The NGV Publications and Graphic Design departments make their mark within the exhibition space as part of Melbourne Now 2023 with the launch of the Melbourne Now broadsheet, produced in partnership with Deakin University. Each of the three issues released during the exhibition period contains critical essays, reflective prose and poetry from an all-Melbourne roster of established and emerging authors, academics, critics and poets. Accompanying each issue is a limited-edition poster commemorating the exhibition; each is designed by an innovative Melbourne graphic designer. In the spirit of the exhibition, the project aims to encapsulate the creative and cultural life of Melbourne now, in the words of some the city’s most compelling literary and critical voices. The broadsheet functions as both a work in the exhibition and a souvenir that visitors can take home with them.
The theme of the first issue is ‘Melbourne now (and then)’ – a relatively open brief that allows contributors to reflect on the cultural and social fabric of the city. Through work from writers Tony Birch, Alice Pung, Emily Bitto, Kirsten Krauth, Jamie Marina Lau and Susie Anderson; Deakin academic Russell Kennedy; and graphic designer Bradley Pinkerton, the recent past and present of Melbourne is brought to life in idiosyncratic and engaging ways.
Issue two focuses on design in its various forms – architecture, landscape architecture, jewellery and more. Writers including Sophie Cunningham, Naomi Stead, Alice Bishop, Sarah Lynn Rees and Bella Li; Deakin design academic Tonya Meyrick; and graphic designer Rida Abbasi encapsulate the dynamism and relevance of Melbourne design through critical, reflective and visual contributions.
The third and final issue of the broadsheet examines other creative practices seen in the Melbourne Now exhibition – painting, installation, video and more. Contributors including Anador Walsh, Elena Gomez and Emma Nixon; Deakin visual arts academic Simon Grennan; and Melbourne design studio Amici offer insightful interpretations, at both the macro and micro levels, of the various practices on display.
More than simply an exhibition memento, the Melbourne Now broadsheet is an indication of future directions for publishing and design.
Rowena Robertson and MICHAEL RYAN, Project Editors, NGV