Home:made: emerging artists surprise and delight

Posted on 21 November, 2018

The DESIGN Canberra Festival is everywhere right now. 

The festival is colouring our city with street and window art, the gorgeous NAMAKO sculpture on Aspen Island and events like Open Studios, where working craft and design studios open their doors to the public.

With the help of Canberra Centre, DESIGN Canberra is showcasing fresh, exciting furniture and homewares made by some of the most exciting young designer-makers from around Australia, providing a special opportunity to find unique pieces for your home or office.

Every state and Territory is represented in Home:made and each artist has been chosen for their thoughtful approach to making.

Katie Swinson (NSW), from the Native Swinson range, Upcycled: Paddock flowers and their bees, 2018. Fabric, organic printing inks, Upcycled chair.

Daniel Gunston is from the Northern Territory, and his walnut and ash Bar Stool No 1 is a cut above anything you’d find in a Darwin pub. His ethos is to use sustainable timbers with minimal wastage to create stable, beautiful furniture that will last a lifetime.

Geoffrey Cameron Marshall from Tasmania takes his bar stool inspiration from glaciers: their acute jagged peaks and smooth curves translate into a sparse lineal geometry rendered in wood, leather and textiles.

Billy James Crellin, a South Australian glassworker, has focused on space-saving with his playful, elegant STACK drinking glasses and carafe, presented in different sizes and pale frosted colours. Western Australia’s Carina Li-Lin Vincent gives us VESSEL: modular components in anodized aluminium that combine for multi-purpose functions, from vase to pendant light.

Jordan Ruchalski (NSW), The Puunkt, 2018. Recycled timbers, glass.

Other vessels are inspired by traditional processes, with a twist: Makiko Ryujin’s hand-turned wood series, Shinki (burning vessel) (Victoria), are velvety-black charred bowls that would look stunning on any sideboard. Katie Swinsen’s up-cycled chair (NSW) uses fabric from her Native Swinsen range that nods at traditional country florals with big blowsy biro-drawn flowers but also includes the bees that are so necessary for our environment.

Home:Made, in situ in Monaro Mall.

If you like unusual pieces, then Jordan Ruchalaski’s coffee table, The Puunkt (‘Point’ in Polish and Scandinavian languages) is for you. Created entirely from recycled timbers and glass, it looks like the end-point of a game of 3D Tetris and provides a talking point for any room. It contrasts with the small, sleek, ceramic tables offered by the collaborating ACT makers Richilde Flavell (Girl Nomad Ceramics) and woodworker Rolf Barfoed: The Reuleaux Dawn & Dusk Side Tables. Their organic wooden legs give them a sense of being sentient.

Carina Li-Lin Vincent, Vessel: Pendant Light, 2018. CNC-machined anodized aluminium.

There’s also a range of small, wearable objects, made by Katie Stormonth, who is part of the funky Queensland jewellery collective, Bench. Her pieces are alluring arrangements of handpainted and fabricated forms using a colourful range of materials. They are bold and delicate at the same time, aiming to provoke the wearer to both see and feel the pieces.

Wander through the award-winning refurbished Monaro Mall and you can’t miss Home:made, arranged to great effect on the signature DESIGN Canberra colours. The talent of these emerging makers is impressive, boding well for Australia’s craft and design future.

Home:made is a DESIGN Canberra showcase exhibition sponsored by Canberra Centre. Happening on Level 1, Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre, until 25 November

While you’re there…

CBD by Design: Architect’s Tour

Deepen your understanding of Canberra’s unique design identity as the DESIGN Canberra experts share some of the stories behind the historic architectural treasures in the CBD.

Architect Jeremy Mather, who completed the recent refurbishment of Monaro Mall, will lead you through a free tour of the iconic building and give you a behind-the-scenes look at everything that has gone into its transformation.

Happening Wednesday 21 November 12.30 – 1.45 pm. Please meet Jeremy Mather at the Petrie Plaza entrance to the mall.

Canberra Centre Design Bar

The DESIGN Bar is your one-stop spot for end of week drinks.

Happening every Friday night during DESIGN Canberra, the champagne bar will be stocked with free glasses full of sparkly bubbles, and sweet treats.

Happening 5-8 pm every Friday on Level One, Monaro Mall, Canberra City

DESIGN Canberra HQ

Canberra Centre is home to DESIGN Canberra’s headquarters in the heart of the CBD.

See signature exhibitions, attend designer activations, a design bar, artist installations and the festival party in and around the award-winning heritage architecture of iconic level 1, Monaro Mall in the Canberra Centre.

Happening until 28 November during DESIGN Canberra

All photography by 5Foot Photography