2021 MPavilion program to offer over 250 free events

2021 MPavilion event to offer over 250 free events

As Melbourne reopens, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation has unveiled the 2021 MPavilion program -with Australia’s leading architecture and design event offering over 250 free events for its eighth season. Marking MPavilion’s longest-ever season, the 2021 program will span 152 days and welcome design minds from around Australia and across the globe, in a celebration of the important contribution of design in Melbourne’s cultural landscape.

Designed by MAP studio (Venice), this year’s pavilion entitled ‘The LightCatcher’ will take pride of place in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens from Thursday 2nd December until Saturday 24th April 2022, with an online program offered from Tuesday 23rd November.

As Melbourne enthusiastically springs back to life, MPavilion will play a key role in supporting Melbourne’s creative community and revitalising the city with talks, workshops, performances, family-friendly activities, community projects, and installations throughout the summer for its most expansive season yet. Each month of MPavilion 2021 will centre on a different theme comprising of:

• Island Life (November)

• That Which Makes Things Visible (December)

• Vacation, Location, Staycation (January)

• Rituals: Marking Life (February)

• Design as a Human Right (March)

• The Reality of this Time (April)

Naomi Milgrom founder of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation notes “following two years of uncertainty, MPavilion 2021 provides an optimistic beacon of post-pandemic recovery for the creative life of our city. MAP studio’s MPavilion will bring the community together and renew connection in a safe environment for our first season back in the Queen Victoria Gardens. Driven by our mission to champion architecture and design, our partnership with MAP and the diversity of this year’s program promises to reinvigorate the dialogue between Melbourne and the rest of the world.”

Bringing together over 500 guests from across Australia and around the world, MPavilion 2021 will feature special talks and events with international guests such as Francesco Magnani and Traudy Pelzel from MAP studio (Venice) in conversation with much-loved Grand Designs Australia host and architect Peter Maddison; artist of Feral Trade Kate Rich (UK); globally renowned design collective Space Saloon; Stockholm-based architecture office Secretary; Venice Studio Melbourne with Melbourne School of Design (MSD), and a host of internationally lauded architects including; Sean Godsell Architects, MOS (USA), MVRDV (Netherlands), Sauerbruch Hutton (Denmark), Bolles+Wilson (Denmark), Snøhetta (Norway), Armature Globale (Luigi Alberto Cippini) (Italy), Salottobuono (Italy), Baukuh (Italy), Dorte Mandrup (Denmark), Lütjens Padmanabhan Architekten (Switzerland), 2050+ (Italy), Monadnock (Netherlands), Moreau Kusunoki (France), Young & Ayata (USA), UNStudio (Netherlands), Dogma (Belgium) and Zaha Hadid Architects (UK).

Celebrated locals will also lead an expansive schedule of events and workshops, including opening weekend celebrations with Melbourne Music Week, and the inimitable soprano, composer and proud Yorta Yorta woman, Deborah Cheetham.  

This year’s MProjects—a series of unique creations and residencies for MPavilion—include the inaugural Melbourne launch of Skywhalepapa, the giant hot-air-balloon sculpture by Australia’s renowned visual artist, Patricia Piccinini, which will fly over the city of Melbourne; the M_Curators mentoring experience for ten emerging curators aged 15 to 25; a spatial design installation by Secretary Project; the fifth outing of BLAKitecture: The Manifesto, a three-day forum on Indigenous architecture. And MMeets—The Salon: Designing the Self, featuring a series of events on all aspects of the salon from intimacy and emotions, to the politics of beauty, to the important role design can play in the salon and will include a free pop-up nail bar.

Other highlights include DJ 101 with DJ Sarah, a program that takes eight emerging female-identifying, trans and non-binary DJs through basic skills over six weeks with a live group show at MPavilion at the end of their course to celebrate; a fashion show with new fashion collective Outwst; a weekend of events curated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander not-for-profit organisation Agency Projects, architect, writer and educator Tania Davidge, Samantha Donnelly and Sophie Dyring on public housing for women; and a series of talks and DJ sessions that celebrate the nightclub as a space for culture, design and expression with DJ and the 'unofficial Night Mayor of Melbourne' Andee Frost. Other highlights include collaborations with Melbourne Fringe, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), TarraWarra Museum of Art, Australian Tapestry Workshop and Melbourne Theatre Company.

MPavilion 2021 digital program will run from 23rd November to 1st December

MPavilion 2021 physical space will be open to the public from 2nd December to 24th April 2022

For further information please visit www.mpavilion.org

Image top: MPavilion 2021 Skyline Render; Image above: MPavilion 2021 Skywhalepapa by Patricia Piccinini