City of Design Tour: A Journey into Creativity and Sustainability
On 28 November, Cultivated hosted a special City of Design Tour as part of Geelong Design Week, supported by the Design Institute of Australia. This immersive day brought together 45 guests from Melbourne, including architects, designers, industrial designers, and other industry professionals, to experience the innovation, culture, and sustainability practices that define Geelong as a City of Design.
Note: All Photography Credits to Blue Tree Studio.
Pictured: Guests board the City of Design Tour bus.
The day began at Agency Projects in Collingwood, a First Nations gallery and artist promoter. Agency Projects drives wealth creation and profile-building initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists through art commissions, forums, and more. The morning commenced with an Acknowledgment of Country by First Nations woman Leila Gurruwiwi, followed by a gallery tour led by Leila and Agency Projects CEO, Kade McDonald.
Pictured: Leila Gurruwiwi lead the talk at Agency Projects.
Leila Gurruwiwi is a proud Yolngu woman originally from Galiwinku on Elcho Island in North East Arnhem land. Her tour emphasised the sustainable and regenerative practices of Australia’s First Nations people, who have led the way in sustainability for tens of thousands of years. Highlights included innovative artwork made from discarded street signs and woven baskets made from ghost nets discarded in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This demonstrated how First Nations creativity can preserve culture whilst breathing new life into waste, also protecting the environment.
Pictured: Leila Gurruwiwi and Kade McDonald talk art and sustainabilty.
Pictured: Dilly Bags on display at Agency projects.
Pictured: Guests enjoying an early monring talk at Agency Projects.
With spirits uplifted, the group boarded the coach and headed to Geelong for their first official Design Week stop: the Design Futures Lab at Sacred Heart College. Led by industrial designer and materials scientist Dani Storm, the lab inspires young minds by tackling real-world problems. Earlier this year, Cultivated challenged the students to reuse sawdust waste from our workshop, typically destined for landfill.
Pictured: Design Futures Lab students change the pH of Cabbage leaves.
The students showcased their incredible progress: biodegradable building blocks made by combining sawdust with lime and water, which can potentially be used to create new furniture. They also experimented with natural dyes derived from cabbage leaves, altering the pH to create stunning hues of pink, blue, and yellow. Another exhibit demonstrated how microorganisms decomposing decaying greens could also break down polyester lining, hinting at potential solutions for textile waste. Visitors were impressed by the students' dedication and ingenuity as they explained their process and future plans.
Pictured: Sawdust converstion experiment.
Pictured: Breaking down polyester textiles.
Pictured: Demonstration by Design Futures Lab students.
Pictured: Design Futures Lab students giving a guided tour.
Next, the group visited Eden Oak, a stunning adaptive reuse project in Geelong. This mid-century building, originally constructed as a school in 1980, was later transformed into a resort under the guidance of Plus Architecture. Dominic Versace, a representative of Plus Architecture, led a tour highlighting how the building’s original timber ceilings, open-plan layout, and extensive glass walls were preserved while integrating modern functionality. The day’s efforts culminated in a relaxed lunch at Eden Oak, where guests exchanged ideas, forged connections, and enjoyed a presentation by Joshua Ellis, Cultivated’s Manager, on fostering a circular economy for furniture in Australia.
Pictured: Eden Oak Resort.
This first leg of the tour celebrated creativity, collaboration, and sustainability in action. Stay tuned for Part 2, where we explore the Geelong Arts Centre, the National Wool Museum, and the incredible Dowel Jones 10 Years Exhibition, rounding off a day that left participants inspired to push the boundaries of sustainability.
Pictured: Eden Oak Resort.
Pictured: Guests Enjoying Eden Oak Resort.
Pictured: Guests enjoying Eden Oak Resort.
Pictured: Agency Projects. Pictured: Agency Projects.
Pictured: Eden Oak. Pictured: Eden Oak.
Pictured: Guests arrive at the design futures lab.
