Canberra is full to the brim with talent, creativity and innovation. This year, emerging local artists will have the opportunity to paint the city’s heart as they see fit.

DESIGN Canberra is hosting a festival that will transform Civic Square as a site dedicated for talks, entertainment, parties, performances, art, wellness and ideas during each working week from 4 – 24 November for the DESIGN Canberra 2019 festival.

The centrepiece of Civic Square will be a large painted ground design decided by competition, and a temporary sculptural pavilion, commissioned by DESIGN Canberra, designed by the University of Canberra Faculty of Arts and Design team and made possible with support from the ACT Government under the City Renewal Authority’s City Grants program.

“Our plans for Civic Square in this year’s festival express our curatorial vision to encourage collaboration, experimentation and innovation – locally, nationally and internationally. Centrally located on the axis between City Hill and Mt Ainslie, we want to explore creative ways to reconnect Civic Square with the original vision of the Griffins’ plan and an exciting contemporary vision for Canberra, a city of design,” says DESIGN Canberra festival Artistic Director, Rachael Coghlan.

DESIGN Canberra is calling on artists and designers to make their mark on the city centre with a competition for a ‘graphic intervention’. The aim of the Graphic Intervention is to activate and beautify Civic Square for the duration of the festival. Designers are asked to submit UTOPIA-inspired designs which will be used as a prelude and backdrop to the DESIGN Canberra pavilion. For further information on Graphic Intervention and to submit a proposal, click here.

Together the graphic and architectural installations will frame audience experiences for DESIGN Canberra’s programs including talks, tours, exhibitions, performances, a pop-up bar and wellness programs like public yoga and meditation throughout the month.

DESIGN Canberra will take over Canberra from 4 – 24 November 2019.

For more information on the festival, visit Design Canberra Festival website.