SD: I try to use as high a percentage as I can of Tasmanian made stuff. At the moment I’ve got about 60 to 70 per cent of the latest collection done in Australian wools that are woven in Tasmania. I get the fabrics printed locally. AG: What do you take from Tasmania to inspire your designs? SD: The people, really. Using convict narratives for inspiration, I look at specific convicts. The building prints on some garments are buildings from Launceston and it was about who would live in those buildings. The new collection is about a contemporary version of Hobart, but again, while it might be architecture, it comes down to who was here and who will be here.
Melany Franklin: unique jewellery pieces made from found, collected and items saved from disposal. AG: What is the main inspiration behind your pieces? MF: Waste inspires me. I’m a registered nurse and it blows me away the amount of waste that is created. I started collecting lids off medication vials and made earrings and rings from them. They’re all beautiful colours and they just get thrown out. I’m not reducing the impact on the environment really, because it’s such a small thing, but it’s saving something that would be thrown out. I call them relinquished relics. AG: What do you take from Tasmania and put into your jewellery designs? MF: The talent in Tasmania is really inspiring and being in that environment. Being able to be so
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isolated in your home studio, but being so close to so many amazing things. I’m in Sydney at the moment, because I have family here – my dad is a dental technician, he makes teeth. He works in gold and silver and porcelain, so I’m hoping that he’s going to pass on a few hints to me and hopefully I’ll be able to work in his studio space so I can expand my skills. He’s quite a talented artist himself. But I miss Tassie terribly. I miss the space. AG: What attracted you to Spacebar? MF: I met Lisa, and she was really warm and welcoming. She’s an artist herself and I just really liked the idea of being part of a collective or creative people who support each other. I also like the idea of that your pieces can remain affordable and accessible to most people. With art, if it’s in a gallery, you have a large markup, so that kind of art is only accessible to people that have larger amounts of money.