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FORUM PROGRAM

FRIDAY 1ST MARCH 2024

SCIENCE GALLERY MELBOURNE

9:15am

Arrival

9:30 - 9:31am

Acknowledgement of Country

9:31 - 9:40am

Videos: The George Alexander Foundation and ISS Institute

9:40 - 9:45am

Introduction to The George Alexander Foundation

Paul Conroy, CEO of The Ian Potter Foundation and The George Alexander Foundation

9:45 - 11:10am

Fashion Forum:

  1. Kirri-Mae Sampson – Innovative Knitwear | Skills and contemporary models

  2. Avril Buchanan – The Art of Pleating 

  3. Vincent Meyrick – Knitting & Spinning: Craftsmanship and textile technology in contemporary Japan 

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11:10 - 11:30am

Morning Tea and Networking

11:30 - 12:40pm

Conservation Journeyman: A year long journey discovering heritage skills in restoration 

Shane Wiechnik

Book Conservation Advocacy:  A Year of Bookbinding Training - reverse-engineering historic book structures with Karen Hanmer

Camielle Fitzmaurice

12:40 - 1:10pm

Lunch

1:10 - 2:10pm

Music and Art Forum

 

The Harp Instrument and its applications in Jazz and Contemporary Music 

Harp performance and presentation by Liana Perillo 

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Forged Futures: Armour Craft's Legacy in Contemporary Design

Ella Saddington  

2:10 - 3:05pm

Landscape architecture 

 

  1. Oliver Johnson – Resilient Spaces

  2. Kiri Bowmer – Plant Dye Gardens Promoting Radical Healing within Public Space Design & Landscape Architectur

3:05 - 3:25pm

Afternoon Tea

3:25 - 4:25pm

Museum and Exhibition Practices Forum

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  1. Natalie Carfora – Something for Everyone: creating interactive and accessible exhibitions 

  2. Claudia von der Borch – Immersive techniques and approaches in museum experiential design 

4:25 - 4:30pm

Thank you and acknowledgements

Event Concludes

Museum
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Fashion

Kirri-Mae Sampson

With over a decade in the fashion and textile industry, Kirri-Mae specialises in knitwear manufacturing and circular economy. With a background in postgraduate lecturing, project management, consulting and manufacturing, she is dedicated to work that fosters a resilient and diverse local industry. As co-founder of Hatch+Make, Kirri-Mae is committed to nurturing and expanding industrial knit capabilities in Australia.

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Fashion

Vincent Meyrick

Vincent Meyrick is an emerging designer, tailor and knitwear technician based in Melbourne. They have background in costume and tailoring. Previously, they have created collections based around the intersection of Edwardian tailoring and workwear. At the start of 2023, after working in the Melbourne’s fashion and textile industry for some years they were awarded the George Alexander Fellowship. They set out to further their skills in Japan. Continuing their ongoing training as a knitwear technician, they underwent a broad internship across a number of factories owned by one of Japan’s best knitwear companies, Sato Seni. They became accustomed to the Japanese company life and through the guidance of mentors became familiar with the hands-on practices, programming and engineering required to produce knitwear from start to finish. They also examined and documented this process from a cultural standpoint to better understand how they could re-vitalise Australia’s own Textile manufacturing industry.

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Book and paper conservation

Camielle Fitzmaurice

Camielle is a formally trained book and paper conservator who used her Fellowship to study under renown bookbinder and artist Karen Hanmer (Chicago, Illinois) to model and reverse engineer historic book structures. Camielle's work has supported her aim of raising the profile of book conservation in Australia.

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Art

Ella Saddington

Ella Saddington, an artist and designer and founder of design studio Cordon Salon. Her work focuses on revitalising lost or forgotten techniques, merging traditional craftsmanship with contemporary art and design. She believes that innovation and building upon the knowledge of these crafts are crucial for preserving their legacy, ensuring the skills and knowledge are valued and opening pathways for future exploration and appreciation.

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Landscape Architecture

Oliver Johnson

Oliver is a practising landscape architect and senior staff member at Oxigen Landscape Architects + Urban Designers in Adelaide. He is involved in designing and leading various projects, from public and private urban spaces through to regional work in National Parks and townships. In all his work he reinforces a focus on local design and an emphasis on connection to place.

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Exhibition Design

Claudia von der Borch

Claudia von der Borch is an Exhibitions Coordinator at MOD. and Vice-President of the AMaGA SA branch. In her work at MOD., she is involved in the development and delivery of exhibitions, marketing and programming. Claudia advocates for audience experience in design, and values creating impactful, emotive and engaging exhibits. 

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Fashion

Avril Buchanan

Avril is a past RMIT textile design student and current intern at Specialty Pleaters, Melbourne. Throughout the 2024 placement she hopes to expand the studio’s practise, and develop the skills learnt during the ISSI Fellowship exchange so that they are compatible with and transferable across educational curricula for fashion and textiles in Australia. 

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Wooden Artefact Conservation

Shane Wiechnik

Shane Orion Wiechnik is a Restorer and Conservator of Furniture and Other Wooden Artefacts based in Sydney, Australia. He has worked with community repair programs, fixing furniture and teaching short courses, and has operated as a conservator with private firms including International Conservation Services. His current business, Crafted Conservation, subcontracts to conservators and institutions in Australia and Internationally.

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Harpist

Liana Perillo

Liana Perillo's Fellowship delved into the harp's applications in two areas:

1. Jazz and contemporary music, where she extensively explored the instrument's capabilities through immersive experiences in Europe, aiming to inspire broader recognition and use in Australia.

2. Guided Imagery and Music therapy, investigating therapeutic applications for mental health challenges using the harp and music.

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Landscape Architecture

Kiri Bowmer

Kiri explored global plant dye practices by indigenous artisans, revealing innovative approaches reshaping landscape architecture. Focusing on North America and Asia, where cultural knowledge thrives, they uncovered strategies in plant dye gardens fostering transformative healing in public spaces, revolutionizing the landscape architecture profession.

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Exhibition Design

Natalie Carfora

Natalie’s career has centred on creating audience-centred experiences with arts and culture. Having held roles spanning exhibitions, collections, and digital, she is currently Manager, Exhibitions and Galleries at the South Australian Museum. Natalie is a recent George Alexander Foundation Fellow, which saw her researching engaging and accessible exhibitions in the UK, Europe, and Dubai.

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