PUBLIC ART FOR COMMERCIAL AND GOVERNMENT PROJECTS
OUR SCOPE OF SERVICE INCLUDES:
Cultural and historical research on place and community
Consulting and collaborating with community groups including First Nations people
Artwork design and conceptual development, design, documentation, and making
Design, fabrication, and project management of public artworks for developers and government
Prepare drawings and concepts of public art for council development approval
Consultation for potential artwork opportunities
Integrated (architectural) public art
Bespoke creation of 3D objects, interior and architectural elements in a variety of materials
Collaborating with artists to translate ideas into reality
Collaboration with fabricators to explore creative opportunities
Forlano Design integrates rigorous research and a practice-led approach to the inception and creation of new innovative works. Led by Penelope Forlano, the practice focuses on material experimentation, digital and advanced technologies whilst incorporating research across various fields including consumer culture, anthropology and philosophy to create works of relevance, meaning, and intergenerational connection. She has 25 years of practice experience with training across design, arts, and town planning disciplines.
Penelope’s doctorate examined intergenerational object meaning, object/place attachment, and resulted in a series of domestic objects exploring kinship and large-scale architectural public artworks examining community connections across time, whilst utilising new technologies.
ART CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PLACE
Penelope’s experience in the disciplines of art, architecture, design and anthropology includes studying, teaching and working across three continents giving her a truly global and far-reaching perspective. This informs her explorations on the connection between the built environment and a personal or community meaning. As such she has been awarded across the fields throughout her career.
AWARD-WINNING INTERNATIONAL ARTIST WITH A FOCUS ON THE LOCAL
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS
Winner ‘The Luminary’. International INDE.Award for exceptional contribution to the architecture and design field in the Indo-Pacific region
‘Finalist: Design category’ JEC International Awards. 2004. Joint prize with the fabricator, Composite Components.
NATIONAL ART & DESIGN AWARDS
Finalist, Melville Art Awards 2022.
New & Innovative Artwork Award, Australia Council for the Arts, 2018.
Australian Postgraduate Award, "awarded to students of exceptional research potential", 2013.
‘Finalist’, Top 6 of 150 entries for the Australian Furniture Design Award 2015.
’Commendation’, Design Institute of Australia (WA), Furniture category, 2014.
‘Australian Design Award’ (1st) in Furniture and Lighting, Lux table, 2006. (renamed Good Design Awards - Gold category)
‘Award of Merit’ (1st), Design Institute of Australia (WA), Furniture category, Lux table, 2005.
‘Award of Merit’ (1st); Design Institute of Australia (WA), Furniture category, Linea table, 2003.
Second prize ‘Design of the Year' National Launchpad Awards. Sydney, Aust. 2005.
TEACHING AWARDS AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
'Humanities Research of the Year (Creative Production)', 2011. Curtin University.
'Excellence in Innovation and Teaching Award', 2007. Curtin University.
'Executive Dean's Award' (Community teaching program) 2004. Curtin University.
Several Arts grants: National Association for the Visual Arts, Australia Council for the Arts, Department of Culture and the Arts (WA).
PERMANENT ART COLLECTIONS
Louis Vuitton
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Parliament of Western Australia
Edith Cowan University
Department of Finance (WA)
Department of Education (WA)
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA)
Landcorp
City of Nedlands
Various Private Collectors
DRAWING, MAKING…
AND WRITING
Writing enables a critical reflection on creative practice, how it relates to the arts and design world, and most crucially, the end-users and places
AUTHORED PUBLICATIONS
Forlano, P. 2018 "Making Custodians: A Design Anthropology Approach to Designing Emotionally Enduring Built Environment Artefacts" Thesis: Doctor of Philosophy (Architecture and Interior Architecture) (Curtin).
Forlano, P. 2019. “Liveliness in Public Art”. The Architect: Making Place; 90-91.
Forlano, P, 2017. "Resurfacing Memories: Mnemonic and Tactile Representations of Family History in the Making of New Heirlooms" Interstices 17 Journal of Architecture and Related Arts.
Forlano, P, 2015. 'Making Custodians; Furniture as Intergenerational Objects' at Unmaking Waste; Transforming Production and Consumption in Time and Place Conference, May 2015. Zero Waste SA Research Centre, University of South Australia.
Forlano, P and D. Smith. 2012 'Becoming object.' IDEA 2012 Symposium, conference paper.
Lommerse, M, Eggleston, R, Brankovic, K, and Forlano, P. 2006. "A matter of attitude - The phenomenon of the 'designer-maker' is probably characteristic of Australian designers - that Antipodean ethic of self-reliance". Perth: FORM Gallery, Perth.
Lommerse, M, and Forlano, P. 2006. Curator's Essay. 'Riches of Isolation' Milan: Milan International Furniture Fair.
CONTRIBUTING TO THE ARTS AND DESIGN INDUSTRY
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Invited speaker; National Gallery of Victoria and NAVA; Parallel conference, September 2015
- Art Business: Art Practice. Vic Park Centre for the Arts, 2018
- DIA Breakfast Series, "Penelope Forlano and Glen Oldfield", March 2015.
- Pecha Kucha; September 2012
- IDEA Symposium 'Artists Floor Talk'; FORM Gallery, September 2012
- IDEA Symposium '7 x 7; Perth's Leading Design Practitioners’, September 2012
- DIA Guest Speaker; ‘Milan 2006’, FORM Gallery.
- Conference Presentations; IDEA Symposium 'Becoming other’ with Dr Dianne Smith, September 2012
- Conference Presentation; Unmaking Waste, University of South Australia, Adelaide. May 2015
- Invited Juror and Panel Leader; DIA WA Awards 2015;
- Invited judge; 2007-8 Australian Design Award (now Good Design award), Standards Australia, Dyson Student Award.
-Co-Curator; Salone Satellite; Milan International Furniture Fair. ‘Riches of Isolation’ exhibition in Milan, Italy; Perth, Australia, 2006
-Councillor; Design Institute of Australia (WA) 2006.
- Invited mentor, Pivot for Propel Youth Arts, 2022.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
-FORM (Creative arts and culture)
-Artsource (Visual Arts)
‘Making Custodians’ exhibition, 2018. Turner Galleries. Northbridge.
ARTS PRACTICE ON SHOW
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
‘Shield of Voices', Parliament of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, 2018.
‘Making Custodians' Turner Galleries, Northbridge, WA. 2018.
‘Composite Design’ Exhibited by invitation by international jury, including Alessandro Mendini. Salone Satellite. Milan International Furniture Fair, Italy. 2004.
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
‘Art in the Box’ International Stone Sculpture Symposium. November-December 2022.
‘Melville Art Awards 2022’ Wireless Hill Museum, October- November 2022.
’Solastalgia’, Lost Eden, Dwellingup, December 2021.
’Flow’, Lost Eden Creative, Dwellingup. October-November 2021.
'Sculpture by the Sea: Background', ECU, WA. May 2019.
'Sculpture by the Sea'- Bondi, NSW. October - November 2018.
‘Australian Design- Ten years of the Peter Fogarty Fund’ AGWA, Perth WA. August 2014-March 2015.
'Still Life' Mundaring Arts Centre, WA. August 2015- September 2015. Curators: L. Matthews and R. Creagh
‘From the Atelier’ FORM Gallery, Perth WA. June 2013- September 2013. Curators: K.Pinakis and A. Nicholls.
'The Iwanoff Project', Dianella. March 2013. Exhibition of leading Australian artists, designers, and craft practitioners.
'IDEA 2012 Symposium- Interior Affair: A State of Becoming' FORM Gallery, WA Australia. September 2012. An international exhibition of research through creative production curated by IDEA.
‘1980’s to Present Day’ Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Western Australia, from November 2011.
‘Embracing Innovation’, Australian leaders in innovative design and craft. CraftACT, Canberra, 2011. Curator: D. Hare. ‘Permeable Boundaries’, group show. The John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University. Australia. Curators; M. Lommerse & Dr D. Smith, 2010
‘VUJJ’, 100% Design, London, UK. 2007.
‘Australian Design Awards 2006’ Standards Australia, Sydney. 2006.
‘Perth Design Cluster’ FORM; Contemporary Craft and Design, Perth, Australia, 2006.
‘Riches of Isolation’ Salone Satellite Milan International Furniture Fair, Italy & FORM: Contemporary Craft and Design, Perth, Aust., 2006.