STATE OF DESIGN FESTIVAL | MELBOURNE | AUSTRALIA | 2010 | PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER LA TROBE STREET

A 10 DAY CREATIVE HUB, FESTIVAL PROGRAM, AND EXHIBITIONS: RESISTING AND CRITIQUING CONSUMER CULTURE IN MELBOURNE’S SHOPPING HEARTLAND

CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE workSHOP RESIDENCY (refer tab on home page for more on residency)

Exhibition, creative hub and festival program designed, curated and presented by: Caroline Vains, Lynda Roberts, Anthony McInneny as The Department of Counter Culture

With students from School of Architecture and Design, RMIT University,:

Lingas Tran | Phoebe Baker-Gabb | Ying Di | Danah Gochman | Ainslie Herbert | Yi Lin Miao | Emily Parker | Krystal Rawnson | Sarah Rowley | Ping Tiang | Linh Tran | Jessica Wood | Domesiri Bunnag | Stephanie Chan | Kerr He | Matthew Letho | Michelle Lim | TuYen Nguyen | Rahul Pereira | Also students from Schools of Art and Industrial Design, RMIT University, Melbourne.

Counter Point: As part of Melbourne’s annual 10-day State of Design Festival, the Department of Counter Culture and workSHOP hosted ‘Counter Point’, a creative hub and festival program. It was held on the pedestrian bridge over busy La Trobe Street, and connecting two mega shopping centres (Melbourne Central Shopping Centre and Myers shopping Emporium).

The program included three exhibitions of work produced during the workSHOP residency, a series of speaker evenings called ‘Hear-Say’, a public library, an opening performance, and a fashion parade. The aim of Counter Point was to resist and critique consumer culture on one hand, and offer alternatives to it on the other. And to do this in ways that addressed its site in the retail heart of Melbourne.

The project was supported by Melbourne Central Shopping Centre (GPT Group), RMIT University Design Research Institute (DRI), RMIT University School of Architecture & Design, and RMIT University School of Art.

Top photo shows exhibit of work by Lingas Tran, Phoebe Baker-Gabb and Ainslie Herbert, photo by Caroline Vains.