Talk: Silvia Micheli on David Jones

Join us for an informal floor talk during the Taglietti: Life in Design exhibition on Saturday 25 July from 11-12noon in the Design Gallery of the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne.

Silvia Micheli, co-curator of the Canberra exhibition Taglietti: Life in Design will discuss the origin story of Taglietti’s arrival to Australia through the platform of the David Jones Italy in Design (1955) exhibition series. These exhibitions were held across three David Jones stores and showcased traditional and contemporary Italian craft selected by David Jones buyer Marisa Martelli. In these exhibitions, Taglietti, invited by Charles Lloyd Jones (Chairman of David Jones) to participate, designed a 1:1 scale apartment, curated and designed bespoke furniture and fixtures that showcased a contemporary Italian design approach previously unseen in Australia, and incorporated globally recognised furnishings that highlighted collaborations with artists such as Lucio Fontana.

Silvia’s cross-disciplinary research addresses the "productive city": how small-scale design improves liveability, resilience and urban food security. Her co‑authored book House, Precinct and Territory: Design Strategies for the Productive City (2024) outlines scenarios for urban production. She co‑designed Blue Bower Pavilion (Crossroads Prize, Seoul Biennale 2021) and One Room Tower, and was co‑curator of Taglietti: Life in Design at CMAG in 2026