Melbourne Design Week at the Market
What [*things*] are Melburnians Willing/Wanting to Share?
Presented by Lauren Brumley and Corey Ferguson, this participatory exhibition and event asks the question: What things are Melburnians willing/wanting to share?
Popping up for one week only in the SO:ME Space, attendees are invited to practice letting go of material ownership by temporarily contributing an item they would be willing to share, leaving it for display and, in turn, requesting items they may not have and wish to borrow.
From excess materials or favourite books and magazines to sewing machines, special equipment, how-to guides and skills, items and requests will accumulate over the week-long exhibition, creating a growing and unfolding "library of things" and a visualisation of the community’s offers and needs.
Instead of buying and owning individual products, this experiment offers a way for people to borrow and share as a community, contributing to new (and existing) ways of producing and consuming in urban space. To explore this shift, it is vital to understand what these libraries could offer local communities and what items Melburnians are already willing to share.
The exhibition concludes with a closing event featuring the contributed items and requests on display, as well as a community discussion on what this library of things shows. Which items were offered versus requested? What patterns, gaps and mismatches reveal barriers to sharing? How might trust, rules and reciprocity enable (or constrain) collective ownership?
The project invites participants to experiment with sharing, letting go and receiving as a community, and to reflect on what this can reveal for a more collective future.
How it works?
Items can be checked in at the exhibition in SO:ME Space during Market hours and collected at its conclusion.
Please fill out the Item Form below if you are interested in temporarily contributing an item (you will be taken to an external webpage).
A collection window can also be arranged for checking in items before the exhibition week and picking them up after its end.
Please note: Any item contributed for the exhibition will not be rented/borrowed by others, only showcased, and all items will be securely locked when the Market is closed.
SO:ME Space is a unique retail concept in the heart of the Market that is dedicated to great design, homewares, fashion, accessories, art and creativity.
Exhibition Dates
Wed 13 May 8am – 4pm: Exhibition/item check-in during Market operating hours
Fri 15 May 8am – 5pm: Exhibition/item check-in during Market operating hours
Sat 16 May 8am – 4pm: Exhibition/item check-in during Market operating hours
Sun 17 May 8am – 3pm: Exhibition/item check-in during Market operating hours
Sun 17 May 3 – 5pm: Closing event/item collection
Contact
For any queries, please contact the event organiser.
This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2026, an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.
Melbourne Design Week is Australia’s largest and leading annual design festival and takes place from 14 – 24 May 2026. The 2026 program spans 11 days of 400+ events, exhibitions, talks and installations throughout metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria. Melbourne Design Week is a vital platform for emerging and established creative practitioners, offering the Australian design community and audiences the opportunity to engage with a diverse program of talks, tours, exhibitions, installations, and workshops. Melbourne Design Week is an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and is curated and delivered by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Visit designweek.melbourne to view the full program.