03/05/2026
World Art Deco Month - become an octagon sleuth.
Art Deco societies across the globe, all members of the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS), are celebrating Art Deco month this year by going on a scavenger hunt for the elongated octagon. Art Deco loved its geometric and abstracted shapes - the stretched octagon was a favourite choice of designers and architects in the 1920s & '30s, appearing in jewellery, architecture, homewares and fashion.
We don't think that Aussies were quite as mad about the octagon as the Europeans and Americans, but our favourite homegrown example is this gorgeous roof light depicting a native platypus from our nation's capital. If you've got some other great examples then post them here for us all to see.
ℹ Our cute art deco platypus features in one of Canberra's finest buildings of the Inter-war Stripped Classical / Art Deco style - the 1931 Australian Institute of Anatomy. The stained-glass platypus skylight takes pride of place in the foyer. As the Institute of Anatomy, it was one of the key public buildings provided by the Federal Capital Commission in the first phase of Canberra's development, built to broaden national interest and establish the city as a centre of archives and collections. The building currently houses the National Film and Sound Archive. Photo: Marg Wade.
▶ For more info on the building: https://region.com.au/dissections-ghosts-and-movies-if-walls-could-talk/566792/
