Overview
The following is a chronological record of the development of IDEA from its inception. It attempts no more than to chronicle the main business of the organisation and to acknowledge the contribution of those who have participated. Harry Stephens, Chair of IDEA from 2000 to 2003, began this written account and others have contributed as IDEA’s history unfolds. As Harry noted at the beginning of his text: ‘A history of another kind may one day be written that uses the data presented here in a more analytical manner. For now, in the flurry of activity that is the life of IDEA, this will hopefully serve as a quick reference point for those involved and a reasonably clear overview for those wishing to know more about the organisation’.
IDEA began as a result of a meeting of a number of heads of interior design/interior architecture programs from around Australia on 19th December 1996 at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). This inaugural meeting was attended by Harry Stephens from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Jill Franz from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Lynn Chalmers from the University of South Australia (UniSA), Tim Laurence from UTS (outgoing head of program) and George Verghese also from UTS (incoming head of program). This meeting highlighted a shared desire to strengthen and support the pedagogy and research in Interior Design and Interior Architecture education and to develop a cross institutional collegial support network.
Gathering under the cumbersome working title HIADA (Heads of Interior Architecture/Design, Australia), at this first meeting a paper prepared by Andrea Mina (RMIT) on a ‘refereed design studios program’ was tabled and became the instrument that was used to initiate a project that in culminated in the establishment of the IDEA Refereed Design Studio scheme. Associated with this endeavour was the development of a journal wherein the refereed studio work could be published.
The second meeting was held in Brisbane on 24 July 1997 to coincide with the well attended and influential international interior design forum Interior Design: In or Out? convened by Dianne Smith at QUT. Jill Franz (QUT) chaired the meeting with George Verghese (UTS), Harry Stephens (UNSW), Marina Lommerse (Curtin), Nancy Spanbroek (Curtin), Andrea Mina (RMIT), John Andrews (RMIT) and Lynn Chalmers (UniSA) in attendance as IDEA members. Sam Di Mauro and Fang Xu (both from Griffith University) and a representative from the Northern Territory University also attended. At this meeting, the name of the organisation was changed to IDEA (Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association). Lynn Chalmers was elected the next Chairperson and the third meeting was scheduled to be held at UniSA in Adelaide on 11 December 1997.
In the same year, IDEA was approached by the DIA (Design Institute of Australia) to advise on standards of higher education for the interior design/interior architecture profession. IDEA was also invited by the DIA to write the brief for its annual DIA Interior Design Student Award. IDEA has continued to write the brief each year.
The end of 1997 saw the development of the IDEA logo and charter. The charter reaffirmed IDEA’s commitment to the advancement of interior design/interior architecture education and research by encouraging and supporting excellence in interior design/interior architecture education and research within Australasia; and being the regional authority on, and advocate for, interior design/interior architecture education and research. The 4th meeting of IDEA was hosted by RMIT and the 5th meeting was held in Brisbane, hosted by QUT and QCA on consecutive days 10 and 11 December 1998.
In 1998 the Refereed Design Studios Scheme was launched culminating in a call for papers for the first IDEA journal. Over the following year the aspiration of IDEA for a refereed journal was realised. The official launch of the inaugural IDEA Journal took place at Sydney Design 99. Sponsored by ABET Pty Ltd, the journal was officially launched by internationally renowned interior designer and architect, Eva Jiricna at a ceremony held in the Sydney Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour on 28th September 1999. In her address Eva Jiricna commented on the need for such a journal to fittingly celebrate the work that is undertaken every day in our institutions by academics committed to the promotion of the profession. She enthusiastically praised the high level of engagement with issues of critical concern to interior designers all over the world that she encountered on this visit to Australia and particularly acknowledged the efforts IDEA in this regard.
The 6th meeting of IDEA was held on Rottnest Island in Western Australia hosted by Curtin University and took place from 24 to 25 May 1999. Marina Lommerse was elected as the Chair of IDEA. The 7th IDEA meeting was held by UTS on December 6th and UNSW on December 7th 1999. The expansion of the membership to include Monash University and the New Zealand program at the Central Institute of Technology (now WelTec) was as a direct result of the work undertaken by Marina Lommerse as Chair of IDEA and with the aim to expand the influence of IDEA. At this meeting Harry Stephens and George Wilkie from UTS were elected co-chairs. The 8th meeting was held at Monash University on 6th and 7th July 2000 where Harry Stephens was elected chair. The 9th meeting was hosted by the University of South Australia 4-5 December 2000 and was followed by a design education symposium convened by UniSA titled Morbidity and Mortality. The first IDEA symposium, it provided a space for academics from most of the IDEA programs to present and discuss their approaches to pedagogy through the design studio. Wellington Institute of Technology, Wellington New Zealand (formerly CIT) hosted the 10th meeting of IDEA on 5th and 6th July 2001. At this meeting, Sven Mehzoud presented Massey University’s program for institutional membership of IDEA and was accepted. Victoria University Wellington also presented and was accepted. RMIT hosted the 11th meeting from 13-14 December 2001. The following meeting at UTS, Sydney from 12-14 April 2001 also involved the launch of the IDEA conference planned for 2003. Harry Stephens launched the conference at DesignEX and a workshop dedicated to developing the conference theme was held the following day. At the 13th meeting – QUT Brisbane October 2002 – the IDEA website was launched and Bill McKay from UNITEC New Zealand presented his program for institutional membership of IDEA.
At the 14th meeting – Monash, Melbourne May 2003, UNITEC joined IDEA as an institutional member. A planning symposium was held to discuss the forthcoming conference and potential themes and events. The 15th meeting Sydney UNSW August 2003 coincided with the 2003 IDEA Conference Between Excess and Austerity, hosted by UTS and UNSW. At this meeting Harry Stephens stood down as chair and Gill Matthewson from WelTec was elected. In 2003, Jill Franz was appointed Executive Editor of the IDEA Journal, with Dianne Smith as the Review Editor. In January 2004 IDEA was accepted as a full institutional member of IFI (International Federation of Interior Architects). This relationship has been strengthened over the ensuing years with IDEA invited to attend international roundtables to advise on excellence in interior design/interior architecture education.
During 2004 and 2005 IDEA continued to meet twice a year: UNITEC Auckland, January 2004; RMIT Melbourne, July 2004; UniSA Adelaide January 2005; Napier, New Zealand September 2005. In April 2005, IDEA convened a symposium INSIDEOUT which brought interior design and landscape architecture disciplines together. Gill Matthewson completed her term as chair at the 20th meeting in Sydney, NSW, April 2006 and Suzie Attiwill was elected.
The following meeting was held in Melbourne and co-hosted by RMIT and Monash, September 2006. Matthew Cooke, from Swinburne University, presented the program for membership to IDEA. IFI President Madeline Lester was invited to attend the meeting to discuss potential collaboration between IFI and IDEA. This followed IFI’s invitation to Suzie Attiwill as IDEA chair to attend the IFI Singapore Roundtable in June 2006. The 22nd meeting was hosted by Curtin, Fremantle, WA, February 2007. Swinburne joined IDEA as an institutional member. At the meeting, the IDEA Student Scholarship was developed as an initiative – with the first scholarship enabling a student from each IDEA program to attend the next IDEA conference, Inhabiting Risk. Suzie Attiwill and George Verghese attended the Interior Forum Scotland conference ‘Thinking Inside the Box’ in March 2007 and were invited by the Interior Educators (IE), an association involving British and Scottish interior design/interior architecture programs, to present IDEA at their forum/meeting.
In July 2007, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand hosted the meeting which coincided with the 2007 IDEA conference Inhabiting Risk (convened by WelTec, Massey and Victoria University Wellington). Andrea Placidi and Ro Spankie (co-program coordinators, Interior Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, UK) and Terry Meade (program director, Interior Architecture, Brighton University, UK) attended this meeting as guests. Their presence at the meeting was a direct result of IDEA members attending the IFS (Interiors Forum Scotland) conference in March 2007. At this meeting Gini Lee (UniSA, now QUT) was nominated as Executive Editor, IDEA Journal for 2008 – 2011, replacing Jill Franz (Executive Editor 2000-2007). In July 2007, IDEA chair Suzie Attiwill was invited to attend the IFI New York City Roundtable on Design Education in July 2007. At the 24th meeting of IDEA in Brisbane, February 2008, a draft constitution was tabled and the association moved to incorporate IDEA as a not for profit company limited by guarantee.
Since its formation in 1996, IDEA has met twice a year at a different institution making a total of 24 meetings. This has involved substantial commitment from members but the meetings provide an extremely valuable forum for exchange, benchmarking, collaborations and collegiality. The IDEA Journal has been published annually since 2001. It is circulated internationally and into over 200 libraries. It is one of only two international refereed journals dedicated to the publication of interior design/interior architecture research and as such makes a valuable contribution to the discipline. The definition of research includes research about design as well as through design. The journal therefore is a critical vehicle for the recognition and promotion of design as a research activity relevant to its field and equivalent to publication of more traditional research refereed journals.
The profile and influence of IDEA continues to grow. The group now consists of twelve institutional members representing higher education across Australia and New Zealand. The group has been recognised internationally as representing a progressive model for the progress of education and research for the interior design/interior architecture profession. IDEA continues to be a collegial organization focused on excellence in interior design/interior architecture education and research.