by Louise Kellerman, courtesy of Design Assembly 

Semi-Permanent, the international festival for creatives, returns to Auckland on 31 May for its annual two-day exploration into the minds of our world’s most cutting edge creative artists and design thinkers.

by Louise Kellerman, courtesy of Design Assembly 

Semi-Permanent, the international festival for creatives, returns to Auckland on 31 May for its annual two-day exploration into the minds of our world’s most cutting edge creative artists and design thinkers.

In Auckland for its 9th year, 2013 will see Kiwis Askew, Kelly Thompson and Darryl Ward & Matt Noonan from Curious Films feature amongst the international line-up of speakers.

Also included are renowned speakers from Digital Kitchen, the US agency that developed Stanley Piano – the world’s first interactive piano – and won Emmy awards for their main title work on True Blood, Dexter and Six Feet Under.

They will be in the fine company of US production designer Annie Sperling, photographer David LaChapelle’s art director. Sperling is involved with community mural projects throughout Los Angeles reflecting city landmarks, heroes and cultural diversity, and her painting and photography explore the world of burlesque and live theatre which she is also involved.

Others on the speaking agenda include surf magazine Stab’s creator, Sam McIntosh, Rodney Eggleston of March Studios, and Berlin animator and engineer, Niklas Roy. Michael Lugmayr, founder of TOKO will also be present.

The Kiwi line up:

Askew’s graffiti work is part of our urban landscape. The diverse self-taught artist’s work also involves graphic design, illustration, photography, publishing, music and moving image. His tireless dedication to his craft will make for an inspiring talk at SP.

Darryl Ward & Matt Noonan from Curious Films have a multitude of prestigious awards, recognised by the Cannes Film Festival through to Young Guns. They represent some of our most dynamic commercial directors, passionate about storytelling across platforms.

We have listed Kelly Thompson under ‘The Kiwis’ as she was born in Rotorua and lived in Wellington for ten years before moving to Melbourne. Thompson is known for her attention to detail and her feminine, alluring illustration, photography and art direction.

Our Top picks from the international line up:

Sandra Dieckmann – illustrator and artist from East London creates elusive, majestic beautiful work inspired by wildlife and dreams. In 2011 she was named “Upcoming Talent in Illustration in the UK”.

Annie Sperling – production designer and artist in LA, who works alongside David LaChapelle’s as his primary designer. An intriguing mix of fine art and community beautification projects compliments her impressive commercial portfolio of photography.

Dominic Hofstede – graphic designer for over twenty years, he runs the Melbourne design and development studio Hofstede. The studio produces work with a strong typographic focus. In addition to his practice, Hofstede is involved in the Australian design community through education and the archive of Australian graphic design he founded in 2009.

• Courtesy of Design Assembly / conversations on graphic design.

Check out www.semipermanent.com for the full Auckland programme.