Mis-design was an attempt to re-map the potential of contemporary art in a culture overwhelmed by design. Art is unique for its ability to unravel and undermine preconceived notions of 'purpose', 'utility' and 'value'. It is this capacity towards anti-design that gives art a future in an increasingly commercial visual world. Mis-design conceived of and affirmed a future for art 'outside of the art world'‚ a parasite in the complex machinery of consumer culture.
Mis-design was a six-part project comprised of two exhibitions at the Potter Museum of Art and three exhibitions at inner-city Melbourne sites. The sixth affiliated project, Adam Kalkin's Pop-up Pirate Radio Tower, was produced by the Victorian College of the Arts. Two separate exhibitions – the Adam Kalkin Tennis Academy (AKTA), and Andrea Zittel's Smockshop, archive and experimental design studio A–Z Administrative Services, were installed at the Potter. Slow Art Collective's installation Shelter could be seen in the underground car park of McDonald's Restaurant on Smith Street in Collingwood, and, in nearby Fitzroy, the Pacific Women's Weaving Circle occupied the clothing store Alphaville on Brunswick Street. At two separate sites in Melbourne Central shopping centre in Melbourne CBD, Flatland OK has installed two Thinking Pavilions. Designed in collaboration with RMIT interior design students to prompt passersby to pause and think, the pavilions attempted to literally unhinge your mind for a few moments and to make space for contemplation of other things.
Curated by Grace McQuilten.
Exhibiting artists
Adam Kalkin, Andrea Zittel, Flatland OK, Pacific Women's Weaving Circle, Slow Art Collective.
About the curator
Grace McQuilten is a scholar with a passion for contemporary art and community development. McQuilten completed her PhD in Art History at the University of Melbourne in 2008. Her doctoral research explored interconnections between art, design and consumer culture.