The Broad Designs podcast began as a radio segment on the Melbourne community radio station JOY94.9 to give more visibility to women in design.

Beginning in 2017 as part of the feminist themed show call Broad, created and produced by Sonja Hammer, it then moved to the Sunday Arts Magazine show along side David Hunt, Brendan Bale and Neil D'Vauz.

The show represents a broad spectrum of the design community, where women had a voice to talk about the things that mattered to them. It has become an oral archive of the inspiration, processes and personal histories of female creators in Australia and around the world.

#15 BROAD DESIGNS
Loisa Bufardeci, artist at the 2017 NGV Triennial
December 12, 2017

Jane Connory talks to Louisa Bufardeci about her experiences as an artist and current work  on display at the NGV’s Triennial. She is part of the local contingent in the show, and has been exhibiting in group and solo exhibitions since 1997. Her work can be found in collections across the world, including in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Sydney Museum of Contemporary Art.

Louisa never seems to use the same materials twice, one work might be made from wool and hanging on a gallery wall and the next might be an outdoor installation made up of neon lights. Her contemporary art will get you thinking about the data and statistics – which always attempt to “represent the un-representable.”

#15 BROAD DESIGNS
Jenny McLaren, creative director at Aer
December 8, 2017

Jane Connory talks to Jenny McLaren, a strategic and creative thinker who founded Aer Design in 1999, a Melbourne based studio that “builds meaningful brand experiences through a human centred design approach”.

Born into a long line of printers and designers, she leads the Aer Design creative team with a lifetime of industry experience. She is an industry leader, occasional university design tutor and councillor at the Australian Graphic Design Association—Victoria, Jenny is passionate about educating business on how good design is intrinsic to success.

#14 BROAD DESIGNS
Kelly Thompson, illustrator and public speaker
November 25, 2017

Jane Connory talks to Kelly Thompson – an extraordinary illustrator, accomplished public speaker and owner of Makers Management – where she helps brands, agencies and individuals connect with consumers to solve marketing problems with the help of stunning visuals.

#13 BROAD DESIGNS
Jane Connory reviews the 2017 La Biennale di Venezia
November 12, 2017

In this segment of Broad Design Jane talks to David and Neil about her recent trip to the 2017 Venice Biennale. Listen to get Jane’s thoughts on this year’s festival and her highlights, especially about women and design representation.

#12 BROAD DESIGNS
Brooke Maggs, games designer
October 15, 2017

In her regular segment on Sunday Arts Magazine, Jane Connory talks to Brooke Maggs about her background in design and her current works.

Brooke is a director of Burning Glass Creative, a company that offers specialised game design, narrative and production services. She has presented and given research papers on creative writing and games at Oxford University and at The Australasian Association of Writing Programs. Her research focuses on creative writing practice and the links between digital literature and traditional literature.

Currently, Brooke is one of the women in the Codebreakers exhibition at ACMI celebrating the achievements of Australian and New Zealand women working in video games.

#11 BROAD DESIGNS
Monica Syrette, curator at the State Library of Victoria
August 11, 2017

Jane Connory interviews Monica Syrette from the State Library of Victoria in this latest instalment of Broad Designs. Monica has put together an exhibition of zines and artist books called “Self-Made” which is showing from now to 12th November at the State Library of Victoria.

#10 BROAD DESIGNS
Wendy Fox, creator of the 'Women Gold Medalists' book
August 10, 2017

In today’s segment of Broad Design Jane Connory talks to Wendy Fox – designer, illustrator and art director who is inspired by all the beautiful, clever and humorous things in this world that touch the senses and makes us think.

#8 BROAD DESIGNS
Stephanie Andrews, VR Creative Director & PhD Research Artist
July 20, 2017

Jane Connory returns to Sunday Arts Magazine for another session of Broad Designs, where she talks to women in design. Jane’s guest today is Stephanie Andrews, a designer, entrepreneur and educator who’s career has revolved around the intersection of art and technology. Stephanie has worked extensively in 3D graphics production and development, including virtual reality, modeling, rendering, motion capture, programming, and interactivity design.

#7 BROAD DESIGNS
Elvis Richardson, Artist and Founding Editor of 'The CoUNTess Report'
July 9, 2017

Jane Connory, a working graphic designer and educator for over 20 years, is a guest presenter today on Sunday Arts Magazine for a new segment called “Broad Designs”. Jane is currently undertaking research on the visibility of women in design and this segment is aimed at providing a platform and a voice for women in design. Today Jane talks to Elvis Richardson, an artist, investigator and collector who often explores gender equality through the work in photography, sculpture and video. This is the first of what we hope will become a regular segment for Jane with Sunday Arts Magazine.

BROAD DESIGNS #6  |  Meredith Turnbull, Bonnie Abbott and Nancy Bugeja
>> Listen to Meredith Turnbull from 2:20 to 11:29
>> Listen to Bonnie Abbott from 11:37 to 26:52
>> Listen to Nancy Bugeja from 27:05 to 35:27
April 27, 2017

This episode started off with Meredith Turnbull, a visual artist, jeweler, writer and curator, discussing a new movement in Melbourne’s contemporary jewelry scene – Punk! Discussing artists like Debris Facility Pty Ltd and Rebecca Thomas, and their work, she talked about how adorning our bodies can reflect “new forms of social and cultural mediation and a sense of irreverence.”

Bonnie Abbott describes herself, on her LinkedIn profile, as “a design strategist with a special interest in ethnographic research and its actionable interpretation”. During this show we talked about hanging out on the weekend at her “The Design is in the Detail” workshop – which was part of Melbourne’s Design Week at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Managing director at HM Group, Nancy Bugeja, was my final guest on this design themed show. She has been running the creative business – HM – since 1996 but is also an AGDA Board member, mum and all round impressive human being. Our conversation led to her journey in design, the role of mentors, the evolution of her studio and the importance of brand values.

BROAD DESIGNS #5  |  XYX Lab, Design and Multiple Maniacs
>> Listen to Nicole Kalms and Naomi Stead from 4:05 to 14:47
>> Listen to Sally Christie from 14:49 to 27:02
April 23, 2017

Melbourne’s Design Week was in full swing during this episode and Dr Niki Kalms and Professor Naomi Stead came into to talk about a panel they were heading up, during the festivities at the National Gallery of Victoria, discussing the theme of “Queering Architecture?”. As part of the newly-formed 'XYX Lab at Monash University', Niki and Naomi chatted about issues in space, gender and communication, aiming to open conversations about re-designing normality in architecture, informing them with research and addressing them with advocacy. The conversation turned to how design can control and prevent gender inequity in Australia.

This episode also saw more discussion about the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (MQFF), Australia’s largest queer film festival – now in it’s 27th year. Sally Christie, from the film collective Cinemaniacs,  dropped by to talk about the divine and decadent inspirations of Mr John Waters, the Pope of Trash, and the screening of his cult classic ‘Multiple Maniacs’ at ACMI.

BROAD DESIGNS #4  |  Guerrilla Girl Aphra Behn aka Donna Kaz
>> Listen from 24:50 to 39:10
March 8, 2017

BROAD DESIGNS gives you an exclusive interview with Donna Kaz AKA Aphra Behn and becomes the first Australians to unmask a Guerrilla Girl! My interview explores the notions of invisibility how you can join the cause for gender equity and intersectionality in the arts.

“Donna Kaz’s debut book, ‘UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour’ was published on November 1, 2016. Always an outsider, Donna takes one step further into invisibility and becomes a Guerrilla Girl, a feminist activist who never appears in public without wearing a rubber gorilla mask and who uses the name of a dead woman artist instead of her own. As a Guerrilla Girl, Aphra Behn creates comedic art and theatre that blasts the blatant sexism of the theatre world while proving feminists are funny at the same time.”

BROAD DESIGNS #3  |  Melis Senova
>> Listen from 17:15 to 25:35
February 25, 2017

Returning with the BROAD Designs segment I interviewed special guest Melis Senova about human centred design and her new book ‘This Human’. We discussed how anyone and everyone is a designer and the irony of using your brain to think about thinking.

“Melis is a pioneer in human-centred design, a founder of her own global strategic design consultancy, Huddle, and a highly-regarded and enterprising thought leader. Her vast business experience, underpinned by a PhD in Human Factors (human-centered design), sees her focused on reshaping the super systems of the future. This reshaping is essential to ensure we address the complex challenges facing humanity and the planet. Melis believes we can change our realities by changing our minds.

And her book: ‘This Human describes the thinking and being required to take on the biggest challenges facing humanity in order to reimagine a shared reality for all living things on this planet. It is a practical approach to the application of human-centered design tools and methods to ensure our work is truly meaningful. If we are here to change things to be more sustainable, abundant and equitable for everyone, we need to give the current paradigm a decent shake up and create an alternative. And it starts with us.”

BROAD DESIGNS #2  |  Jess Johnson  
>> Listen from 40:37 to 49:55
February 14, 2017

BROAD DESIGNS returned as I chatted to Jess Johnson, a Kiwi artist based in NYC, U.S.A. The way her work explored new worlds via the medium of virtual reality tied in nicely with the release of the film 'Hidden Figures', which explored women working at NASA in the 1960s.

“Jess Johnson was born in Tauranga, New Zealand in 1979. In 2016 she relocated permanently to New York after ten years of living and working in Melbourne, Australia. Her drawing and installation practice is influenced by the hypothetical intersections between language, science fiction, culture and technology. In her drawings she depicts complex worlds that combine densely layered patterns, objects and figures within architectural settings.

Johnson’s drawings are often displayed within constructed environments that act as physical portals into her speculative worlds. Her recent video collaborations with Simon Ward have involved translating her drawings into animated Virtual Reality, thus enabling audiences to have the simulated experience of entering the hypnotic realms depicted in her drawings.”

BROAD DESIGNS #1  |  Kimba Thompson  
>> Listen from 42:40 to 50:10
February 3, 2017

My first BROAD DESIGNS segment, where I interviewed Kimba Thompson from Sista Girl Productions and Blak Dot Gallery. Airing close to 'Australia Day' this interview tackled the sensitive way indigenous design must be appraoched to be integrated into commercial enterprise.

“Kimba Thompson is a filmmaker, freelance producer and arts consultant. She has worked on a diverse range of projects, which focus primarily on the use of storytelling as a vehicle to promote Aboriginal art and culture within Australia. Kimba formed Sista Girl Productions, an Indigenous Arts and Broadcast company in 1997. Kimba has over 16 years experience working in the arts, as a producer, director, artistic director, curator and a contemporary multimedia artist. Kimba obtained a Masters of Arts from RMIT University in 2009.”