country memorial. Location: Lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Language/cultural groups: Ngunnawal and Ngambri. Architects: Daniel Boyd and Edition Office Architects. Photo: Ben Hosking For Our Country is the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war memorial. Located in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial, it commemorates the service of Indigenous people in the Australian armed forces. A basalt stone field outlines the outer face of the memorial, establishing a collective gathering space defined by a 10-metre-wide, 3-metre-high veil which captures the landscape and the viewer within a cloud of mirrored lenses. Behind this veil, a black-pigmented rammed earth wall curves to define an intimate and darkened resting space which provides a view out to the stone field and the landscape beyond. The project sought to create a space of profound dignity and respect where people could reflect on Indigenous connection to Country and on the service and sacrifice of Indigenous people in times of war.
Image 3 - Te Pāe Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre. Location: Ōtautahi (Christchurch) Aotearoa (New Zealand). Language/cultural groups: Ngāi Tūāhuriri/Ngāi Tahu. Architects: Woods Bagot, with Warren and Mahoney. Photo: Ōtākaro Ltd Te Pāe Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre is the city’s gathering place. This architectural landmark was designed to be a welcoming heart for a city which continues to rebuild after the devastating 2011 earthquake. The new convention centre is a building driven by its sense of place and by the diverse cultural values of the people of Christchurch. Its design powerfully redresses the former centre’s lack of relevance to Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi (people or nation) of New Zealand’s South Island. The Matapopore Charitable Trust, representing Ngāi Tūāhuriri or Ngāi Tahu, was part of the design team. Te Pāe’s placement relates strongly to a wider landscape highly valued by Ngāi Tūāhuriri. Representing the region both culturally and geographically, the architecture is conditioned by the distinctive braided rivers of the Canterbury Plains, expressed as ribbons that wrap around the building mass, defining its entries and framing its unique views.
Cakaudrove Women’s Resource Centre, A I Tatadra – Dreaming Project. Location: Savasuvu, Vanua Levu, Fiji. Language/cultural groups: Fijian dialects, Cakaudrove Province. Architects: Architects Without Frontiers. Photo: James Mepham The Cakaudrove Women’s Resource Centre structure takes its cues from the significant traditional bure (thatched) structures that were the cultural heart of all rural villages in Fiji. The women of Cakaudrove are custodians of sacred knowledge, and as a result of the project have sovereign rights to a space where they can discuss the issues that concern them, share and preserve culture, make a livelihood and feel safe within the community. The centre provides space for women to meet and sell craft, tell stories, educate each other and cook together. It provides an outlet for these women to address common issues and support mutual causes among themselves. It can also provide secure accommodation for women and families in need.
Image 6 - Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative Limited (GEGAC). Location: Gunaikurnai Country, South-East Coastal Plain, Bairnsdale, Victoria. Language/cultural groups: Brataualung/Bratowooloong; Braiakalung/Brayakooloong; Brabralung/Brabuwooloong; Tatungalung/Tatungooloong; Krauatungalung/Krowathunkooloong. Architects: Baldasso Cortese Architects. Photo: Peter Clarke GEGAC is a community-run, not-for-profit organisation that provides a range of housing and medical services to local Aboriginal people. The GEGAC Brabuwooloong Medical Centre is a primary health care services provider that has significantly enhanced the delivery of medical, dental and allied health services to the East Gippsland Indigenous community. The form of the building draws inspiration from ancient Gunaikurnai eel-net artefacts from the Gippsland Lakes region. Natural colours and textures allow the building to sit comfortably in the landscape. Rammed earth walls are used internally throughout the building, with timber ceiling detailing in the entry which complements the earthy textured carpet and vinyl fini
Kutubu Convention Centre. Location: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Language/cultural groups: Tok Pisin, the official language of Papua New Guinea. Architects: Grimshaw; Ignite Architects (Joint Venture Architect, NZ). Photo: Adam Bruzzone The Kutubu Convention Centre, designed to host the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, is set in a sloping former quarry site in Port Moresby. It is named after the Lake Kutubu region in the Papua New Guinea Highlands province. The convention centre is a cultural landmark for the capital and hosts community arts organisations, presentations and exhibitions, as well as international business conferences and events. The centre forms part of a ‘Cultural Trail’ whose signage and wayfinding, artworks, objects and moving image touchpoints pay homage to and connect with the country’s 800 different dialects, 87 districts, 22 provinces and four regions, the Tok Pisin language and local artforms – all of which help to create an authentic national experience within the precinct.
Yagan Square. Location: Whadjuk Noongar Country, Perth, Western Australia. Language/cultural groups: Whadjuk Noongar. Architects: Lyons Architects, Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, Aspect Studios, and Maddison Architects. Photo: Peter Bennetts Yagan Square is a public urban space in Perth, located on former wetlands – a place of hunting and gathering, ceremony and cultural gathering. It is a living platform for performance and dialogue. It has been conceived as a natural meeting place and a point of intersection for the Perth CBD, Northbridge and the new Perth City Link development, and seeks to physically reconnect the cultural precinct with the CBD. The levels, materials, artworks and flow of Yagan Square directly reference Noongar land and its histories. The six Noongar seasons are represented in the public art and landscape design through the inclusion of an integrated water feature artwork and representations of important wetlands animals (such as swans and swamp hens), and through the use of stone cladding from Noongar Country – sandstone, limestone and granite – all quarried locally. Yagan Square’s digital tower is composed of 14 reeds, representing the 14 language groups.
Image 7 - East Pilbara Arts Centre (EPAC). Location: Nyiyaparli Country Newman, Pilbara, Western Australia. Language/cultural groups: Nyiyaparli and Martu. Architects: Officer Woods Architects. Photo: Robert Frith, Acorn Photo EPAC is a contemporary gallery and working space that provides Martumili Artists with a purpose-built creative facility for cultural expression, education, public exhibitions and sales of their work. The project encourages a genuine cross-cultural experience for visitors, allowing Martu people to direct, program, curate and celebrate a strong Indigenous voice in the town, region and state. It supports the notion that when culture is supported by robust social and physical infrastructure, it leads to stronger, healthier communities. The architecture and siting of the centre establishes it as a key civic building on the main street of Newman. Its scale and presence, announced by a 45-metre-long coded graphic, demonstrate its substantial civic and communal purpose.
Piinpi Exhibition
Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion was a celebration Indigenous art, history, and culture through contemporary fashion and design.
The exhibition showcased garments and textiles from First Nations designers and artists across Australia, including works by Lyn-Al Young, Grace Lillian-Lee, Lisa Waup x Ingrid Verner, Mare Clarke, Babbarra Women's Centre, Hopevale Arts and Cultural Centre, AARLI Fashion, and more.
Presented at the National Museum of Australia from February to August 2021, Piinpi takes its name from a Kanichi Thampanyu term that describes the changing landscapes across time and space. The exhibition, curated by Shonae Hobson at Bendigo Art Gallery, was organised around four widely recognised seasons, emphasising the deep cultural connection many First Nations people hold with the land. It highlighted the strength and diversity of Australia's growing Indigenous fashion and textile industry. More information here
Seedpods dress, 2019, Grace Rosendale, silk organza, elastic and sequinned fabric, Hopevale Arts and Cultural Centre and Queensland University of Technology Image credit: Bronwyn Kidd