Grand Design: Anna Cordingley wins coveted design scholarship

A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts has taken out the 2012 Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship For Design in The Performing Arts.

Anna Cordingley has been awarded the coveted biennial Kristian Fredrikson Scholarship For Design in The Performing Arts, worth $10,000.

The scholarship was created as an on-going memorial to one of Australia’s most distinguished performing arts designers, the late Kristian Fredrikson, who passed away in 2005 after a 40 year career encompassing ballet, opera, contemporary dance, theatre, exhibitions, film and television.

The $10,000 travel scholarship provides a designer or theatrical maker with the opportunity to further their career overseas, and after an exhibition of her work at the Arts Centre, Melbourne, Anna plans include studying at the Akademie der Kunste Berlin, and Warburg Institute in London.

Cordingley graduated from the VCA where she was awarded The 2003 John Vickery Scholarship and since then has gone on to work professionally in set and costume design for some of Melbourne’s most regarded theatre makers.

In 2009- 2011 Anna was Artist in Residence, Set and Costume design for Malthouse Theatre and  her recent work includes Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl, Julius Caesar for Bell Shakespeare and costume design for Chunky Move’s Connected. She is currently designing Macbeth for The Bell Shakespeare Company.

The selection committee for the scholarship have thanked all the unsuccessful applicants for the 2012 scholarship, indicating that choosing this year’s winner was not an easy task

“The scholarship saw a particularly strong field of applicants and the final decision was extremely difficult. We would encourage you to reapply in the future. The next round of applications commence October 2013 for the 2014 scholarship”, the committee said in a statement yesterday.

Applicants for the scholarship must have completed five professional productions or have demonstrated a proven record of professional activity over at least 3 years plan and submit 3 letters of recommendation from collaborators.

The scholarship’s previous recipient Victoria Lamb is currently in London completing a secondment with London Designer; Lucy Osbourne.

For further information please see the scholarship website www.fredriksonscholarship.org

Anna’s designs will be on display at the Arts Centre Melbourne in The Smorgon Family Plaza opening on the 13^th of April.