The Design Files

This is not a Design Market (apparently?)

2009-07-20T08:50:00.000+10:00

For the record, This is not a Design Market most definitely was a design market. Fantastic turnout of enthusiastic crowds, great cross-section of designers, artists as well as live music, food and a generally fun, relaxed Sunday-in-Melbourne atmosphere. Also the venue at 'The Factory' 500 La Trobe st was excellent! I cannot believe there are still huge industrial spaces like this left vacant in the CBD! Great stuff.

Highlights below!

Met the lovely Madeleine from Made by Mosey for the first time after featuring her work on the site here!

Also met the Woot 'n Wright team after featuring their work on the site here. Love the new fabric brooches, modelled here by Amy!

Third Drawer Down was pumping! Great to see some new designs from them... Loved this teapot print above.

Paper Tiger was back with those stools... showing their work alongside lighting by Volker Haug Spin Spin Handmade cushions... who entertainingly showed 'Volker Haug' cushions with prints and patterns inspired by Volker's lights. and

Nicholas Jones sliced away as enthralled audience looked on...

Marcos Davidson's stunning handcrafted silver jewellery... love love love that bracelet (bottom right)

MMOP had a busy stand upstairs where they did some printing demonstrations etc.

Jewllery by Jeu de Tree

Was surprised to see Australian sofa / furniture manufacturer Jardan here...! But their furniture is locally handcrafted, and they showed some stunning new pieces... and we should all be supporting locally made furniture!

I love sofas. Yes I do!

Dan Honey and Paul Fuog from the Co-Op sell their gorgeous height charts... while cute kids take the opportunity to measure themselves while nobody is looking! There was much cute-child spotting to be done. How about this gorgeous little thing in stripey leggings and a tutu? Wish I could get away with that look.

Are these art installations for sale? Who are they by? Mystery mystery.

Love this super kooky 'fountain' made from found objects and a paddling pool(!) by Peter McLisky. It got a lot of attention, even though he said it was just a fun project to jazz up the space alongside his art pieces.

interview - Lucinda Hartley from Architects Without Frontiers

2009-07-18T10:20:00.000+10:00

Shelter Stories - a temporary installation at River Terrace Federation Square - and interactive response to the global challenge of slums.

Architects Without Frontiers is an amazing, amazing Australian initiative which essentially manages and provides assistance to pro-bono architectural projects in developing countries all over the world. Until recently, AWF has been run entirely with volunteers. It has only this year that they've had the means to take on staff - it now employs only one full-time person, and that person is Lucinda Hartley!

Lucinda is one of those amazing people you can't help but admire. She's a Landscape Architect, and volunteered with AWF for 2 years before starting in her new role just 3 months ago. She has been actively working in pro-bono developmental projects for the last 6 years since finishing her studies. She co-ordinated several design/build projects for Habitat for Humanity in post-tsunami areas of Thailand, and for the past year or so has been working on a Slum Mapping project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She's now working on a Disability Day Centre in Vietnam which hopes to set a benchmark for sustainable building in the region, as well as setting a precedent for purpose-designed facilities for disabled children.

Architects Without Frontiers have an installation/event called Shelter Stories, running as part of State of Design. The installation at River Terrace, Federation Square is an interactive response to the global challenge of slums, and invites the public to think about the need for shelter, and urban water and energy use on a global level.

Shelter Stories is an interesting combination of installation and light projection, and is best viewed at night! I think tonight is the last night too... if you're in the city do pop down and check it out!

Tell us a little about your background - how did you come to be working with AWF?

I'm actually a Landscape Architect which confuses some people as I work for Architects without Frontiers, but we're a mix of built environment professionals and not all architects. I've been working with AWF for only 3 months, but I've been a volunteer with them for a little over two years and my interest in social and environmentally conscious design goes back much further than that.

I started actively working in pro-bono and social projects about 6 years ago. When I was studying I had the opportunity to live and work in Cambodia for several months which sparked an interest in a more lateral application of my profession - i.e. that design was not only a tool for commercial, residential and public projects but had a wide and direct application to development projects. I focused this attention when I returned to Australia where I coordinated several design/build projects with Habitat for Humanity in post-tsunami areas of Thailand. In late 2007 I was fortunate to receive an Asialink Weary Dunlop Fellowship with which I undertook an internship with the Asian Coalition of Housing Rights in Thailand, Cambodia, Japan and Vietnam - looking at best practice development architecture practice in the region and how various local NGOs engaged design professionals on development projects.

For the past 14 months I've worked as both an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) and an Endeavour Executive Fellow in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on a Slum Mapping Project. I was actively involved in AWF's Vietnam projects at the same time, so when I came back to Australia earlier this year, I was really fortunate to be able to take up the position of Executive Officer with AWF. I see this as an opportunity to build the social design consciousness in Australian architectural and design practice and demonstrate high quality design solutions for communities in need.

Can you give us a bit of an insight into the inner workings and structure of AWF?

Architects without Frontiers provide pro-bono technical services to humanitarian design projects. Until recently, Architects without Frontiers has been entirely volunteer run. The organisation is part of an international network but started in Australia almost 10 years ago by Melbourne architects and planners, Esther Charlesworth, Garry Ormston and Beau Beza as an avenue for using Australian design expertise (architecture, urban design and landscape architecture) in post-conflict areas. Since then AWF have completed almost 40 projects in 12 countries in Australia, Africa and Asia Pacific have expanded its focus to long-term community development projects, integrating design and appropriate technology into sustainable development practice through partnership with communities, other non-profits, clients and organisations.

It is only recently that we have had the capacity and means to take on staff. I'm actually the only full time staff member, we have one other part time staff member and an active board of directors. Our plan is to expand to 5 full time staff by the end of 2012 to meet capacity. Our projects are managed through our extensive volunteer network of pro-bono partners, members and volunteers and we are currently managing projects in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nepal, India, Vietnam and the Northern Territory. The number of projects we can take on is really only limited by the number of pro-bono parter firms willing to take on the projects, and support funding.

What has been the most rewarding project you've working on recently (either with AWF or in your previous roles elsewhere)?

I'm currently working on a Disability Day Centre in Dien Ban, Central Vietnam, which is really interesting as it hopes to set a benchmark for sustainable building in the the region as well as providing a precedent for purpose-designed education, health and recreational facilities for disabled children. The project builds on AWFs relationship with partner organisation the Kian Foundation a charity with a long term involvement in Quang Nam Province as well as integrating several different aspects of AWFs services into one project. The project involves both architectural and landscape architectural professional services, an educational component through RMIT University with a strong emphasis on participatory, sustainable and community-focused outcomes. AWF's pro-bono partners BURO architecture are currently developing schematic drawings for the proposed centre. In January 2010, 12 RMIT Studuents together with 12 RMIT Vietnam students will work collaboratively on the project as part of a multi-disciplinary design studio. Construction will begin in mid-2010.

These shots of the Disability Day Centre in Dien Ban

Which architects, designers and visionaries do you admire or take inspiration from?

The more I explore the role of design in development the more I discover inspirational people, organisations, designers and communities but I want to outline three key influences: First, I've been long inspired by the Design for the other 90% exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum which centres around the following quote from Dr Paul Polak of International Development Enterprises who calls for a design revolution: “The majority of the world’s designers focus all their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10% of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%.” This quote is very true for the Australian Design context and I believe we need to fundamentally shift the way we think about design.

Second, I'm very interested in the work and philosophy of Frederick Law Olmstead, the famous Landscape Architect who designed New York's Central Park and Prospect Park among many other public spaces. Olmstead believed in the power of design, and particularly of landscape design, to bring about social change - that by improving the quality of cities and spaces you could improve quality of life. The relationship between public open space and social improvement is as important today as it was 150 years ago.

Thirdly, Community Architects for Shelter and Environment (CASE) who operate in Thailand and Japan, are grass roots organisations who are demonstrating leadership and innovation in affordable housing, appropriate building technology and slum upgrading in Asia. Like "barefoot" architects these inspiring designers demonstrate how design professionals can effectively engage with community. In 2008, with the generous support of the Asialink Foundation, I had the opportunity to meet with CASE in Bangkok and Osaka. There is much that Australian designers can learn from their integrated, grass-roots approach to problem solving and design integration.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Too much! With only a few staff my role involves a bit of everything - design, project management, talking with clients and communities, writing funding applications, liaising with volunteers and pro-bono partners and organisational development. Basically quite a lot of time at the computer, but there's not a dull moment. Right now we're really trying to develop and grow the organisation so its a really exciting time as we plan our vision for the future. I'm a keen cyclist, so I try to get a ride in before work most days too.

What would be a dream project for the AWF team?

An ideal project would be one where we're no longer needed! The aim of our programs and projects is to work with the community and capacity build so that they can work for themselves. If we complete a project, and we're not needed for additional work, then we've done our job well. Until then, we'll continue to work closely with communities in a way that is participatory and appropriate.

What are you looking forward to?

Heading back to Vietnam in October to see the progress of the Dien Ben Disability Day Centre, brushing up my Vietnamese and meeting up with friends, colleagues and communities over there.

A Preschool project in Ahmedabad, India, supported by City of Melbourne and Australian award-winning socially responsible design company Bholu.

Shelter Stories - Visualising out Urban Future

River Terrace, Federation Square
until July 19th (tomorrow!)

Free

Design:Made:Trade and Designboom Mart

2009-07-17T15:13:00.008+10:00

Man. I am one exhausted blogger. And the festival isn't even halfway over yet!

Pictures speak louder than words, so please forgive my brevity and check out the pics from D:M:T and Designboom Mart yesterday! Make sure you pop down on the weekend and check it out!

Sally Campbell Handmade Textiles - beautiful quilts and throws made in India, designed by Sydney-based ex-film designer Sally Campbell. Stunning! (That's Sally in the top shot with the red hat on!)

Yellow Diva - loved the oversized gilt frame they added to their stand! Talk about wow-factor! They are launching their fantastic brand new BC1 outdoor chair made from recycled wine barrels.

Victoria Mason gorgeous handmade jewellery - Victoria was one of my very first interviewees back in Feb last year, and I have been coveting that red pencil sharpening necklace ever since! Isn't it lovely? Also loved her new range of stackable rings - I chose tea, sugar spoon and a Nice biscuit! Perfect combination :)

Victoria Mason super-cute shoes and apron combo!

Australian Design Unit showed a collection of work by last year's Springboard participants. The Springboard program aims to assist and mentor emerging designers in areas such an intellectual property, financial management , media relations etc. Fantastic initiative! These shots show clothing by fashion designer Alexi Freeman, and hand-blown glassware by Oliver Smith. Love the inclusion of sketchbook pages and work in progress alongside finished pieces!

Able and Game stationary seem to be taking this town by storm! Super kooky, very funny, and a little Napoleon Dynamite-esque... there were lots of chuckles from visitors to this stall as they read each caption! I especially love the 'bun in the oven' cards!

Amazing seats constructed from a vacuum-moulded(?) plywood top and a milk crate base. Simple, sustainable and handcrafted by designer Simon Ancher, who is based in Tasmania. I see the hospitality orders already....

Pigeonhole - a great curated collection of imported and local stationary, jewellery and nik naks.

Mattt Bags took a little time off from decking out their soon-to-be-opened retail store in Gertrude st, Fitzroy to take part in Design Made Trade! Fantastic bags made and designed right here in Melbourne. Choose your fabric and Mattt will create your dream bag!

Paul Justin's interlocking connectors which formed the basis of the FANTASTIC 'Makedo' exhibtion of re-purposed materials! Many prominent Australian designers from varied disciplines took part in Makedo, using the same basic connectors to impressive new creations from recycled materials. Makedo also have a great blog documenting previous projects and the lead-up to D:M:T (ever seen a giant cardboard gorilla on a skateboard?).

More from the 'Makedo' exhibition - Amanda Henderson of Gloss Creative made the flowers, reknowned Melbourne architect Architect Nonda Katsalidis designed the canoe. Cannot recommend this exhibition enough. You must see it. I want to get me some of those connectors! Think of the possibilities!

More 'Makedo' - love the igloo from Luke Feldman

Akira Isogawa's 'Makedo' exhibit. Gorgeous. Such variety!

More brilliant 'Makedo' creations - Sorry cannot seem to find my notes for the top image! Bottom table is by Chris Connell.

Lox & Savvy - cute Australian-made stationary. Love the pre-made paper chains! For all the time-poor kiddies out there.

Wrapped by Housemouse

Gretchen Hillhouse - delicate ceramic jewellery and those beautiful bowls! Stunning.

Gretchen Hillhouse

Designboom Mart! SO GOOD. Carved resin animal jewellery by Taiwan-based Haoshi.

Designboom Mart - MY FAVOURITE stand! Handmade pieces from Takeshi Iue (Japan). Love the lights! Bought one for my fella (shhh! - he doesn't know yet!). Cute waxed paper bags too.

Designboom Mart - Bright and cheerful bags and laptop bags made from recycled vinyl and fabric scraps, by Indiaan designer Nupur Goenka of Lets.

Designboom Mart - Envelope document/laptop bag and time-wasting sketchpad from 25togo Design Store (Taiwan). Fill in the grey squares on the grid to reveal the image - different image on every page!

Interesting ceramic pieces from the Mixko in the UK - love the nobbly knee ceramic vase and these rings which look like creepy headless babies! The sweet Mixko people were looking a little bit jetlagged having come all the way from England... hope they're feeling better by the weekend!

Design:Made:Trade and Designboom Mart

This weekend, 10.00 - 5.00 Sat and Sun

Melbourne Exhibition Buildings
Nicholson st, Carlton

$10 entry

Mini Interview - Kings Way author Karl Stamer

2009-07-17T07:00:00.000+10:00

Shots from Kings Way - kindly supplied by Karl Stamer

You may have heard some of the buzz about Kings Way: The Beginnings of Australian Graffiti - a new book launching this month which documents the beginnings of the Melbourne graffiti scene between 1983 - 93, written by Melbourne graffiti veterans, Duro Cubrilo, Karl Stamer & Martin Harvey.

As luck would have it, Karl Stamer is married to illustrator and Design Files favourite Madeleine Stamer - whose work you may remember I have featured here before? Luckily for us Madeleine hooked up a mini-interview with Karl about Kings Way - a project that's been 9 years in the making! The book officially launches tomorrow night at Federation Square as part of State of Design - see bottom of the post for details.

*There is also a fantastic, much more detailed interview with all three Kings Way authors over at Australian Edge! Be sure to check it out!

What initially inspired you to make a book about Melbourne' Graffiti scene?

Marty, Duro and I were involved in the Melbourne graffiti scene in the 80’s, it was inspirational and life changing for so many kids at the time. There was a story that needed to be told through visual and written documentation.

You spent a long time researching and compiling images for Kings Way - It must have been a nightmare tracking down good quality photos, not to mention dealing with the legal issues and anonymity of the artists etc! What has been the response so far from within the Graffiti community? Was everyone happy to be featured in the book?

All the artists featured in the book are only identifiable by their tag names, additional research was a combination of our general knowledge, various anecdotal and objective accounts of events, media clippings and numerous personal collections of photos and memorabilia. So far the general response has been incredibly positive, we did our best to include notable writers who were involved in the scene during that decade. The book utilizes about 60 photographic collections from people who were involved in the scene at the time, some of those individuals were actively involved and others took photos as a hobby.

Pagespreads from the book - via Australian Edge

Are any of your own pieces featured in the book? (Can you tell me this? Or is it hush hush!?)

Maybe, maybe not…

In Australian Edge's fantastic recent interview with you guys, you say that you have not been actively in the Grafitti scene since 1993. What have you been up to instead?!

As the legendary Melbourne graffiti artist Hugh Dunit once cited ‘The child is grown, the dream is gone’ –Pink Floyd

Oh, and I’m now married, work full time and have become a father!

Where would you send someone to check out examples of great new graffiti in Melbourne at the moment?

Take a stroll around the cities laneways such as Hosier Lane and Degraves Lane where you’ll see a mix of street art and traditional graffiti.

Martin Harvey, Duro Cubrilo and Karl Stamer. I'm glad the publicist opted to NOT shoot the promo portraits in a ubiquitous Melbourne laneway.

Kings Way : The Beginnings of Australian Grafitti Launch event

Saturday 18th July, 6pm
ACMI Function Space, Federation Square

free!

Design of the Times - Ticket winners!

2009-07-17T06:00:00.002+10:00

Images from Dinosaur Designs' latest range - Fungi. Have you ever seen a more beautiful bowl? No. Me neither.

Thanks so much for your entries for the Liane Rossler 'Design of the Times' ticket giveaway!

The lucky winners were:

Handmade Romance
Lizzie

Thanks so much for all your comments! So sorry to those who missed out!

Evie and Lizzie, please email me your full names and and I will ensure ACCA put you on their door list for Monday's event! More details about the event here.

I'll see you there! x

ps) I was lucky enough to have a coffee with Liane yesterday and she is so utterly warm and lovely and of course completely inspiring! Thankyou blog for introducing me to such wonderful people. x

SoD Opening Night antics and Aesop After Dark!

2009-07-16T14:28:00.004+10:00

The Exhibition Building buzzing with people for SoD opening night! - photos Tobias Titz

Here are some pics from last's night's State of Design opening night at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton! It was so great! A huge turnout, and such an incredible buzz and excitement about the festival!

You will notice some of these photos are excellent. Those ones are not mine! They belong to festival photographer Tobias Titz. Thanks Tobias! (The rather more average ones are mine :)

Top - Designboom Mart was super popular with the crowds. Bottom - best outfit of the night spotted at The Foundry's stand. Love those stockings, and the tulle headpiece!

After the opening, a select group of festival guests were invited to a late night discussion group called After Dark, in Fitzroy. The intimate event was hosted by Aesop (with a little help from Absolut Vodka and the British Council, apparently). The incredible paper installation by Melbourne's March Studio absolutely transformed the space and was a major talking point - upstaged only by the mini-dinners served with crispbread in petri dishes! Fabulous.

Beautiful shot of March Studio's paper installation - photo Tobias Titz

I have never been so excited to see a petri dish!

Crowds mingle - and Fleur Watson from State of Design introduces the speakers... and warns us not to steal the petri dishes!

Bar staff looking a little bit Super Mario in their bright orange overalls. Cocktails are mixed with chemistry beakers... and plants grow in bottles lined up along the bar.

Nipa Doshi waits quietly for the discussion to begin!

Nipa Doshi charmed the crowd with her thoughtful discussion, beautiful hand-rendered design sketches... and secrets about Tom Cruise' special shoes! - shhh!

Interview - Tim Yu of Cool Hunting

2009-07-16T07:00:00.000+10:00

Top - Tim Yu looking very mysterious and distinguished(!), bottom - The Cool Hunting team - Josh Rubin, Evan Orensten, and Ami Kealoha.

Tim Yu is one of 4 fulltime editors at super-site Cool Hunting. He comes from an unlikely background in biology-psychology, strategic marketing and medical research... but somewhere along the line he swapped his labcoat for a laptop ...and these days 400,000 regular readers check in to read his latest finds.

Cool Hunting covers the intersection of art, design, culture and technology, with multiple daily updates and weekly videos. Tim and his fellow editors wield a lot of power in the design industry - a single posting on Cool Hunting can quickly propel a new designer or prototype into the international spotlight!

Tim's posts seem to focus on men's fashion, street and skatewear (specifically runners!), gadgets and gizmos, and cars. All those things that clued-in, cashed-up boys want to know about (content which is still largely untapped by The Design Files!).

I am very excited to see Tim lead a discussion about future trends in art, design, culture and technology tonight at the Design Dinner at Comme in the city! Super posh. You can also catch him at Design Capital tomorrow (details at the bottom of this post).

Jeeves and Wooster Lampshades - Cool Hunting post by Tim Yu

Heidiskis Handmade Wood Core Skis - Cool Hunting post by Tim Yu

You have a background in biology-psychology, strategic marketing and medical research – what led you down the Cool Hunting path?

While living in S. Korea I would visit Cool Hunting often. When I got back to NYC I contacted them about contributing in some way and luckily we grew to a point where they could hire me full time. I know what I like and I think that helps. You don’t need to know why you like something; some of that is intangible, but that’s something we’ve tried to dissect a bit, what we like and why.

Did you ever expect Cool Hunting to gain the incredible reputation and readership that it now has? At what point did you realise you were onto a winner!?

I’ll take that as a compliment, thank you. We are blessed with an interested, engaged and loyal readership. We’re always working to improve the site and find new content to make sure people enjoy coming back. In fact, we’re working on a redesign of the site now, which will be out soon.

Zoom Stefan Janoski SB: Designer James Arizumi Interview and Sketches - Cool Hunting post by Tim Yu.

Can you give us a bit of an insight into the inner workings of Cool Hunting? How are the editorial staff organised to ensure up-to-the-minute coverage and super-quick turnaround?

We are only online so there is an inherent immediacy but we’re not so concerned with up to the minute coverage. Instead, we treat the site like an archive or curatorial. We’re interested in unveiling the creative process, good executions, new ideas and finding inspiration.

We have 4 full time editors; Josh Rubin is the Editor in Chief, Evan Orensten is the Executive Editor, Ami Kealoha is the Managing Editor and produces our Cool Hunting Video Series, and me. The titles are actually misleading because we are such a small team and we all do a bit of everything. In fact, I don’t have a title. We have a couple contributing editors that help maintain the site and about 25 freelance contributors stationed around the world, from Melbourne to Sao Paulo.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Lately I’ve been trying to create a more structured day because there is so much going on. For example, in the mornings I block out time to go through my RSS, read the paper/magazine, just stay up to date. The other thing I try to do daily is check in with the team. It’s rarely more than just talking around the kitchen counter while making some coffee but because we’re small and pulled in all directions it’s important to make sure we’re all on the same page. I split my time between the editorial and publishing sides about half and half. That said, everyday is different, and I know it sounds so cliché, but that’s the best part. One day we’ll visit an artist studio and another I’ll be on a video shoot. Maybe even a video shoot at the artist studio.

Sophie Blackalls Missed Connections - posted by Cool Hunting contributor Karen Day

What would be a dream project or collaboration for the Cool Hunting team?

I want to play in the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. Or at least attend.

What are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to spending some time in Australia with my girlfriend. It will be our first time down unda.

Which 5 websites are daily reads for you?

It’s always changing. Only the NYtimes is consistent. But at the moment?

Nytimes
Twitter
Paper Tastebuds
Selectism, especially Tony Gervino’s column
And of course, Craplinks

Steve Powers Philadelphia Love Letter - posted by Cool Hunting contributor Ariston Anderson

Poketo pop-up shop - posted by Cool Hunting contributor by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Design Dinner Featuring editor of Cool Hunting, Tim Yu

Thursday 16th July, 6.30pm for 7.00pm.
$85 per head (includes 3 course meal and wine)

Comme, 7 Alfred Place, Melbourne

Design Capital

Design Day - Friday 17th July
Prices / sessions vary - see the website for details

BMW Edge, Federation Square, CBD

D:M:T / Designboom Winners and ANOTHER giveaway!

2009-07-16T06:00:00.000+10:00

Wowsers just got back from the fantabulous State of Design opening night at the Exhibition Building in Carlton and can I just say you guys are in for a REAL treat on the weekend! Do not miss Design:Made:Trade and Designboom Mart! Soooo much great stuff to see! :)

OK so onto housekeeping. I just pulled names out of my mixing bowl for the Design:Made:Trade ticket giveaway! Winners are as follows -

Casie
Catie
Winter
Tess

Congratulations! Please forward me your addresses ASAP this morning and we'll get your tickets in the post today! Once again I am so sorry I didn't have tickets for everybody!! :(

Liane Rossler in her Sydney studio - Image kindly supplied by photographer Daniel Boud of Boudist

BUT I do have another giveaway! ACCA have kindly offered 2 tickets to Design for the Times - Liane Rossler's talk at ACCA next Monday night! Liane will talk about what artists, designers and creative visionaries can do to be part of a design solution to the crisis of climate change.

Liane Rossler is one of the founders and designers of the wonderful Dinosaur Designs, and is also one of Al Gore's Climate Change ambassadors. It'll be an amazing talk, from one of Australia's most inspiring and well-respected designers. You may remember my interview with Liane last year - I was very star-struck!

To be in the running for tickets please comment on this post before 5.00pm today! Thanks so much and good luck! :)

Pecha Kucha!

2009-07-15T13:00:00.000+10:00

Went to Pecha Kucha at The Toff last night... must admit it was my first Pecha Kucha night although I have been meaning to go forever. Last time it was on my Mum went and apparently squealed very loudly when the lovely Jeremy of Jacky Winter mentioned The Design Files! (Thanks Jeremy, Thanks Mum!).

Anyway, must say it was a bit of a mixed bag. But I guess that's the idea! If you're not familiar, Pecha Kucha started in Japan as a place for creative people to meet, network and show their work in public. It consists of 8 people showing 20 images, and talking for only 20 seconds on each. The timing is quite strict whcih is great, as it minimises Oscar-speech style babbling!

Thanks in part to it's inclusion in the State of Design line-up, last night's event was dotted with international guests as well as local talent. They spoke to a sell-out crowd - I feel bad for anyone who came along to buy tickets at the door! :(

Highlights below.

Nate Archer's slides

Nate Archer refreshingly decided to avoid the topic of design altogether... amazing to see such lack of self-promotion! Good on him! Instead Nate introduced us to some of his favourite spots in his home town of Toronto, Canada. Recommendations included Type Books, Ministry of the Interior, Toronto's Reference Library and Kensington Market.

Nate Archer's slides

David Pidgeon's 3D typography

Respected local graphic designer David Pidgeon spoke about his fascination with 3D typography experiments.

Artwork by Britt Salt

Melbourne artist Britt Salt showed some of her beautiful transparent sculptures, delicately formed from aluminim and steel mesh. Britt has an exhibition on currently at Helen Gory Gallery as part of State of Design.

Artwork by Britt Salt

Belgian industrial designer Dirk Wynants entertained the crowd with his lilting accent, sense of humour and fabulous adjectives ('sexy outstanding stuff'!!). His company Extremis produces quirky furniture and lighting as 'tools for togetherness' - ie flexible pieces which encourage social interaction and community.

Dirk Wynants shows off some of Extremis' 'tools for togetherness' - including the BeHive outdoor canopy room (bottom)

Some more of Extremis' quirky offerings - the DoNuts cute outdoor table/rubber ring seating unit and the Serpentine outdoor shower. 'A solution to Australia's water shortage' according to Dirk - 'Just take a shower in a new place on the lawn every day!' Love that optimism!

Dik Jarman - reminded me of Myth-Busters!

Pecha's last speaker, Dik Jarman, really got the audience chuckling! He's a Melbourne-based designer and land-speed world record holder! With friends, Dik spent over a year building a car from found materials which went on to win a world-record for reaching speeds of 250km an hour (or something like that?). He called their creation the 'Spirit of Sunshine' - because they built it in Sunshine! Next year he's got his eye on 350km/pr hr. Good luck Dik!

What I liked about Dik's talk was that he readily admitted to knowing nothing about building a car like this before he started this ambitious project. He said along the way he learnt that if you apply yourself, think about it, ask a lot of intelligent questions, you can do it! The Dick Smith school of commerce as he calls it! Love that.

Blurry Dik Jarman

Interview - Nate Archer

2009-07-15T07:00:00.000+10:00

Nate Archer taps away at the keyboard. I can totally relate to this photo! - ie it's past midnight, I'm still up, haven't stopped for dinner, wearily formatting photos and coding content and wondering why it is so impossible to blog more than 24 hrs in advance!

Nate Archer's Timpins! These brooches depict a famous Canadian sweet treat called the Timbit....? (Not to be confused with a donut!) Very mysterious! More info here on MocoLoco.

Nate Archer is one of Designboom's editors, and he's in Melbourne this week for Designboom Mart. (This is admittedly my 3rd plug for Designboom Mart in 2 days - are you convinced yet?!). Nate also charmed the crowds at Pecha Kucha last night, and will be speaking again at Design Capital this Friday July 17th. How full is your diary!? Mine is seriously bursting at the seams!

Nate is based in Toronto Canada - from here he relentlessly researches, writes and edits Designboom content, and seems to also manage a personal web presence on every other possible platform you can think of - from his fantastic blog, to del-icio-us (I know I really should know what that is by now), to Tumbler, facebook, Flickr and Twitter.... I guess it's all in a day's work for a professional blogger!

Read on for an insight into Nate's background and the inner workings of Designboom in Milan!

Tell us a bit about your background – what led you to working with Designboom?

Well I am from Toronto, Canada and studied Industrial Design at the Ontario College of Art and Design. After graduating I applied to work as an intern with designboom. I had been a long time reader of the site and really enjoyed the site’s perspective on every aspect of design. I was hired by the company and moved to Milan, where they are based. I spent eight months living in Italy learning the ropes at designboom and then moved back to Toronto, where I now live and work.

These photos are from Nate's Day x Day Project - daily photolog of toronto.

How was the move from Toronto to Milan?

Part of the reason I was so excited to work for designboom was living in Milan. I am an avid traveler and had never been to Italy before. I previously lived in Amsterdam for a bit so I had some experience adjusting to new cultures. Milan is a great city with some amazing architecture and some of the best art I have ever seen. The city also has a great atmosphere and lots of friendly people. One of my favourite things about Milan was the weekly food market on my street. I would regularly go to get great food and see the colourful cast of vendors. As soon as I returned to Toronto, I started to miss Milan and hope to go back soon.

Can you give us a bit of an insight into the inner workings of Designboom? How are the editorial staff organised, how many additional contributors help out, how on earth do you keep up with everything?!

Designboom is a fairly small company despite its big online presence. At the moment there are nine people working for designboom. The three owners of the company direct the company and the other six all do various things from writing to photography and graphic design. Because we are so small we can be very mobile to see and do lots of things. The whole staff is very diverse and comes from all over the world. We are all very autonomous and each handle specific aspects of the site. Keeping up with everything is quite a task, but we try and do our best. We are always reading and going to events to stay up on all the latest news.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Because I am located in Toronto, I have a different schedule from the staff in Milan. My day usually begins by checking email and the site to see what the rest of designboom is working on. once I do that, I usually begin researching ideas for articles. I then send out emails to designers, galleries and artists to discuss there work. When I have gathered enough material for an article I begin writing it and also start selecting images. Once I have finished, I post all the material online and the public can then look at it on the site.

Day x Day Project - daily photolog of toronto.

What would be your dream creative project or collaboration?

My personal dream creative project would be something in the realm of design for society. Whether it is with the government or a non-profit organization, I would really like the chance to apply design thinking to complex social problems. Most of the time designers focus too much on consumer goods and forget that there are bigger problems in the world than finding a product to suit your personal style.

What are you looking forward to?

I am looking forward to the future of design. I am admittedly an optimist and I’m very excited by all the new projects and boundless creativity I see everyday. Imagining the possibilities of the future is really inspiring.

Day x Day Project - daily photolog of toronto.

Which 5 websites are daily reads for you?

PSFK
They always have a great collection of interesting stories from many different fields.

Designnotes
Michael writes one of the best personal blogs about design and a lot of other things too.

Putting people first
This site does an amazing job at finding some of the best design articles from all over the web with a focus on experience design.

Pitchfork
I am a big music nerd so I regularly check pitchfork to track my favourite bands and find out about new ones (I try to ignore the scores).

men.style.com
I also have an interest in fashion and this site does a really good job of tracking it all.

Nate's desk Circa 2007? I like the feet on the chair ;)

Visit Nate at Designboom Mart and/or Design Capital this week!

Designboom Mart

Trade only days - Thurs 16th and Fri 17th July - 10am - 5pm
Open to the Public - Sat 18th, Sun 19th July - 10am - 5pm
$10 entry (includes entry to Design Made Trade)

Melbourne Exhibition Building, Nicholson st, Carlton

Design Capital

Design Day - Friday 17th July Prices / sessions vary - see the website for details

BMW Edge, Federation Square, CBD

Design Made Trade ticket giveaway!

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Tractor Home's stand at Design Made Trade last year.... full of hand-made treasures from South Africa, including some of superstar South African designer Heath Nash's work.

First things first.

I have 4 passes to give away for Design Made Trade and Designboom Mart this weekend! (otherwise it costs $10 to get in, unless you are a pre-registered trade visitor).

It will be awesome. If you would like a ticket please leave me a comment before 5.00pm today! Then check back tomorrow morning to see if you've won! Make sure you check back because I will need winners' addresses quick smart to get those tix out to you by Friday!

Ok this isn't today's post. Stay tuned for an interview with Designboom's Nate Archer at 7.00am today... then later in the day I will have a little review of last night's Pecha Kucha event!

Phew. Can hardly keep up with myself! x

Husk Windows - again!

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Husk Carlton does it again with the amazing windows! Swoon. Other retailers take note!

I wonder if this is the work of Aimee McCallum at Tiger Peacock again? I'm sure she will let us know!

Interview - Paige Russell

2009-07-14T07:00:00.001+10:00

Canadian designer Paige Russell - she'll be showing her beautiful ceramics range this week at Designboom Mart in Melbourne!

North American Wild Life Series of stoneware vessels

The Spout Collective - I love these so much... they have such personality!

You know how when you go to a Design Market or trade show in Melbourne, it's great to see so many fab Australian designers in one place, and you always find lots of goodies to spend your cash on... but sometimes (and don't take this the wrong way...) there is just a little niggling feeling that you've seen a lot of the stuff before? ...and then you begin to get an insatiable hankering for something NEW!?

Well, that is where Designboom Mart comes in! Designboom Mart is run by Milan-based super-site Designboom. It's a cross between a design market and a group exhibition - and presents a unique opportunity to meet 40 international design professionals personally! Visitors can purchase intelligent, quirky designed pieces from their makers - and participating designers have the opportunity to meet new customers, manufacturers, distributors, press and curators. It'll be at the Melbourne Exhibition Building in Carlton this weekend, in the same location at Design Made Trade. So you can get your fix of local design and international talent all in one place!

Designboom has curated annual mart exhibitions in New York and Tokyo since 2005. This is their first time in Melbourne!

Canadian Ceramicist Paige Russell is one of 40 international designers who'll be showing their wares at Designboom Mart in Melboure this week, and I feel very lucky to give you a sneak peek of her beautiful work, and an interview with the designer herself!

Paige Russell is online here
She also has an Etsy store here
and a fantastic blog here

So much bookmarking to do. But make sure you visit Paige at Designboom Mart in Melbourne this week! In addition to the stunning range you see here, she'll also be unveiling some brand new products for the first time...

Tell me a little about your background – what path led you to what you’re doing now?

Growing up I was always busy making things; cookies, cakes, snow forts, cardboard cat apartments and air band instruments, newspapers, and flower arrangements. My sister & parents were very supportive and involved, sharing their creativity with me. I feel so lucky for that.

When I graduated, I moved from Kelowna to Vancouver and did a fine arts foundation program. From there I went to Parsons School of Design in NYC for Product Design. It was there that I met production ceramics and here I am today, still loving it.

What have been some of your favourite products, special projects or collaborations?

I usually say the Spout series is my favorite, but today, just a few days after Canada Day, I’m feeling a tad patriotic and I’m going to say the Bad Beaver vase. To me it represents a bit of Canadian Mythology. And a recent special project that I had so much fun doing was the 3D sheep cracker project I did for my guest writing on Design*Sponge 2 months ago. I think I would also be perfectly happy being a food stylist…

Bad Beaver vases - cute!

3D sheep cracker project for Design*Sponge guest blog! Love it!!!! (Very Marije Vogelzang!)

Many designer/makers often say they love the creative side of the job, but struggle with ‘business’ and ‘salesperson’ side of things… how do you balance the creative work with the day-to-day tasks involved in running a small business?

I wish I could say that I’m the exception and that I have it all together… but the truth is that like many creative minds, I find it a challenge to wear all the hats that owning/running a business requires. I’m still learning how to navigate that and am going to be taking some delegation steps very soon that will hopefully help out with the balancing... But for now, ‘one foot in front of the other’ is how I make it work.

Where do you turn for inspiration – books, magazines or the web etc?

There are definitely a few magazines that I rely on - Living Etc., your Australian Vogue Living, and Dwell. When I have time online I check out Bloesem, Design*Sponge, Grain Edit, and Oh Joy. (Your blog was an exciting new find to add to my list!) My shelves of vintage finds whispers things to me from time to time. And if all else fails, my go-to spot that never lets me down is the shower. Water + me = direct line to the collective consciousness idea pool!

And if that doesn’t work and I’m really really stuck, I take twenty minutes and watch Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk from this year’s TED conference on nurturing creativity. (She’s the author of Eat, Pray, Love) It’s brilliant. And SUPER inspiring.

Some of Paige's earlier work

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

Anyone following their dream is a hero to me. It’s not an easy path! But the ones who amaze me most of late are Hella Jongerious for her prolific playfulness, Piet Hein Eek for his clever reclaimations, and Christien Meindertsma for her soft & thoughtful explorations. And searching for images of Christien’s work is how I found you, so I’m extra grateful to her!*

*aww thanks Paige! :) I'm so glad Christien introduced us! - Lucy

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Most days I start with checking and answering my emails, doing the daily post for my blog paige + modern, and then I grab my amazing assistant, who also happens to be my mother, and it’s up to the studio to whistle while we make.

Inside Paige's studio in British Columbia

What are you most proud of professionally?

I think being part of the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum’s ‘Inside Design Now’ triennial in 2003 is the list topper for me. It was pretty exciting to see my work in that environment, in the company of such amazing designers!

What would be your dream project?

One would involve going back in time to build a Mid Century ice fishing village with Walter Widmeyer on structure duty, Charles & Ray Eames on furniture, Alexander Girard on textiles & other bright décor bits. I would make custom hot beverage sets & fireplace tiles. Yes!

A (slightly) more realistic one would be to start a design camp on one of the Gulf Islands that would have kids & college students workshop-ing together to create tree forts, sustainable forest based products, and other such goodness. And all without (gasp!) computers. They’d be kicking it old school Macgyver style.

My inspiration for this is Gever Tulley’s Tinkering School. They are making some serious magic happen down (up for you) in California for a few kids. BC could use some of that goodness!

What are you looking forward to?

I can’t wait to come down under for the State of Design show and see how you guys get it done in the Southern Hemisphere! I love experiencing new places and styles and from the great bits of Australian design I’ve seen, I won’t be disappointed!

British Columbia Questions!

What do you love about living in British Columbia?

The trees, the lakes, the mountains. She is a beauty she is.

And to see what I love about living in Kelowna, check out the city guide I did for Design*Sponge. (here and here)

Paige's ceramics studio in British Columbia

What/where was the last great meal you ate in your local area?

Ooooh, it was at local Kelowna favorite, Raudz. They use mostly locally grown/raised ingredients and put lots of creative thought into the taste combos & presentation. Very yum.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Working my one shift a week at a local tea shop, owned by a high school friend, called Chai Baba’s. I do it to get out of my studio and interact with the public. It’s also just a great space to spend time in.

British Columbia’s best kept secret?

Definitely the Gulf Islands, with their big rain forest trees, very talented back-to-nature folks, and rocky beaches. They are worth a visit!

Designboom Mart

Trade only days - Thurs 16th and Fri 17th July - 10am - 5pm
Open to the Public - Sat 18th, Sun 19th July - 10am - 5pm
$10 entry (includes entry to Design Made Trade)

Melbourne Exhibition Building, Nicholson st, Carlton

Thanks so much for your time Paige! Very much looking forward to meeting you soon! x

Interview - Nipa Doshi

2009-07-13T07:00:00.001+10:00

Nipa Doshi

Principessa daybed for Moroso

Principessa daybed for Moroso

Sketches for the My Beautiful Backside couch for Moroso

My Beautiful Backside couch for Moroso

State of Design is nearly upon us! As you know I will be attempting some kind of design festival attendance world record, and will be posting daily festival coverage here (most likely multiple posts each day actually) for the next 2 weeks! In addition to reviewing and recommending design festival events, I also have some fabulous interviews lined up with some of the festival's very special international and local guests!

But of all the events, openings and meetings I'm preparing for, today's interview is perhaps the most exciting! I cannot quite believe that Nipa Doshi had time to squeeze this is... but I feel extremely lucky to be sharing it with you. Ms Doshi is perhaps the famous-est designer I have ever interviewed! I am quite star-struck.

If you are not familiar with the incredible work of London design studio Doshi Levien, get ready to be enthused! Nipa and partner Jonathan Levien have amassed the most vibrant, varied body of work since they first burst onto the UK design scene in 2000. Their prolific output spans furniture design, product design, interaction design and even shoe design! Clients include Intel, Nokia, Tefal, Moroso, and John Lobb.

Read on for an insight into the wonderful, colourful world of Nipa Doshi!

Myth and Material installation in New York - here Doshi Levien reference India's multilayered modern culture, emphasising how opposites coexist harmoniously - sensuousness with the spiritual and austere; functionality with creativity and imagination.

Myth and Material installation - New York

Tell us a little about your background – what path led you to setting up Doshi Levien, and how has the business evolved since you first set up your studio with Jonathan in 2000?

I grew up in India, in a very diverse environment full of contradictions, where seeming opposites co-existed, a world full of creative possibilities. I studied design at NID Ahmedabad followed by a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in London, where I met Jonathan. After graduating we both worked for other design studios, but after 3 years we decided to be masters of our own destiny. We gave up our jobs, got married and set up Doshi Levien.

We started out designing tableware and cutlery for Habitat in London thanks to Tom Dixon who championed young designers. We have worked on a very diverse range of projects and immersed ourselves in the world associated with curiosity and the aim to learn without fear of failure. This has earned our studio a reputation where clients come to us because they want something different.

Mosaic Cookware for Tefal

Graphic Mosaic cookware base patterns (ie for the underside of each Mosaic pot!)

Your work is extremely varied - from installation design to furniture design, product design, interaction design and even shoe design! What have been some of your favourite or most memorable projects?

I don’t see how furniture design is so different from shoe design or interaction design. They are all products and objects we use on a daily basis. In interaction design you are interacting with virtual products! We never set out defining our creativity in terms of what we are designing. We spend a lot of time doing research before we embark on any design project and we have enjoyed each one. Some were harder than others due to the steep learning curve, but that made them even more challenging and fun!

Doshi Levien collaborates with traditional bespoke shoe manufacturer John Lobb

Drawings for John Lobb ladies shoes

One of Nipa's finished shoe designs for the Apprentice range. Too beautiful.

Which designers, artists or creative people do you admire?

Frida Kahlo, Shadi Ghadirian, Bharat Sikka, anonymous street artists in India, set painters, unsung, untrained designers who have created most of the products I love and use everyday, Charles and Ray Eames, Cristobal Balenciaga…there are too many.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

A lot of thinking, circling around a project to find the right way in, dreaming, sketching, answering press interviews, and inevitably some business related admin too (which I wish I never had to do).

Sketches for pillows (for the Moroso Charpoy daybed)

Moroso Charpoy daybeds

What would be your dream creative project?

Design a house, be involved in an urban planning project for a city and a wellbeing spa.

What are you looking forward to?

To becoming the Minister of Culture in India!

5 of your favourite things...

The old market in Ahmedabad,
my bespoke crocodile shoes from John Lobb,
Monsoon rains in India,
Alphonso mangoes,
Goyard bags.

Stethoscope and doctor's bag for the Wellcome Trust window installation

More custom props for the Wellcome Trust window installation - these are medicine jars

Nipa Doshi will be speaking at Design Capital in Melbourne this Friday, July 17th.

For booking information, visit the State of Design website.

Thanks so much to Nipa for her time with this interview!

Interview - Tamara Maynes

2009-07-10T07:00:00.003+10:00

Tamara Maynes in her studio

Patchwork dress by Tamara Maynes for Inside Out magazine

Tamara Maynes is a designer and maker specialising in product design and development, soft props, and custom craftwork. From her Bespoke Workshop studio in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Tamara creates all kinds of unique handcrafted gorgeous things - from custom props comissioned by publications such as Inside Out Magazine, to soft-funishings and ceramics for iconic Sydney retailer Orson and Blake.

Recently Tamara launched a fun new project - the Six Week Boutique is an online store which will stock limited editions of craft and interior-based products, with a new collection launched every six weeks! The current range is a family of gorgeous hand-dyed macrame owls (pictured below), entitled 'to john denver, with love'. They were featured on Design*Sponge earlier this week though, and are soon to grace the pages of Inside Out and Frankie Magazine... so better snap one up now because it won't be long before they disappear!

Rebecca Wolkenstein has also written a lovely little post about Tamara on her blog, in which she describes Tamara as a 'crafter extraordinaire', and 'Sydney's best kept secret'... Not for much longer!

Tamara also has a great little studio blog showcasing both personal and commissioned crafty projects here.

Read on to learn a little more about Tamara's background and prolific creative output!

Tell me a little about your background – what path led you to what you’re doing now?

Born into a family of craftspeople, I was frequently exposed to raw materials and various mediums. This coupled with my idealist tendencies made me a likely design candidate!

As a child in the 70’s I experimented heavily with the popular crafts of the time while my teenage years were all about fashion - designing, making, illustrating and styling.

Moving to Sydney at 18, I began signwriting for a record store while I pursued fashion. From there I worked in fashion merchandising eventually starting my own clothing label. This led to a collaboration designing accessories that was picked up by Kookai.

I stumbled into homewares when I was asked to design and produce a range for a Versace exhibition. This shift in focus, resulted in the launch of my self titled range of wholesale homewares and personals. Orson & Blake approached me during this time and I happily began designing and developing their self branded products.

Left - custom pin-cushions for Inside Out magazine, right - woven cushions for Orson and Blake.

My specialised make and craftwork service bespoke workshop evolved organically over the last five years as I began getting requests from stylists, showrooms and interior designers to make one off pieces and props for editorial, installations and private homes.

It seems I never actually chose an ultimate career path, I have simply done what I know and love!

Oh I love this one - the red dots especially! Fabric slippers for Mokum.

You’ve collaborated with some incredible brands and inspiring creatives - such as Orson and Blake and Mokum… Who have been some of your favourite clients and/or collaborators?

I have been developing products for Orson & Blake for almost six years now and have learned so much about areas I may otherwise have not been exposed to such as ceramics, lighting and furniture.

Working with Jen Murnaghan on particular commissions for Mokum such as the Liberty couture slip cover and the Osbourne & Little wallpapered house are favourites. As are various props commissioned by stylists for Inside Out Magazine.

Wallpaper house for Mokum

Tell us about The Six Week Boutique! How did this concept come about? What kinds of products can we expect to see in the boutique in the coming months?

The Six Week Boutique is my recently launched online store. Every six weeks sees a new collection of my limited edition craft based pieces for sale.

The idea came about after I relocated from Sydney to the Southern Highlands. I wanted my work to be available online in a slightly quirky way with collections of limited edition pieces, similar to an exhibition.

The first and current collection of macrame owl wallhangings is titled ‘to john denver, with love’. The second collection instore on July 31st is a range of pretty cool cross-stitch kits titled ‘the saturday night girls’.

‘to john denver, with love’ macrame owls

Further collections are still in the ideas stage so checking out the store and becoming a boutique subscriber is the best way to find out about what exciting things are coming up!

Where do you turn for inspiration – books, magazines or the web? Do you pay attention to trends in the broader design world like architecture, film, etc?

Magazines, books and the web! I am an imagery addict... although magazines are my big love. I don’t often pay attention to trends in the broader design world although they definitely play a part in what I do.

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

Creative people who take chances and honour their vision inspire me most. Those such as design team Wary Meyers, photographer Tim Walker, the advertising prowess of textile and wallpaper designers Osbourne & Little, and my wise friend and stylist extraordinnaire, Glen Proebstel.

Left - spring stitching craftwork, right - wallpaper craftwork for Inside Out

Left - cushions for Inside Out, right - leather rabbits for Inside Out

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

Three days of my week are focused exclusively on Orson & Blake and involve sourcing new fabrics and suppliers, meeting with makers, managing production and lots of emails! I spend another 2-3 days on special projects for other clients which generally includes meetings, sourcing, design, making and again lots of emails! And of course now I also spend time designing/making for and managing The Six Week Boutique!

What are you most proud of professionally?

Launching my first wholesale homewares range in 2002. I gave it my all, crafting each piece by hand until absolutely perfect and summoned the courage to put myself out there and approach people I admired. The experience taught me a great deal about business, the workings of my industry and what my strengths and weaknesses are.

What would be your dream project?

Firstly, I have a big dream project that is very close to my heart, and since it is so dear and also requires finding a major investor to fund it, it shall remain a secret until I have discovered the means to make it a reality!

Secondly, I really enjoy the role of creative direction so being invited to work in this capacity for a visionary company or individual would also put a big smile on my face!

What are you looking forward to?

Seeing the beautiful design book I am currently planning published and on the shelves in my favourite bookstore. Stay tuned!

NSW Questions –

Where do you shop in Sydney (or the Southern Highlands) for the tools of your trade (ie fabrics, threads, sewing equipment)?

Greenfields in Surry Hills is my main supplier for most sewing needs and I keep in regular contact with fabric suppliers around Sydney such as Mokum, for the latest upholstery fabrics. Considering my projects are so varied I can also be found at Oxford Art Supplies in Sydney and my local Bunnings Hardware!

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney / the Southern Highlands?

Relocating to a country town and adopting a Vegan diet doesn’t leave much scope for eating out! The last great meal I ate in Sydney was contemporary Chinese at The Mahjong Room in Surry Hills... delicious! And in the Highlands my husband’s home cooking beats any restuarant!

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

I do ‘project saturday’, where I spend a couple of hours on the Highlands op shop trail getting overexcited by yet another armchair to redesign and then I work on my latest personal project which, you guessed it... is often redesigning yet another armchair!

Sydney’s best kept secret?

I don’t think it’s such a secret these days but Mitchell Road Auctions was Sydney’s best kept... so many of my possessions hail from there!

Left - velvet slipper for Inside Out, right - couture chair for Mokum.

Fringe Furniture 2009 - Call for Entries!

2009-07-09T14:00:00.000+10:00

Spaceleft - Squash Me chair, 2008 - from the Fringe Furniture exhibition 2008

Kristian Aus, Petal Metal lamp - from the Fringe Furniture exhibition 2008

Melbourne's Fringe Festival is calling all Australian-based designers and artists (emerging and established) to submit their entries for Fringe Furniture 2009!

This year Fringe Furniture is celebrating it's 25th year of supporting and promoting Australian design, and will exhibit selected entries at the Melbourne Museum from September 19th - October 11th 2009. The theme for 2009 is Silver, and can be interpreted as literally or metaphorically as you wish!

Fringe Furniture is recognised as a highly experimental design exhibition, and welcomes a variety of furniture, lighting, homewares, as well as wearable objects... it's a fantastic way for emerging designers to reach a wide market of both design industry professionals and the public.

Registration is open until Friday 31st July! Better get cracking!

Go here to download your Fringe Furniture registration info kit, and register online.

C10 chair by Yellow Diva, customised by grafitti artist Phibs

Moose online shop - 15% discount for Design Files readers!

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Quirky brooches made from recycled lino by Melbourne-based BettyJo Designs. These unique brooches have also been picked up by UK fashion icon Paul Smith!

Resin bangles and hot air balloon brooches by Melbourne-based label, Madz has Runaway

Moose is a Perth-based online shop showcasing unique products made by mostly Australian independent artists and crafters. Moose began in 2006 with 12 artists and 60 pieces of handmade work, and in three years has grown to more than 130 artists and 1600+ items!

Moose represents a really varied group of designers, including a few previous Design Files interviewees including Elke Kramer and Madeleine Beatty! They're passionate about introducing Australian craft and design to international markets, and have helped many local artists sell their work to customers as far as Canada, Israel, China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, the UK, the US and The North Pole (seriously!).

Moose are celebrating their 3rd birthday this week and have offered Design Files readers a 15% discount! Just use the discount code moosedesignfiles at checkout to receive your discount. This code will be valid until next Tuesday 14th July.

ps) Moose have also just started their own blog.

Bangles by Elke Kramer

And the winner is....

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I've written about the collage artist who created this gorgeous piece here before and do you think I can remember who it is? Shocking. Please let me know if you recall!!

Thanks so much for all your comments yesterday! 32! That must be some kind of record.

I wish I had 32 passes to giveaway to each and every one of you..! I actually ended up getting 1 more pass, so there are 7 lucky winners!

Here are the names I just pulled out of the hat (actually it was a mixing bowl) -

Imogen
Melinda
Ed
Amelia
Plasmo
Luci
Pinkurocks

Can you guys email me (lucy at thedesignfiles dot net) today with your addresses and I will post your passes out to you asap!

I'm so sorry to those of you who missed out! If any more tickets come my way I will be sure to let you know! x

Caravan - house swapping for creative types!

2009-07-08T07:00:00.001+10:00

Caravan's featured property of the month!

You may have noticed another little ad pop up on the site yesterday (in amongst the mad dash for SoD Opening Night tickets!).

Caravan is an excellent idea from the excellent mind of Sydney's Rebecca Wolkenstein. Remember Rebecca Wolkenstein? I wrote about her wonderful photographic/design agency here. (Re-visit. The photos are beautiful.)

Anyway, Caravan is a house swap and short term sublet listing website for commercial creatives and those working in the advertising/media/fashion/art and design industries. Like a smaller, more community-based Craigslist, for creative professionals.

Rebecca says:

If you're an art director relocating internationally for a new job, you can find sublets for far less than the price of a hotel. If you're a photo assistant wanting to try New York on for size, you could post a 'house sitter available' ad and have no accommodation costs at all. A room in LA for a bedsit in New York? A harbourside Sydney apartment for a Collingwood terrace? The possibilities are endless and the costs are miniscule compared with even a modest hotel bill, not to mention the savings of being able to cook at home.

Makes sense to me. There are only a few houses listed currently... but I've no doubt this'll spread like wildfire! If you're heading away this year you'd be crazy not to consider subletting your place! It's what New Yorkers do!

The shots you see here are from Caravan's featured home this month! It's a stunning warehouse apartment in Sydney's Darlington - architect designed and owned, if you don't mind. It is available July 18th - August 8th for 1, 2 or 3 weeks. More details here.

ps) stay tuned late-morning for the results of the State of Design tickets giveaway!

Melbourne Open House - Call for Volunteers

2009-07-07T13:43:00.005+10:00

Just a quick shout-out to say that this year's fantastic Melbourne Open House event is nearly here, and they need more volunteers! If you're passionate about Melbourne architecture and have some time up your sleeve next Sunday July 19th, please consider volunteering! Volunteers are needed to man info stations at buildings, talk to visitors and people in the queues. You don't need any experience or architectural knowledge at all, just a smile on your dial :) You can elect to vounteer either all day, or just half the day. Register here!

Volunteers will be provided with a MOH badge, scarf & tote saying you're a volunteer/go to person. The best bit is you'll have queue-jump access to all buildings open for the day! Did you SEE how long the queues were last time? 25,000 people turned out across the CBD! (Remember my coverage here and here?) This year's event is even bigger, offering a behind-the-scenes look at no less than 32 of Melbourne's most beautiful buildings. It's set to be a huge day!

Louvered timber shutters on the facade of Council House 2 in Melbourne's CBD

State of Design!

2009-07-07T07:00:00.001+10:00

State of Design brand identity illustration by Qube Konstrukt and R-Co.

OK so I'm sure you all know that State of Design - Victoria's design festival is nearly upon us, running from July 15th - 25th. How exciting! But do you know what is even more exciting?

1) The Design Files is officially a 'media partner' of the festival - I am the official festival blogger!

2) I have 6 double-passes to give away to the Festival Opening Night Preview at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on Wednesday July 15th, from 7.00pm! (Thankyou State of Design marketing team!)

If you want a double pass (tickets are worth $27.50 each and are strictly limited), leave me a comment at the end of this post. If more than 6 people comment, I will put all names in a hat and let you know tomorrow who gets 'em. Very high-tech competition procedures over here at The Design Files.

Personally I have a ridiculous itinery planned for the festival which includes 21 events (plus 6 more 'maybes') in 10 days and daily updates of course! Call me crazy. I will also be posting mini-interviews with many exciting Australian and international designers who are taking part in festival events!

But in the interests of everyone's sanity, I have shortlisted my top-5 festival highlights below. These are the things I am most excited about!

Lucy's top 5 State of Design shortlist!

Design Made Trade
Incorporating Designboom Mart - all the way from Italy!!!

Design Made Trade 2008 - beautiful hand-crafted homewares from Studio Sam

Remember I blogged this one last year? An accessible, low-tech trade fair aimed at showcasing Australia's smaller manufacturers, product designers, and designer makers... free to trade visitors, $10 to the public. BUT if you get one of the double passes mentioned above, this includes a special preview of Design Made Trade on the Wednesday night, before it's open to the public!

The highlight of Design Made Trade will be Designboom Mart, showcasing design from the hottest young international designers! Background info on Designboom Mart is here.

Designboom Mart in Tokyo last year

Design Made Trade - Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens.
Open 10am - 5pm daily from 16 - 19 July.
16 - 17 July - Trade only days - register here.
18 - 19 July - Public days - $10 entry, no registration required.

This is Not a Design Market

Melbourne loves a design market, and this one is sure to draw the crowds. Staged by Melbourne's own Bigger than Ten Bears (of Joost's Greenhouse fame), and the fabulous Moth Design (of Penthouse Mouse fame), there's no doubt this'll be a winner. Not to be missed!

This is not a Design Market - The Factory, 500 Latrobe St, Melbourne
Open 10.00am - 5.00pm Sunday July 19th (one day only!)

Design Capital Conference

UK designer Nipa Doshi and Partner Jonathan Levien in their London studio

An amazing line-up of Australian and International Speakers... I'll be there on day 2 (design day, Friday July 17th). I am so excited to hear UK superstar Nipa Doshi talk! If you don't know her work you must check out the Doshi Levien website. SO excited.

Doshi Levien's My Beautiful Backside couch and Principessa daybed (inspired by the Princess and the Pea, of course!). Both for Moroso.

Unfortunately Design Capital is a little pricey, but well worth it if you look at the international line-up! The upside is you can just buy a single-session ticket, which makes it a little more affordable and accessable than, say, AGIdeas! (No disrespect, but you know, who manages to get 3 days off work for these things?)

Design Capital Conference - BMW Edge, Federation Square,
Melbourne 16th - 17th July

Convergence at Yarra Lane

Convergence at Yarra Lane is a mysterious group installation in South Yarra... not sure exactly what it will entail, but the lineup of collaborating designers is extremely impressive and includes Julia deVille, Emma van Leest, Moth Design and Nick Rennie.

Oh, and Liane Rossler (of Dinosaur Designs) just tweeted(?) about it yesterday. So it must be good.

Convergence @ Yarra Lane - Yarra Lane, 9-19 Claremont st, South Yarra
18th July - 17th August, 24 hours

Design Dinner at Comme with Tim Yu from Cool Hunting

The Grand Room at Comme, Melbourne

This one is very posh. In Comme’s stunning Grand Room, Cool Hunting’s cultural curator, Tim Yu will lead a discussion on the current patterns and future trends in art, design, culture and technology around the world.

This'll accompany a three-course dinner, served with matching wines, to complement the discussion. $85 a head. Oooh la la.

ps) stay tuned with a mini-interview with Tim Yu here next week!

Design Dinner with Tim Yu - Comme, 7 Alfred Place, Melbourne
Thursday July 16th, 6.30 for a 7.00pm start
Bookings through Comme - +61 3 9631 4000

For more State of Design info, check out the website, download a catalogue, or pick one up from any number of affiliated venues around town. Also check out the State of Design lift-out in today's Herald Sun!

Unexpected gifts!

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pretty Japanese Masking tape!

Is there anything better than unexpected present? I don't think so. Except maybe an unexpected hug. Depending on who is offering.

ANYWAY this afternoon I just received a little present in the mail from artist/designer/crafter/blogger Lisa Tilse of The Red Thread. It has totally brightened my day! I have never even met Lisa, but she sent me these gorgeous patterned masking tapes from Tokyo! How lovely is that?

Thankyou so much Lisa!!

Hand-printed card on timber veneer made by Lisa! (ps. for the record, Lisa also has the best handwriting I have seen in a long time).

Gertrude st Projection Festival

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Ian de Gruchy's giant polka dots grace the Gertrude Hotel (cnr Naper st and Gertrude st) for the Gertrude st Projection Festival.

Top - Crowds gather to admire the Builder's Arms Hotel in a new light! (not clear whose work this is... the website is a little confusing. Perhaps Kit Webster?). Bottom shot - clouds on the pavement!

Checked out the Gertrude st Projection Festival in Fitzroy on Friday night. SO GREAT! What's not to love about enormous coloured polka-dots brightening up a wintery night!

It was fantastic to see so many people out braving the cold to check it out... Yay for Melburnians! I especially loved the larger scale projections for sheer wow-factor, but there were also lots of great smaller works to discover in shopfront windows, projected up high from first-floor windows, and even shimmering beneath your feet here and there!

Also it was lovely to discover a few surprises off the beaten track... some so subtle you had to look twice! (I'll give you a little clue - keep an eye out for falling leaves..!)

The Gertrude st Projection Festival is free, BUT it's only on for 5 more days - closing night is this Friday July 10th. Lights go on every night from 6.00pm - midnight. More info and download-able map here.

Suggested Itinery -

7.00pm - Dinner at my favourite-est restaurant Anada (if you can get a table). Also Gigibaba, Ladro, or Wabi Sabi on Smith st would be equally fun.

8.00pm - Rug up, grab your dinner date and head for a brisk stroll - eyes wide open to uncover each glowing surprise... some where you least expect!

9.00pm - Home for hot chocolate. Yes please!

Nicholas Azidis - Leave no Trace (projected onto the Melbourne Aboriginal Youth Sports and Recreation Centre, no 184 - 186 Gertrude st). Bottom photo shows the projector positioned in the first-floor window of Title bookshop.

Pene Durston collaborated with Dell Stewart to create 'Cull' in the window of Pene's shop Cottage Industry (no. 67). Dell's animated animals are displayed on tiny screens amongst Pene's signature crocheted branches. I know I should have been concentrating on the artwork... but couldn't help getting a shot of Pene's cat looking a bit befuddled by it all!

Top image - I am really, really sorry but the festival map and website are really quite confusing and it is not clear at all who this piece is by! So sorry! If anyone knows I will amend this post asap. Anyway it was just near the corner of Fitzroy st and Gertrude st. Bottom Image - Menagerie by Jeffrey Phillips in the window of Northside Records.

Interview - Biddy Maroney of We Buy Your Kids!

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Illustration for an article on bullying in the workplace - Australian Financial Review's Boss magazine, August 2008.

Illustration for an article on stem cell research - Harvard Divinity Bulletin, April 2008.

Illustrations for Tourism Victoria - Melbourne Theatres print campaign (detail)

Illustrations for Tourism Victoria - Melbourne Theatres print campaign. OH my how much do you love this Melbourne map? Wish I could afford to commision such brilliant illustrations for my TDF shopping guides!

This one's been in the works for a while now... unfortunately New York kind of got in the way! But I am so excited to finally share an interview with an INCREDIBLE Sydney-based illustrator and designer - Biddy Maroney!

You may remember me gushing about We Buy Your Kids here earlier this year? Well, Biddy Maroney is one half of WBYK - the other half being her partner Sonny Day. I cannot get over their awesome comic-book style names. 'Biddy Maroney' sounds to me like some kind of crime-fighting bounty-hunter or film noir detective, and as for Sonny (Sunny?) Day? Come on.

But aside from that, I cannot get over their super-awesome work! Wowsers.

Sonny and Biddy's collaboration started with band posters for Popfrenzy records back in 2006... and it's quite incredible what they've achieved in only 3 years since then! These days the prolific pair churn out an amazing variety of creative work including websites, Tshirts, animation, interior design, retail display, and anything you can put an illustration on, basically. I love their eclectic style - at times deco and very graphic, other times fluid and painterly, and often cartoony, gothic and creepy kitsch. It's no surprise to learn that the pair are inspired by a synthesis of varied interests, from Italian horror flicks to 1970's science fiction books!

Other places to see the amazing work of Biddy Maroney and We Buy Your Kids -

We Buy Your Kids work website
We Buy Your Kids 'news' site (blog-style)
Jacky Winter folio page
Biddy's folio site

Big thanks to Biddy for her time and all the links! Please note all work shown here is by both Sonny and Biddy :)

I'm Not There - poster

Tell me a little about your background - what path led you to what you’re doing now?

I did study Graphic Design at Canberra Uni a million years ago but I was a terrible student who left without a degree and with absolutely no computer skills or idea of what the real world of working design was like. While I was there I would turn every design project into an illustration project and spent my time making comics with friends, which was fun and I drew A LOT but I had no qualifications or clue. So I was super lucky a friend got me a job at a design studio where she worked and I was the office helper – I got coffee and did scans. But I ended up working there 7 years and when I left I was a Senior Designer and building websites (which is hilarious). So that’s where I learnt my technical skills I guess – on the job. Then I went to work at Mathematics for a few years and while working there I was introduced to the world of animated music videos and I taught myself to create digital illustrations reaaaalllly fast. I had always worked with ink before that – and would colour in Photoshop, but about 5 years ago I started doing more digitally. Then I started collaborating with Sonny in about 2006 and soon started working from home on those projects fulltime.

What have been some of your favourite illustration projects that we might be familiar with?

I am always happy with the album covers for Youth Group – mainly because its been a span of a few years working with them. Also because when Toby asked me to do their Skeleton Jar album he said he knew I’d never done any album art so he thought it might be fun for me to do. Since then I’ve worked on a fair bit of album art, so I like that it started with that one, which is an album I love. Also I feel quite close to all those covers and the albums and they have changed in style as my drawing style has changed, so I like that sense of a timeline.

Youth Group - Skeleton Jar poster

Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs poster - a Sydney show which was basically a fantasy line-up of Youth Group , Belles Will Ring and Bridezilla all together.

Other than that I like the Mecca Myer windows cos it was exciting to see my drawings turned into something so big and lit up with fancy city folks walking past in their fancy suits and hairdos.

Illustrations for Mecca Cosmetica / Myer windows - a collaboration with designer Christie Hunt / Houndstooth, and Don McQualter.

Also any of the animations that I’ve been involved with, they are my favourite jobs. The “Clementine” video we did for Washington is a favourite - the drawings are all collaborative between me and Sonny and he also did a lot on that job and I was amazed at his ability to solve some problems and his weird imagination etc.

Tell me about ‘We buy your kids’!? Awesome work! How did the collaboration with Sonny Day come about…? How much work do you do independently and how much as a duo?

Thanks! We have known each other about 7 years but we didn’t start working together until Sonny started doing posters for Popfrenzy – I kinda just invited myself in to work on those, taking his sketches and working on them on the computer. And then he screenprinted them. Since then we’ve just found a good way of working where a job passes back and forth between us. Sonny does a lot of the initial ideas and sketches. When it gets to me I might put forward a few ideas but often he has something there that works really well so we just start building it up. And it goes back and forth. He helps me a lot when I am doing my own illustration work – he often suggests compositional ideas and new ways of approaching things. We really do most stuff as a duo. Sometimes we make our own individual work for exhibitions, but when we work as Webuyyourkids the style we work in is sort of a third personality – its not exactly Sonny's drawings and its not exactly mine – it’s a hybrid monster.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

We work from home, so it pretty much starts the moment we’re awake. We’ve had a third designer in working freelance with us the last month or so and that’s been great for many reasons but one is that it helps define the “work-day” rather than just being sat infront of a computer or a desk 20 hours a day 7 days a week. I have to say I'm really bad and get waaaay too caught up in work. I just don’t leave the house for days and days and days, but I’m working on that, so there’s a bit of the day where I just go for a walk through Sydney Uni and look at some mad buildings. Gargoyles!

We usually are working on a few different jobs every day – always involving crazy deadlines. For example our work day today was me sending off some poster files to print, skinning an artists Myspace page, then I got stuck into a movie poster we’re doing which is a lot of fun, and that is what I spent most of the day on. And then I just finished up some fixes to a illustration we just did for The Jacky Winter Group. Sonny’s been working on some Tshirt designs for an artist, some illos for a pitch for a band's album art, a comic for Faesthetic and some early ideas for a couple of group shows we are in very soon in Brisbane. Hunmi was helping us on the Tshirt designs as well as some layouts for a website. So you can see its all a bit all over the shop, and very rapid.

How would you describe your illustrative style?

I would say its very camp. And Gothic, but in a Vincent Price sort of a way, not in an Anne Rice sort of a way. Working with Sonny has made my stuff lately more graphic and less girly, and that’s a really important part of Webuyyourkids stuff.

Which designers, artists or creative people are you inspired by?

Sonny Day (those images are all about 5 years old though)
Joe Allen (his artwork and also the community he fosters)
Garry Trinh (his series work is beautiful and looking at his blog will often astound me that he sees those moments and captures them)
Zeloot
Raymond Pettibon
Shary Boyle
Steak Mountain
Shynola
Tim Burton
Siggi Ergetsson

They are all illustrators or visual artists but that is what I like! Sonny has been introducing me to the movies of Dario Argento and we are both inspired by that a lot.

I like this question – some people don’t like to get asked who their influences are but I could list you names and links all day. Actually this is my favourites page on YouTube – it’s a good long list of things that inspire me.

Where else do you find inspiration – ie books, fine art, your environment, travel, your family and friends?

Well recently its been a lot of movies. Like I said Sonny’s got me onto his whole Italian horror land at the moment and its reminded me heaps of stuff I liked a long long the ago – like Hammer Horror and I love looking at stills from Kenneth Anger films. And a lot of old stuff my Dad has always been into – TV shows like The Avengers or Night Stalker. My Dad has always collected old movie posters and been into quite kitsch old cult stuff – so I guess his tastes and collections have been my biggest inspiration cos that’s where I got my appreciation for some of my favourite stuff like Vincent Price, Aubrey Beardsley, Night On Bald Mountain, Saul Bass, Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Death on The Nile, EC Horror comics, Flash Gordon, Robert Crumb, The Monster Mash…. And animated video clips oddly enough.

What’s the best thing about your job?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp7jp5H-xWU

And the worst?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp7jp5H-xWU

What are you looking forward to?

I wanna go to Cornwall next year. Rurally seaside Cornwall. And solve crime. And go to the pub. And visit the witch museum.

Sydney Questions

What/where was the last great meal you ate in Sydney?

Apart from the amaaaaazing lamb stew Sonny just made I would say Bodega – I cant get enough of that place and their Fish Fingers! (Toasted sour dough, rubbed with garlic, topped with raw kingfish, finely sliced onion and cuttlefish cervice)

Best gallery space in Sydney to see the work of great Australian illustrators?

China Heights or Monster Children.

Where do you shop in Sydney for the tools of your trade?

We go in the King St Secondhand Bookshop (the one with the cat, near Istanbul on King) to buy old paperbacks with really amazing covers. Lately we’ve been looking for 70's science fiction wonders. That bookshop window serves as one of my favourite gallery spaces in Sydney actually – they display some amazing covers there.

Paul Dempsey - Out the Airlock single cover (inspired by 70's Science fiction book illustration)

Kids Today (Limited edition of 4 prints for the Kids Today exhibition at MTV Gallery 2008) - We don't want your corn and London Dungeon (Giclee prints 2008).

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Still working or sleeping in. Possibly sitting up in bed watching giant murder-mysteries projected on the bedroom wall. If I was awake I'd be patting a cat.

Sydney’s best kept secret?

The Golden Cobra Coffee. It’s very very good coffee. You can get it at:
Pure Bronte Pistachio, Bronte Beach
Cordial, Newtown
Paddington Market Cafe, Paddington
Tiger Mottle, Paddington
The Falconer, Darlinghurst

Arnhem Mode Biennale 2009

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Details of a mural along a property boundary off Klarendalseweg, the main trajectory of the newly identified Fashion Quarter of Arnhem. The mural is rather extensive, extending through the entire block [from one street to the next] and features several vignettes, all relate directly to the immediate context featuring shadows of the surrounding tree canopies and other defining characteristics.

Top image : The architectural detailing of the dutch half-levels and front entries can be quite beautiful at times and the opportunistic gardening that takes place is always such a cheerful addition. Bottom image : A silhouette mural on Spijkerstraat.

Atelier Route - How it's made - No. 14. Hommelstraat 57, Arnhem Keramiek Atelier. Esther was lovely enough to give us a demonstration of how she created her beautiful ceramics, and explain the processes behind the developments of the individual pieces. I particularly loved the 'Mix and Match' schaaltjes [little bowls] which were created from the amalgamation of several glass bowl casts and require a full set of four to recreate a single entity.

Melbournian Michaela Prescott is currently living in Rotterdam whilst doing a landscape architecture and urban design internship until November. I am so jealous! Imagine being surrounded by Dutch design everywhere you go - not to mention daily trips to Marije Vogelzang's new Picknick restaurant!

Lucky for us Michaela has offered to share some of her fantastic photos of the recent Arnhem Mode event! Arnhem is home to Holland's leading fashion academy, and recently celebrated Shape: The Arnhem Mode Biennale 2009 - a month long celebration of fashion and design. Michaela braved the rain(!) to go on the Atelier Route: How It's Made studio expose - a sneak peek into the studios of the designers, photographers, and artisans of the city. What a brilliant opportunity to see inside the studio spaces of such a diverse group of creative people!

Top image : This structure is the main information pavilion of the Biennale. These flat packed timber 'fashion houses' became iconic for the festival and are the key structure for the SHAPE exhibition which features 3 key design methodologies of fashion design -- 'Moulage': design through pattern and direct contact between textile and the body, including Lanvin, Jil Sander and Calvin Klein; the 'Intangibles': truly innovative and virtuosic design, such as the Japanese couture house Comme des Garcons; and finally, design through clear intent and concept, such as Dutch design designers Viktor & Rolf. [Unfortunately I haven't managed to see the exhibition yet]. Bottom images : Signage for the biennale.

Top image : Klarendalseweg Station Signage - a beautiful monochrome piece. Bottom image : Located at the Arnhem City Hall, the beginning of the main exhibition, unfortunately my dutch was not good enough to translate this, but it appears to be a dedication. The contrast in matte and shiny steel in the inset echoes the striped black and white paving featured throughout the inner courtyard of the hall.

According to Michaela, the really special thing about Arnhem and it's design industry is that they have great support in their municipality. To encourage the blossoming designers emerging from the ‘Academie’ to stay in the city, they have created a modekwartier [fashion quarter] - A designated area of the city that is design focused. The municipality have purchased numerous buildings within this area, which they then rent to designers for accommodation, studios, and stores at a reduced rate, with the opportunity to purchase in five years once they are established.

For more information on the festival or the Arnhem Fashion Quarter project visit:
http://www.arnhemmodebiennale2009.com/
http://www.100mode.nl/ - This site is not in English unfortunately :(

Michaela Prescott is enrolled in a masters of landscape architecture at RMIT but is currently based in Rotterdam, NL, indulging in her love of design and taking advantage of the European summer. Thanks so much Michaela for her photos and also fantastic detailed captions! For more of Michaela's photos be sure to check out her Flickr account here!

Top image : This atelier wasn't part of the biennale but their signage, constructed from individually posted A4 sheets, was eyecatching. Bottom image : Atelier Route - How it's made - No. 23. Klarendalseweg 393, Studio Gijnig. A graphic/children's fashion design studio featured in the atelier route.

Top image : Atelier Route - How it's made, No. 17. Klarendalseweg 527a, Elisabeth de Meulmeester. A millinary studio that had an amazing storage area out the back that was stacked with hat bases. They also had a gorgeous silver antique tea service in the front window that had a little candle underneath to keep the tea warm while you chatted. Bottom image : Studio Gijnig interior - it was so cheerful with its red and white wallpaper and colourful flags - you couldn't help but smile on entering.

Atelier Route - How it's made - No. 13. Kv Gelderstraat 2a [Private Studio], Iris van Herpen. Iris is an inspiring young fashion designer who opened her private studio to the public for the day on the request of the organisers. Her work has been a highlight of many shows since graduation and she was also nominated for 'createurope', a European competition for young fashion designers in 2008.