Walking the world of design in Fremantle

Will YeomanThe West Australian
Camera Icon Victoria Quay Design & Architecture Walk. Credit: /The West Australian

Design is everywhere. But familiarity often renders it invisible. That’s why showcases such as Fremantle Design Week, which this year boasts more than 50 walks, tours, exhibitions, talks, workshops, films and other activities, are essential. They reconnect us with the everywhere of design.

And what better way than to connect the dots yourself by traversing the eminently walkable port city that is Fremantle? Especially when, appropriately enough, this year’s theme is “transition”: an invitation not just to reconnect but to reimagine our shared spaces on both a local and global level.

Indeed, as creative director Pippa Hurst says, the program “has a local focus and a global outlook, one that is set to showcase the incredibly talented local design community whilst also sharing design ideas from around the world”.

PS Art Space in Pakenham Street is Fremantle Design Week’s event hub. It’s as good a place as any to begin your exploration, with exhibitions including Planet City and The Great Endeavour. You might also head over to Shacks Gallery on the corner of James Street and Beach Street for Gradient, or The Nature of Transition at the Fremantle Naval Store in Queen Victoria Street. Then there’s Rose Megirian’s Many Peaks Assembly open studio in Market Street.

As for tours and walks — there are plenty. Since it’s Fremantle, you couldn’t afford not to join one of the Victoria Quay Design & Architecture walks with Fremantle Ports, which of course take in the award-winning WA Maritime Museum (2002) and historic Passenger Terminal (1962) while offering plenty of historical and social context around two such seemingly disparate but related structures.

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By contrast, there’s also a walking tour of Knutsford’s East Village, billed as “one of WA’s most sustainable infill developments”. And for the kids, Fremantle artist Sally Bower’s FOMO FREO-based X FOMO artistic treasure hunt.

Hurst hopes visitors will fall in love with the work of local and international designers and makers featured during Fremantle Design Week. She also emphasises the egalitarian nature of good design.

“Fremantle Design Week is driven by a strong belief that good design is for everyone. It’s a celebration where anyone can find their spark of inspiration.”

Fremantle Design Week is on from October 18 to 25. fremantledesignweek.com

Camera Icon Fremantle Naval Store. Credit: /The West Australian

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