Geelong
Design Week 2024 is being hailed as our most successful ever, attracting a
record 40,925 attendances across 86 events spanning 30 locations.
With
attendances up from 17,288 in 2023, last month’s festival saw 78.5 per cent of
attendees visit from Greater Geelong, 6.5 per cent from the Surf Coast and 10
per cent from Melbourne. We also welcomed attendees from regional Victoria (3.5
per cent) and interstate (1.5 per cent).
It’s
estimated that Geelong Design Week 2024 injected $1.4 million in direct and
indirect revenue into our local economy.
The
highlights were:
- Sell out events,
such as MOTEL with Tim Ross & Kit Warhurst, Architects home tours,
design films at the Pivotonian Cinema, Human by Nature - Understanding
Biophilic Design sessions and the City’s Design for Nature - Rewild our
urban public spaces event.
- Thousands
attended major design exhibitions at Platform Arts, Geelong Gallery and
National Wool Museum.
- Established and
up and coming designers front and centre at Boom Gallery, The Project
Space, Yarra St Gallery Design Showcase, The Gordon and Deakin University.
- Public
art was as popular as ever with Geelong Public Art Health Check and Back
to Back Theatre’s Light Letters.
- Family
activities that encourage growth and learning were a hit, particularly at
Barwon Water’s Pooseum of Modern (f)Art, Deakin’s Radial Recycling:
Co-Design and Reuse Through Creative Play and Geelong Gallery’s Learn
Space - Design + Play.
- Sustainability
in fashion was a hot topic with community members turning a 1.5-metre-high
mountain of discarded clothes into new garments, leaving behind just a few
pieces at the Circle of Thread - Pop Up.
- Inspiring
and critical discussions around heritage, adaptive reuse, circularity and
sustainability, and housing challenges including Design Thinking Geelong:
Strategic Design for Community Leaders.
- International
UNESCO Creative Cities featured, including a partnership between Nagoya
and Deakin called Tran2located, and the Geelong Tech School x Kortrijk
Wonder Festival Projections.
- Creatives
and designers inviting people to participate, meet them and understand
their work in Rutland St Design Hub Open Door and Creative Geelong.
Online
survey competition winner Mathew Hehir was presented with a 2024 Apple MacBook
Air (valued at $1,525) by Mayor Stretch Kontelj. Mathew attended the Design for
Nature - Rewild our urban public spaces, The Future isn't Black & White
with Colorplan and Tran2located events.
Mayor Stretch
Kontelj
Geelong Design Week has yet again proven to be a leading event for
our region.
Geelong Design
Week 2024 has shattered records with 40,925
attendances, up from 17,288 in 2023, showcasing the incredible design
talent we have in our region.
This
event encouraged the exchange of ideas and skills, reinforcing why Geelong is
Australia's only UNESCO City of Design.
Councillor Eddy Kontelj
We thank the community for supporting Geelong Design
Week 2024.
We’re
thrilled by the overwhelming response to our biggest ever program which has
increased exposure of our local design talent.
Local
residents and visitors came together to explore pressing issues in design,
fostering a deeper understanding and awareness that will lead to better
outcomes for our community.