Sydney Design

Reworking the Paste-Up: A Street Exhibition

During two weeks, photomedia artist Hamish Ta-mé will cover the entire façade of a warehouse in photocopied images and then, each night between 6 and 8pm, rework them by overlaying ink, gouache, wax and shellec. Look on as Ta-mé manipulates the building or visit in the middle of the night to see the building lit up from within. 70 Mary St, Surry Hills 2010. Until 14 Aug, 24 hours daily. FREE.   

The Waking Heart 

Sydney-based interactive media troupe Based on Birds have created The Waking Heart, a robotic drawing machine that interprets its audience's emotions into a large collective artwork. Sounds, movements and the answers to a series of questions become an emotional map of Powerhouse visitors. Powerhouse Museum, 29 Jul–14 Aug. FREE with museum admission.  

Workshopped 11

Now in its eleventh year, Workshopped has become one of the key events on the Sydney Design programme. Emerging young designers will present their furniture, lighting and product designs, and one of them may well be the next big thing on the local design stage. Hill Street Design Precinct, 4–14 Aug, 9am–5.30pm. FREE. 

Design in Motion

Surry Hills studio Eskimo presents Design in Motion – a forum for graphic designers to show their film and animation-based work. Get rugged up and head for their rooftop for a screening of work by the best of the best. Eskimo, Surry Hills 2010. Fri 12 Aug, 6.30pm. $38.

Green Bans Art Walk

Green Bans, led by the Builders Labourers Federation, were instrumental in the prevention of a massive commercial building development in Woolloomooloo in the 1970s. Since then the area has become a design hub. The crew from the Big Fag Press are teaming up with Cross Arts Projects for this guided tour that will take you through the design hotspots of the precinct and will conclude at the Firstdraft Depot where the Big Fag Press team will answer questions about their printing processes. Firstdraft Depot, Woolloomooloo 2011. 6–7 Aug, 10am–5pm. FREE.    

Knitted and Looped

The Powerhouse's Turbine Hall will become a large-scale collaborative artwork when UK artist Shane Waltener invites visitors of all ages to contribute to the growing lace installation. The collaborative work will use yarn, string, paper and cloth and all manner of loops, knots, stitches and weaves. Powerhouse Museum, 30 Jul–10 Aug, 10.30–11.30am; 12 noon–1pm; 1.30–2.30pm; 3–4pm. FREE with museum admission.

Japanese Design Today

The Japan Foundation Gallery is showcasing the best of Japanese product design from the 1990s till today. Expect weird and wonderful furniture, electronics and homewares including Sony's first robot dog, AIBO ERS-111. On Fri 5 Aug catch Noriko Kawakami, the associate director of 21 21 Design Sight, in a lecture on contemporary Japanese design practice (6.30pm, FREE). Japan Foundation Gallery, Sydney 2000. Until Fri 16 Sep, Mon–Tue & Thu–Sat 11am–4pm; Wed 11am–8pm. FREE. 

Valerie Steele

The director and curator of the museum at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology will deliver a lecture on the relationship (and opposition) between fashion and art. Steele will also appear in conversation with artist and senior arts lecturer Dr Adam Geczy at Fashion and Art at Sydney College of the Arts. Valerie Steele Lecture: Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo 2009. Wed 3 Aug, 6.30pm. $10. Fashion and Art: Sydney College of the Arts, Balmain Rd, Rozelle 2039. Thu 4 Aug, 11am–12.30pm. FREE. 

Built: Is Old New Again?

Artists and designers including Antonio Pio Saracino, Adam Goodrum, Kenan Wang and Anna Carey have given traditional furniture a 21st-century overhaul – for example, a traditional armchair now resembles the skyline of New York City. Artereal Gallery, Rozelle 2039. 3 Aug–3 Sep, Wed–Sat 11am–5pm. FREE.