In summary

  • Jessica Love, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture) (Honours), is Interior Design Graduate of the Year for Victoria and Tasmania for her Honours project
  • The Graduate of the Year Awards (GOYTA) is the Design Institute of Australia’s flagship program for emerging designers

Swinburne Design student, Jessica Love has taken out a top prize and two honourable mentions in the Design Institute of Australia’s Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) for 2020.

This awards ceremony is the Design Institute of Australia’s flagship program for emerging designers from tertiary institutions across Australia.  Created to support and commend exceptional early-career designers from around Australia, this year’s GOYTA recipients were announced via YouTube in early October.

Interior Graduate of the Year

Jessica Love, Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture), was named Interior Design Graduate of the Year for Victoria and Tasmania for her captivating two-part, year-long Honours project. Jessica was also recognised with two honourable mentions from the Design Institute of Australia – Australian Graduate of the Year and Design Graduate of the Year for Victoria and Tasmania. 

Jessica’s Honours project was first showcased at the Swinburne Design Graduate Exhibition in 2019. 

“That evening, I was awarded the ‘Best Capstone Project’, the ‘Interior Architecture Adobe Award’ and ‘First Class Honours’”, says Jessica. “My lecturer, Dr Phuong Quoc Dinh, then nominated my Honours project for the 2020 Graduate of the Year Award.”

The first part of Jessica’s project was the design of a euthanasia retreat, the ELYSIUM Villa. Jessica explained that ELYSIUM is understood to be the ‘state of perfect happiness’, and an acronym for, Eternal Life Yielding Solace into Unified Mindfulness.

“My project encapsulated speculative, futuristic and citizen spaces, acknowledging the importance of end-of-life consideration,” says Jessica.

“ELYSIUM provides a preferred end-of-life space for euthanasia participants that pays homage to the circle of life, creating a gentle, simple parting image to usher grief with warmth and allowing patients to die a dignified death.”

A captivating video highlighting the eloquently tranquil design of ELYSIUM exemplifies Jessica’s well-deserved GOYTA achievements.

“I am so grateful for all my lecturers, in particular, Dr Phuong Quoc Dinh. I could never have imagined being in this position at the beginning of my course”, says Jessica.

“I still can’t believe that I have managed to achieve such an acknowledgement. But I could not have done it without the assistance and guidance of my dedicated Swinburne teachers. I am incredibly thankful for Swinburne’s facilities and the heroic team in the workshop for going above and beyond”.

Lauren Dienhoff, Bachelor of Design (Brand Environments), was also recognised with an honourable mention for Interior Design for Victoria and Tasmania.

Dean of the School of Design, Professor Jane Burry says Swinburne’s School of Design has a distinguished history and reputation for excellence in design education.

“I could not be more delighted that our recent Interior Architecture graduate Jessica Love has won the 2020 Interior Design Graduate of Year award for Victoria and Tasmania,” says Professor Burry. “What an outstanding achievement and springboard for her future career. Warmest congratulations to Jessica and her lecturer Phuong Quoc Dinh”.

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