INTERACT Category Winner:

Culture as Creative, Beyond the Built Environment and Sandra Githinji Studio for SAY IT LOUD Naarm Melbourne 2022

Culture as Creative for SAY IT LOUD have been recognised by the DIA for its circular design approach informed by investigation, understanding, assessment and interaction. The jury felt that community awareness and engagement was prioritised through a powerful narrative successfully communicated via material selection, space organisation, lighting effect, interaction scenarios, and the overall branding of the exhibition, which is memorable and impactful.

The principles and ethos driving this project are essential, highlighting the need to give recognition to the under-recognised, centring rather than marginalising voices. The project is well-positioned, articulated and reasoned, drawing upon postcolonial and gender theories to inform both approach and execution. 

A circular approach to the design process included engaging with the community, an appropriate selection and use of materials, and artful design implementation through visual fresh graphics intended to connect and raise awareness to broader audiences. 

Culture as Creative elevates the identities and contributions of minority architects and designers through exhibitions, curated lectures, and documentaries that testify to the provided value of their built work and its spatial impact. They educate through formal and informal learning opportunities that introduce architecture as a bridge to fill inequity gaps. The approach is inter-disciplinary, collaborating globally to decolonise practice through diverse knowledge systems and cultural practices.

SAY IT LOUD’s exhibition design is built upon the brand identity's conceptual framework; "To elevate what is not seen. To make visible, the invisible", and responds to the industrial materiality of the site (No Vacancy Gallery). The 'stepping away' approach to rethinking opened up new possibilities to reimagine the exhibition design anew, leading the visitor to a final design outcome that was thoughtful and adapted to local place and people interactions.

SAY IT LOUD is a successfully engaging and considered project. The DIA supports vibrant and relevant learning programmes connected with the broader ecology of design practice, networks and communities. Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration through partnerships and society indisputably encourages design debate and access to vital information. Culture as Creative has been honoured for its stand-out interdisciplinary approach to design practice and ability to navigate significant issues.

Category: Interact

Designers and Project Team:
Pascale Sablan (Founder & Executive Director of Beyond The Built Environment) - Co-curator
Kholisile Dhliwayo (Founder of Culture as Creative and AfrOURban) - Co-curator, exhibition designer & project manager
Sandra Githinji (Founder & Creative Director of Sandra Githinji Studio) - Co-curator, exhibition designer & project manager
Edem Badu (Founder & Creative Director of Studio Badu)- Brand Development
Dinah Pollard (Graphic Designer at Studio Badu) - Brand Development
Brett Danielsen (Graphic Designer at Studio Badu) - Brand Development
Yukako Iwamoto (Graphic Designer at Studio Badu) - Brand Development