Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne becomes a living gallery this spring with the arrival of Design X Nature.
This spring, a thought-provoking outdoor exhibition, Design X Nature, will activate the Australian Drylands Precinct at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
From 25 September to 18 October, Design X Nature turns the Gardens into a living gallery, inviting audiences to experience how natural systems can shape creative practice, material experimentation and ecological thinking. Throughout the exhibition, visitors can deepen their experience through a series of walks, talks and workshops that expand the artwork themes and offer opportunities to engage directly with artists and experts.
The exhibition features new works by Courtney Coombs, Cara Johnson, Bethany Kiss and Soft Meadow Collective, each offering a distinct perspective on nature-led design. Developed through a 2025 research lab residency at Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, the commissions reflect a unique cross-disciplinary collaboration between artists, designers and the Gardens’ scientific experts which fostered new ways of thinking about design, grounded in observation, research and environmental knowledge.
Historically, major design innovations have drawn inspiration from the natural world. Design X Nature continues this tradition, presenting contemporary responses to environmental challenges and demonstrating how creative practices can engage with ecological systems in meaningful ways.
Design X Nature offers a fresh way to explore the Gardens, bringing together art, research and environment to spark curiosity and inspire new ways of thinking about design and nature.
For full program details, click here.
This program is presented by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in association with Melbourne Fringe and RMIT University. Design X Nature is made possible thanks to the generous support of Henrietta Flinn and Simon Scott. Photo: Ricardo Simao. Courtesy Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
Background Information
To source images and interviews, please contact:
communications@rbg.vic.gov.au
(03) 9252 2300
Exhibition Details
When: Friday 25 September – Sunday 18 October 2026
Where: Australian Drylands Precinct, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne (enter via Domain Road Gate)
Cost: Free
Access: Drop in anytime
Artist-in-Residence: Pastures
Visitors can meet artist Cara Johnson as she works alongside her sculptural installation Pastures, offering an insight into her creative process and the ideas behind the work.
Dates
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Friday 2 October, 10am–2pm
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Friday 9 October, 10am–4pm
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Friday 16 October, 10am–4pm
Cost: Free, drop in anytime
Workshop: Nature Journaling in the Drylands
Led by Soft Meadow Collective, this immersive workshop encourages participants to engage with the Australian Drylands Precinct through drawing, writing and careful observation of the surrounding landscape.
When: Saturday 3 October, 11am (2 hours)
Cost: $40 adult / $35 concession
Bookings: Essential
Walk: Home is Where the Nest Is – Bird Ecology in Melbourne
Guided by urban ecologist Dr Jacinta Humphrey, this walk explores how birds live and thrive within Melbourne’s urban environment.
Dates
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Saturday 10 October, 10am (1.5 hours)
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Friday 16 October, 12.30pm (1.5 hours)
Cost: $30 adult / $25 concession
Bookings: Essential
Talk: Queer Ecologies Panel Discussion
Artist Courtney Coombs and invited guests examine the concept of queer ecology, challenging traditional distinctions between what is considered "natural" and "unnatural".
When: Saturday 17 October, 3pm (1 hour)
Cost: Free
Bookings: Recommended
Brunswick Aces Gin Pop-Up
Visitors can enjoy a twilight drinks experience featuring 'The Arborist', Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria's exclusive botanical gin collaboration with Brunswick Aces.
Dates
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Friday 9 October
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Saturday 10 October
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Friday 16 October
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Saturday 17 October
Time: 12pm–7.30pm
Courtney Coombs makes art, writes, and facilitates to make sense of the world and their place in it. Employing queer-centric, anti-spectacular methodologies, they privilege periods of observing, thinking, feeling, learning, and unlearning as much as realising a final form, which often involves reimagining everyday encounters. Their minimally presented liaisons include objects, installations, two-dimensional works, moving images and sound, discourse, dialogue, and community building.
Cara Johnson’s craft-based works interrogate tensions and narratives connected to the ways land is treated and used through material, intention and invested labour. Her practice is entwined with her rural location and primarily concerned with traversing the complexities between people and plants.
Bethany Kiss is a PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne working at the intersection of architecture and urban ecology. Her research asks how cities and buildings can be designed to actively support biodiversity. Drawing on a decade of Wildlife Victoria rescue data, Bethany maps how native species already use our buildings as habitat, and develops tools to help architects design for that cohabitation intentionally.
The Soft Meadow Collective are multidisciplinary artists Sarah Lynch, Daniella Ruffino, and Adele Daniele. Founded in 2022, they explore spontaneous plants, pollinators, biodiversity, and urban ecology. Through collaborative and socially engaged practices, they have produced publications, drawing workshops and weed dérives to explore the deeper connections between people and nature.