“Design Your Own Universe & Sentients”

In 2023, Melissa Gilbert and UnitePlayPerform were invited by Dr Timothy Moore, Co-Curator of Melbourne Design Week, and Simone Le Amon, NGV Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, to be one of ten emerging designers featured across the Melbourne Design Week and Melbourne Design Fair programs. Melissa presented work in the “Discovery” section of the Melbourne Design Fair, curated by the NGV team, where her Sentients object-artwork sold as an artist proof. That same year, she undertook a week-long Art at the Bank Residency through the Cecile Place Precinct partnership, developing participatory works and site-responsive activation. UnitePlayPerform also delivered a two-week program of public art activations as part of the official Melbourne Design Week program, showcasing the studio’s participatory methodologies and community-centred design approach.