Words: Lara Pacillo // Main photo: MOTION exhibition by Jonathan VDK
This August, Adelaide’s design community takes over the city, celebrating the thinkers, designers and makers who underpin the Adelaide’s creative identity.
From Wednesday 20 August to Sunday 24 August, every*where: Adelaide Design Week’s inaugural run will transform galleries, laneways and pop-up spaces across the CBD with curated exhibitions, workshops, talks, tours and public programs — all free or low-cost.
The program features over 100 designers and makers from across a broad cultural spectrum, including 2049, 4th Floor Elevator, Fab Workshop, Form-S, FUTUREJUICE, Hugo Michell Gallery, JamFactory, Soda Objects, Studio Gram, Estilo, 1K Chairs and more.
The ADW team is made up of local designers, lecturers, architects and artists including Ashleigh Pinto, Andrew Lymn-Penning, Bronwyn Marshall, Claire Markwick-Smith, Dre Fuzz, Eli Makris, Hannah White, James Brown, Lara Merrington and Sami Agostino.
Lara says the festival fills a long-recognised gap and reinforces Adelaide’s status as a genuine capital of design, with South Australia home to 10,000 firms, 15,000 jobs and a design economy valued at $1.8 billion.
“Adelaide’s design culture has deep craft roots — from furniture and ceramics to world-leading design education,” Lara says.
“This program is just a glimpse into revealing how that legacy continues to evolve, with internationally acclaimed designers shaping new ideas and connections right here on Kaurna Country.
“It also reflects Adelaide’s unique cross-disciplinary spirit, where architecture, design and making are inseparable parts of the same creative conversation.”
The team hopes the festival will become a permanent fixture on South Australia’s cultural calendar, providing a platform both for those within and outside design practice, while raising visibility for SA’s growing design and arts community.
“Adelaide has always been a quiet storm small city with a wild imagination. Festival blood runs in its veins,” James says.
“Design is every*where. ADW isn’t a beige handshake in a convention hall. It’s a pulse running through the city — messy, brilliant and necessary. To disrupt, to question, to rebuild and have some fun.”
Here are ten events to check out >>
- ‘MOTION’ (+ OPENING PARTY)
Opening Party: Tues 19.08 // Exhibition: Wed 20.08 – Sun 24.08
1/145 Franklin Street, Adelaide
Curated by Rachel Leppinus and photographed by Jonathan VDK
Motion brings together the work of 80 South Australian designers and makers in one space. The opening is an opportunity to connect with Adelaide’s design community and celebrate a week of curated events exploring the role of design in shaping the world around us.
2. CLOCKWORK
Exhibition: Wed 20.08 – Sun 24.08 // Opening: Fri 22.08
Soda Objects, 1 Rosetta Street, West Croydon
Presented by Soda Objects and Maz Mis
Clockwork features contributions from over 30 local makers and designers, including one of Australia’s leading architecture and interior design practices Studio Gram, design studio Daniel Emma, and furniture studio Fanco Crea, among others. The exhibition presents the breadth and innovation of Adelaide’s design talent in one curated space.
3. POST(ER) GRAPHICS (+ CLOSING PARTY)
Exhibition: Wed 20.08 – Sun 21.09 // Closing party: Sat 23.08
248 Flinders Street, Adelaide
Curated by Futurejuice and 2049
The Post(er) Graphics exhibition is a curated collection of graphic works alongside interactive screens. It is also the home of Saturday’s ADW closing party, offering the public a chance to celebrate the festival’s finale while connecting with the local design community.
4. SHOP FRONT DESIGN SPRINT
Activation: Wed 20.08 – Sun 24.08 // Tour: Sun 24.08
East End/Rundle Street multiple locations
Local businesses collaborate with Adelaide-based architects and designers to activate their shopfronts with intimate and considered responses. Miss Gladys Sym Choon x David Musch, House of Vnholy x TANTRUM, and Smokelovers x Dave Court are just a few of the creative pairings. The Sunday tour begins at LOC and finishes at Smokelovers with drinks and music.
5. ANGULAR
Exhibition: Thurs 21.08 – Sat 23.08 // Opening: Fri 22.08
Level 4/14 Grenfell Street, Adelaide
Presented by 4th Floor Elevator’s Dexter Campos and Eric Bagnara with sound by Tarp
Angular installation weaves together projections — cast onto works by Cheesman, Doley and other Adelaide modernist figures — and soundscapes that challenge viewers to reconsider the façades of Adelaide modernism. The installation reflects how 4FE’s furniture art and industrial design collection interacts with the architecture surrounding it.
6. A NEW NORMAL
Fri 22.08
Studio Gram, 68 Chief Street, Brompton
Presented by Ross Harding and Finding Infinity
A New Normal is a provocation on urban futures and climate adaptation. The event explores how design can lead to regenerative city systems, bringing together architects and studios including Das Studio, 2049, Woods Bagot, Baukultur and more.
7. SOFT
Fri 22.08 – Sat 23.08
Mini Mansion, Pultney Street, Adelaide
Presented by Calum Hurley and Andy TT
Soft arrives in Adelaide following its appearance at Melbourne Design Week, transforming a residential space into a curated gallery and creating a sanctuary of ethereal and delicate works. The exhibition invites viewers to embrace the tender side of life, showcasing pieces from 12 artists including Bindi Nimmo, Stephen Roy, Carol Herbertson and more.
8. OPEN STUDIOS
Sat 23.08
Multiple locations
Curated by Hannah White, Bronwyn Marshall and Lara Merrington
Open Studios offers a rare peek into the workspaces of leading architecture, design and craft practitioners across Adelaide. Explore studios and meet designers from internationally renowned firms to revered local makers, including WBL, Woods Bagot, Baukultur, JamFactory, Jon Goulder and others.
9. IN COLLABORATION WITH
Exhibition: Sat 23.08 – Sun 24.08 // Opening: Sat 23.08
Jackson Square, 57 Manton Street, Hindmarsh
Curated by household and Ember Satyn
IN COLLABORATION WITH showcases works by 50 Adelaide artists and designers exploring collaboration through material and collective practice. Harrison Gale, Courtney Hogan, Lily Morin, Martina Beka, Elaine Thomas and Luke James are just some of the artists featured.
10. OPEN TALKS
Sun 24.08
Longplay Bistro, 131 Pirie Street, Adelaide
Curated by Hannah White and Bronwyn Marshall
The open panel discussion explores the magnetic pull of certain places, the value of staying rooted, and how Adelaide fits into the broader story of design practice and identity. Featuring Matiya Marovich (Sans-Arc Studio), Sophia Leopardi (Design by WBL), Rua Hashlamoun (Brown Falconer) and Jacob Stavrakis (YSG), Open Talks will examine how place shapes the way we work and why we choose to stay.
every*where: Adelaide Design Week: Wednesday 20 August to Sunday 24 August
