AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
THE DESIGN FILES + Design Awards 2020
5th November, 2020
Contents 3. Letter From The Editor 4. ‘The Artists & Designers With 65,000+ Years of Experience’ 7. ‘Reflecting on 2020’ 8. 2020 Judges 10. Residential Architecture 12. Interior Design 15. Landscape Design 19. Emerging Designer 20. Furniture Design 23. Lighting Design 24. Handcrafted 26. Sustainable Design 29. Collaboration 30. Textile Design
AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards champions design and architecture projects across Australia that demonstrate originality, excellence in craftsmanship, sustainability, and visionary thinking.
Editor Lucy Feagins Managing Editor Sally Tabart Contributing Writers Elisa Carmichael John Wardle Sasha Gattermayr Amelia Barnes Branding & Art Direction Annie Portelli Graphic Design Sasha Aarons Sales & Partnerships Chelsea Hall TDF Design Awards Photography Eve Wilson Amelia Stanwix Special thanks Amanda Dziedzic, Esther Navarro Orejon of The Project Agency, Jarrah Gurrie, Paris Thomson and the team at SIRAP, Nikki To, JohnPaul Mockler and Chris Moore at Buffet, Matt Harding, Bianca Fusca, Domenico Bartolo, Su Mei Chia and Chris More at 21-19, Pete Brundle and James Sandri at More Studio, Line Paras and Kelly Cloake at Counting Clouds, Chrissie Feagins and Gordon Johnson.
The Design Files acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
The Design Files is Australia’s most popular design blog, covering architecture, homes, gardens, art, craft, interior design, furniture, textiles, homewares, food & more. www.thedesignfiles.net Presenting Partner
Sponsors
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Lucy Feagins, The Design Files
Well, it’s been a year. Since The Design Files first launched in 2008, innovative and change-making designers and creatives have been a constant theme. We’ve concerned ourselves with seeking out and elevating the work of Australia’s most inspiring creatives - those clever architects, designers, and makers whose work contributes so much to the mood and culture of the time. As passionate champions of Australia’s design and creative industries, this year has left us, at best, a little flummoxed. In the midst of a global pandemic, where scientific and medical data has become an obsessive focus of our daily lives, it’s easy to question where creativity fits in. After all, as the old adage goes ‘we’re not saving lives’. But creativity is crucially important. The zeitgeist can be defined as ‘the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history, as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.’ So often, this ‘spirit’ manifests throughs creativity. It is the spaces, buildings and neighbourhoods we design, build and inhabit, the studios, shops, galleries, and restaurants we gather within, the art, objects and imagery that we create and share. Our collective creative output matters, because these projects, big and small, become our most tangible legacy. So, unquestionably, 2020 has tested us all, and the challenges of this year are likely to be with us for some time to come. But we must continue to celebrate, champion and support those creatives, studios and individuals who have the bold ideas and necessary courage to continue creating, to continue shaping our culture, and building the world around us. The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards presents an opportunity to acknowledge the most exciting creative happenings in Australia each year. Thank you for being part of it! Lucy Feagins Founder & Editor The Design Files
Supporters
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EDITORIAL Elisa Carmichael
The Artists & Designers With 65,000+ Years Of Experience
Kip&Co with Bábbarra Women’s Centre, Kip + Co x Bábbarra
Koskela, Ngalya/Together
Tju
Elisa Carmichael – Ngugi woman, weaver and judge of the TDF Design Awards Handcrafted category – shares her thoughts on how the skills of First Nations artists and designers are being utilised in the design industry, and her hopes for the future. I am a Ngugi woman from Quandamooka Country, Mulgumpin and Minjerribah (Moreton Island and North Stradbroke Island). I come from a long line of strong women. Our country is abundant in materials, and caring for country has always been part of our ways of living and being. We have many cultural practices - song and dance, food, arts and stories. My family is inspired by our ancestral weaving practices – the process of gathering and nurturing materials and techniques to pass on to younger generations. The traditional weave for our gulayi (Quandamooka womens bags) and bunbi (little dilly bag) is a loop and diagonal knot, made with ungaire (fresh water swamp reed). This fibre is so strong, beautiful and precious to us. It needs to be collected at a certain time of the year, so it can regenerate. It is important that the practice of weaving and gathering is preserved and protected, so that Quandamooka people can continue to weave their stories of country into the future.
Our Quandamooka weaving practices were interrupted as a result of colonisation. When the missionaries came, cultural practices such as our traditional weaving and language were forbidden to be practiced. I didn’t grow up weaving or knowing about our weaving. It has only been in the last 10 years that we have learned from and connected with the precious weaves of our ancestors through our Elder’s memories, research, yarning, community workshops and visiting museum collections. Once reconnecting with our weaving practices, I felt as though it was something I always knew how to do. First Nations communities, artists and designers connect with different mediums and materials, and use their inherited ancestral skills to keep culture alive. Combining these skills with contemporary outcomes brings our voices and ways of life from the past into the future. Collaborations with artists, businesses and brands are another way to achieve knowledge sharing
nka ya Tap aya
of Tjan pi D
ot i Teap esert Weavers, Tjanp
and upskilling, creating new platforms for First Nations cultural expression to shine. We are adaptable, and there’s no modern day materials our work won’t translate well with! There are so many talented First Nations people imparting their knowledge, wisdom and skills in really diverse and exciting ways, making powerful statements across the creative industries. Some examples of amazing designers and projects include the important work of architect and academic Kevin O’Brien, intricate woven textile designs Grace Lillian Lee has adapted to fashion, Jenna Lee’s boundary-pushing contemporary art practice, the unbelievable stage design work of Bangarra Dance Theatre’s head designer Jacob Nash, jeweller Maree Clarke’s collaboration with the NGV, and the accessory designs of Kristy Dickinson at Haus of Dizzy, aka the queen of bling!
North, Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection
Gorman and Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency, Mangkaja x Gorman
Edition Office & Daniel Boyd, For Our Country
The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards 2020 also spotlights a number of brilliant examples of First Nations creative collaborations across all areas of the design industry. Kudjla/Gangalu man and artist Daniel Boyd joined forces with Melbourne-based architecture firm Edition Office to realise ‘For Our Country’, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war memorial. This breathtakingly beautiful monument draws on Boyd’s distinctive artwork and its symbolism of cultural erasure, to acknowledge the history and sacrifice of Australia’s First Nations service people. In the textile design category, four out of 10 finalists represent collaboration with First Nations artists. Standout projects in this category include the joyful collaboration between social enterprise Magpie Goose and women from Ikuntji Artists, as well as the Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection by NORTH in partnership
with female artists from Jilamara, Munupi and Ngaruwanajirri Art Centres.
Bula’Bula Arts, Durrmu Arts, Milingimbi Art and Culture, Moa Arts, Ngarrindjeri Weavers, and Tjanpi Desert Weavers.
Gorman’s beautiful womenswear collection from mid-2019 was created with Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in Fitzroy Crossing, and the Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida collaborated with Melbourne-based brand Kip&Co to produce a powerful range of bedding and homewares featuring artworks from seven of their artists. This strong and varied representation of collaborative projects remind us of the diversity of First Nations groups across Australia. After all, pre-colonisation, we were an island of over 500 nations.
It’s important for people to understand the essential contributions of First Nations artists and designers in education. We have visual cultures and traditions which have been practiced for millennia. Art and design is a way for us to share our stories our way, and to have our voices in the world. It’s a way for people to engage with ideas and perspectives they might not normally.
Meanwhile, in Sydney, Koskela have recently celebrated 10 years of social impact work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with the release of their Ngalya/Together lighting collection, a collaboration with six First Nations art centres –
My hope for the future is for people to appreciate, nurture, listen and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices and practices. As the world’s oldest living culture, First Nations peoples are the first artists and designers, and have 65,000+ years of knowledge and experience behind us!
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EDITORIAL John Wardle
John Wardle: Reflecting On 2020 Recipient of the 2020 Gold Medal from the Australian Institute of Architects, revered Melbourne architect John Wardle reflects on 2020, a year defined by isolation, new means of connection, and the power of shared experience.
My experience of the past 29 weeks of lockdown has been largely defined by seeing the world through two dramatically different and shifting lenses. From the domestic confines of my home in Melbourne, the realities of isolation and confinement have been profoundly felt. Yet, by contrast, it has also been a time defined by extraordinary connection. Through many digital platforms, in my daily working life, I’ve been invited into the homes of my staff, professional contacts, friends and entirely new connections across Australia and internationally. Somewhere between these two shifts, this play of proximity and distance, people have become data on the nightly news – numbers, percentages, averages – and yet also highly individual as we seek ways to express our circumstances and personal status. Faces set against intimate backdrops of living rooms, bookcases, family heirlooms. We have all become urban geographers, acutely attuned to the particularities of the postcodes we are confined to. We’ve been forced to reappraise what’s on our doorstep, the specific things that define communities, and our place within them. Creative organisations and individuals have risen remarkably to the challenge of adapting to the current circumstance. Our state galleries and museums have responded with creative and interactive programs, reshaping their events and ways of connecting to broader audiences. We’ve always relied on artists to help us make sense of our lives and the world around us, and to also at times provide us with moments of release and joy. Life within the pandemic has enhanced this appreciation. The ability of art to provide provocation helps us contend with uncertainties and conflicts that are beyond our control. It’s one of the reasons our practice has so often collaborated with artists and other creative practitioners as we appreciate their ability to respond intuitively and innovatively to challenges of economy and necessity. These are powerful tools to have. In our architectural practice we’ve faced the challenges of adapting to COVID-19 – relocating staff to work from home, adapting to new communication platforms and design tools. We are finding new ways to engage with people who we are working with, to take them on the journey. This is a steep learning curve and not without its peaks and troughs.
Photo – Pier Carthew
The opportunity to work on a series of important public commissions during this period has enabled us to engage with the process of extensive briefing and stakeholder discussions, and deeply collaborative process of conceptual design entirely by virtual platform. The personal circumstances of all players in the creative process have been brought to the foreground and the invitation to connect has become more deeply personal. A natural push-pull tension to our current situation undoubtedly exists. The push to get the economy up and running again is constantly on our minds. Stimulus packages are driving projects and grants forward, while conversely, there is a genuine desire from many key thinkers to pause and reflect on the way we design cities and workspaces. The pressure grows ever greater to address the critical issue of climate change. To lose ground on this over the urgency to kick start the economy would demean the deeper lessons of COVID-19 to me. Finding resilience and a path through these tensions - being able to adapt and survive – to prosper and benefit from change – will be a measure for success.
The incredible contradictions that COVID-19 has triggered for us all has cast new light onto the notion that willingness to change and be adaptable is certainly a primary requisite for survival and prospering in uncertain times. Now more than ever, we appreciate that the necessity for change can be instructive. There are numerous lessons therein that are critical to take with us to the other side.
John Wardle October, 2020
johnwardlearchitects.com
One commonality in response to COVID-19 is that communities have been forced to localise in all that they do. This has encouraged us to scrutinise our own cities and neighbourhoods in new ways. In Melbourne, the five kilometre rule has mapped powerful evidence of social inequity - accessibility to green space, to cultural institutions and other necessities of life that are unequally distributed. The disparities in communities are acutely apparent – it is our job to advocate to governments, local instrumentalities and those involved in development to balance this equation. Variations by nature keep us curious and digging into the detail of a map can help keep us engaged. One initiative we’ve implemented in our studio is a series of ‘local loops,’ where each week a different staff member takes us on a walk, run or cycle through their neighbourhood. Through maps, images and narration, each person guides us along their favourite local route, sharing their personal experiences. By the end of the year we will have created a fascinating, detailed and rather eccentric map that can be examined in accordance with our greater understanding of Melbourne, Sydney and parts of regional Victoria.
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AN AWARDS PROGRAM HOSTED BY THE DESIGN FILES Celebrating Australian Design & Creativity
Meet Our 2020 Judging Panel
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
INTERIOR DESIGN
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
LIGHTING DESIGN
COLLABORATION
TEXTILE DESIGN
John Wardle John Wardle Architects
Chelsea Hing Chelsea Hing Interior Design
Georgina Reid The Planthunter
Volker Haug Volker Haug Studio
Amanda Henderson Gloss Creative
Luciana Wallis Warwick Fabrics
Karen Alcock MA Architects
Juliette Arent Arent&Pyke
Paul Bangay Paul Bangay Garden Design
Kate Stokes Coco Flip
Jeremy Wortsman The Jacky Winter Group
Cassie Byrnes Variety Hour
Rachel Nolan Kennedy Nolan Architects
Miriam Fanning Mim Design William Dangar Dangar Barin Smith
8.
Megan Morton
JUDGES 2020
FURNITURE DESIGN
HANDCRAFTED
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
EMERGING DESIGNER
An awards program as diverse as the TDF + Laminex Design Awards requires a panel of experts that represent the vast scope of projects entered across 10 categories. This panel represents the best in Australia within their given fields. Each of our 25 judges have individually assessed the shortlisted projects, awarding scores based on the award criteria. Together, they have selected the winning entries and commendations that demonstrate excellence and innovation.
Nick Garnham Jardan
Elisa Carmichael
Karina Seljak Seljak Brand
Sophie Gannon Sophie Gannon Gallery
Bruce Rowe Anchor Ceramics
Jeremy McLeod Breathe Architecture
Simone LeAmon Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design & Architecture National Gallery of Victoria
Khai Liew Khai Liew Design
Amanda Dziedzic Amanda Dziedzic Glass 9.
The Bismarck House in Bondi is the younger sibling of a pair of semi-detached dwellings developed by Bill Clifton and William Dangar, the partners of Robert Plumb Build. Andrew Burges Architects was engaged to design the house in response to the already proposed plans for the property next door. The brief for Bismarck House was a flexible home that could be used as a holiday rental or future city property if the clients moved out of Sydney. The design was to be experimental and original in nature, showcasing Robert Plumb’s building capacity, and the garden by William’s landscape company Dangar Barin Smith. The facade of the semi-detached house and the original front room were retained in the project, and adjoined by a contemporary concrete, glass, steel and metal mesh building. Recycled materials were used wherever possible, with all bricks from the demolished portion of the home recovered and cleaned on site. Andrew Burges’ design enlivens the public realm by orchestrating potential for social engagement between the more public areas of the house and the laneway running along the northern boundary.
“This home is a winner on its long street edgewhen you look closely there is much to enjoy. The power of an eccentric and beautiful garden is supported so well by the architecture.” – Rachel Nolan
Photography: Caitlin Mills / Tess Kelly / Christopher Frederick Jones / Dave Kulesza / Peter Bennetts / Dianna Snape / Kristoffer Paulsen / Derek Swalwell / Sharyn Cairns / Tom Ferguson / Katherine Lu / Rory Gardiner / Paul Hermes
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
WINNER
THE RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE AWARD IS PRESENTED BY BRICKWORKS
Andrew Burges Architects Bismarck House
Commendation
Archier & HIP V. HYPE The Davison Collaborative
Three parties came together to develop three sustainable townhouses each with an 8+ star NatHERS rating, located on the one Brunswick site.
“This is a modest project which could be easily overlooked. The robust, simple façade hides three tightly-planned, flexible homes which provide a great model for infill housing.” – Karen Alcock
Commendation
Commendation
Vokes and Peters Highgate Park House
CO-AP Architects Woollahra Courtyard House
This Brisbane home is an extended original cottage planned around two principal circulation corridors to manage privacy, while engaging with the adjacent hilltop park.
Taking cues from its 1970s predecessor, this new four-bedroom house in Woollahra is planned around a courtyard and facilitates disabled access.
“When landscape and domestic architecture meet in the public realm, this is proof a home can take good care of its inhabitants and be a generous neighbour.” – Rachel Nolan
“This house exhibits the mastery of a mature hand within a tight plan. The ceiling has been beautifully manipulated to shape the effects of light throughout a compelling sequence of spaces.” – John Wardle
FMD ARCHITECTS CLT House
JESSE BENNETT STUDIO Tjuringa
Finalists
MRTN ARCHITECTS Good Life House
AUSTIN MAYNARD ARCHITECTS RaeRae House
ROB KENNON ARCHITECTS Fitzroy North House 02
LINEBURG WANG Park Road House
ANTHROSITE ARCHITECTS Waratah Secondary House
SIBLING ARCHITECTURE Glassbook House
EMMA MITCHELL ARCHITECTS CLT House
STUDIO BRIGHT Ruckers Hill House
CLARE COUSINS ARCHITECTS Beaumaris House
BENN + PENNA ARCHITECTURE Balmain Rock
TOPOLOGY STUDIO House At Otago Bay
ZANA WRIGHT Quandong Cottage
11.
Photography: Prue Ruscoe / Eve WIlson / Lauren Bamford / Anson Smart / Sharyn Cairns / Derek Swalwell / Felix Forest / Eve WIlson / Tom Blachford / Prue Ruscoe
INTERIOR DESIGN
WINNER
THE INTERIOR DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY DE’LONGHI
YSG Studio Budge Over Dover
Already much lauded on the awards circuit, Budge Over Dover by YSG sees a hard-edged, freestanding coastal home transformed into a gentle yet nuanced textural haven. Walls were demolished to realise a fresh internal choreography, meaning tactile and tonal variations were employed to demarcate zones in the new open plan layout. Coloured matte surfaces and soft textural details replace aluminium window frames and heavy veneer finishes to enhance flow between spaces without altering the original footprint. Curved walls, archways and rounded banquette seating soften previously harsh geometric lines, while sage polished plaster walls and blushing aubergine ceilings complement the handmade terracotta tiles lining the walls and floor. Coupled with rich, unexpected colours such as licorice, plum and eucalyptus green, these gentle edges celebrate the house’s newly realised sculptural forms.
“Budge Over Dover demonstrates sleight of hand artistry at its best. This project showcases an intelligent combination of unconventional ideas, packed with design subtleties and playful colour combinations that energise the space beautifully.” – Chelsea Hing Finalists
Commendation
Studio Moore Ross Farm – Barn
FLACK STUDIO Potts Point Residence
STUDIO CD Art House
EDWINA GLENN Brass House
DOHERTY DESIGN STUDIO Malvern Residence Two
ROBSON RAK ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS Spanish Queen House
The Barn is one of three dwelling properties on Ross Farm – a former dairy farm turned boutique accommodation. The building has its own identity defined by pitched ceilings, granite, and a striking floor-to-ceiling glass rear facade.
“The Barn is an authentic, naturally beautiful project that embodies light, volume, texture and a sophisticated implementation of ‘bare’ detail.” – Miriam Fanning
WORKROOM Toorak Residence
STUDIO MOORE Ross Farm – Dairy
Commendation
Hearth Studio Slow Beam
FLACK STUDIO Middle Park Residence
FOWLER AND WARD Bourke Street Apartment
STUDIO GORMAN The Quarterdeck
A jewel-box of a house designed as a unique Hobart getaway. The two linked pavilions take advantage of an existing cutting from a previous owner’s abandoned earthworks.
“A truly beautiful example of Australian contemporary interior design that is both an exercise in restraint and bravery and celebrates creativity in all guises.” – Juliette Arent
The Metallics Collection pairs the curvaceous iconic shape with soft tones and the glimmering sparkle of some of the world’s most beautiful metals. The Metallics Collection includes: 1.7L Icona Kettle and 4-slice Icona Toaster partnered with our Dedica Coffee Machine. Available at delonghi.com.au
Iridescent Cobalt Blue
Iridescent Pewter Grey
Iridescent Champagne
Better Everyday
Photography: Marnie Hawson / Nick Watt / Peter Crumpton / Christopher Frederick Jones / Derek Swalwell / Claire Takacs / Caitlin Mills / Tristain Peirce
Inspired by the world’s most beautiful metal
LANDSCAPE DESIGN
WINNER Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design Native Retreat-Studio Garden
Landscape designer Kathleen Murphy’s own studio garden is an ongoing project that serves as a hardy family garden for her three children to enjoy, as well as a place to explore ideas and demonstrate concepts in context. The vision was to frame views of the Macedon Ranges, nestle the studio into the landscape, and respond closely to the local conditions. Kathleen mimicked the far off hills with gentle mounding, which visually connects to the landscape beyond. A key feature is the billabong that collects stormwater from the house, studio roof and driveway. Locally-sourced and salvaged materials, including soil from local housing sites, have been used at every opportunity. This ever-evolving garden combines native and exotic plants, is a true expression of self, and place for ongoing experimentation.
“Perfectly imperfect. A very honest landscape.” – William Dangar Commendations
Garden Life Palm Beach Garden
Kate Seddon Landscape Design The Composed Garden
A clifftop, seaside wonderland is refreshed with a naturalistic planting palette inspired by the dry gardens of the Mediterranean.
“Layers of planting fulfill the client’s brief for softer and Mediterranean design.” – Paul Bangay
Inspired by travels through Denmark and Japan, this minimalist design combines a natural material palette with a celebration of seasonality.
“A lovely, inviting garden. Great attention to detail, good planting design. A quality project.” – Georgina Reid
Finalists
KATE SEDDON LANDSCAPE DESIGN TarraWarra Museum of Art Pathway
KIERON GAIT ARCHITECTS + DAN YOUNG LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Whynot Street
ACRE Dune House
ECKERSLEY GARDEN ARCHITECTURE Yarra River Cascading Garden
ROLLING STONE LANDSCAPES Amongst The Trees
IAN BARKER GARDENS Deepdene
BEN SCOTT GARDEN DESIGN Garden House Garden
TRISTAN PEIRCE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Cottesloe 01
THE DESIGN FILES + LAMINEX DESIGN AWARDS 2020
At Phoenix Tapware, we are driven by creativity and excellence, which is why we were thrilled to reprise our relationship with The Design Files Awards in 2020. We once again chose to sponsor the Emerging Designer category due to a shared passion for recognising outstanding talent in the design space, and a desire to help uncover the next generation of Australian designers and creatives. Pictured: Axia Wall Basin / Bath Mixer Set, Axia Twin Shower / Wall Mixer and NX Quil Hand Shower To view our entire collection, visit phoenixtapware.com.au
2.
Photoraphy: Tom Blachford / Derek Swalwell / Sharyn Cairns / Lucas Wearne / Peter Ryle / Cassie Hansen / Cathy Schusler
Congratulations Fowler and Ward
EMERGING DESIGNER
WINNER Fowler and Ward
Proud alumni of Clare Cousins Architects, Jessie Fowler and Tara Ward formed their own architecture practice, Fowler and Ward, in 2018.
THE EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD IS PRESENTED BY PHOENIX TAPWARE
Finalists
Besides a clear shared style, the pair’s common interest in socially-driven design outcomes drives the impressive young firm, which already has nine complete projects to its name. Particularly invested in sensitive renovations and small-space innovation, the pair strive to make a compassionate impact on the urban character surrounding them. The studio has a passion for designing residential spaces that give back to Melbourne, the city they love, from creating homes in small spaces to multi-residential developments that increase density without overwhelming neighbourhood character.
KENNON
BRAHMAN PERERA
NEIGHBOURHOOD STUDIO
JAMES HOWE
“Fowler and Ward deliver accomplished residential projects with rigour and insight.” – Simone LeAmon CASSIE HANSEN
CJH STUDIO
PIERCE WIDERA
Photography: Andrew Curtis / Tatjana Plitt / Jonothan Griggs / Thomas Lentini / Peter Ryle / Sam Sederof / Sean Fennessy / Timothy Kaye / Tom Ross / Willem-Dirk du Toit / Shelley Horan / Martin Cedes / Oku Space
FURNITURE DESIGN
WINNER
THE FURNITURE DESIGN AWARD IS PRESENTED BY JARDAN
Adam Goodrum + Arthur Seigneur Exquisite Corpse ‘Longbow’ Credenza
‘Longbow’ is a credenza from the three-piece collection ‘Exquisite Corpse’ by A+A – a collaboration between Adam Goodrum and Arthur Seigneur. The initial design and patterns were conceived by industrial designer Adam, then finessed by Melbourne-based French marquetry artisan Arthur. The duo envisioned the colours and patterns together, resulting in a cascading kaleidoscopic design inspired by the concentric symmetry of a lotus blossom. Using just a scalpel, ruler and wood glue, Arthur painstakingly covered the credenza with 10,000+ ribbons of customdyed straw imported from Burgundy. Arthur is believed to be among only 25 artisans in the world still practising the 17th-century craft of straw marquetry.
“A masterful work that will help define the best of decorative arts in Austraila in the first quarter of the 21st century.” Khai Liew Finalists Commendation
Manapan x Foolscap Studio Gulnura Table
Crafted from local gum, this boardroom table is inspired by the Gulnura (the Yolngu word for ‘lightning snake’), local to Milingimbi Island off the north-east coast of the Northern Territory, where Manapan’s workshop is situated.
“Along with evocative and descriptive detailing, a work rich in narrative that tells of place and people.” – Khai Liew STUDIO THOMAS LENTINI Central Park Road Table
CENZO Loop Chair
FOMU L’Art de Vivre Lounge
BIASOL STUDIO Comoda Sofa
JAMES HOWE J7 Day Bed
FOOLSCAP STUDIO Souffle Lounge
AKWT Itto Table
HUGH MCCARTHY AND FOOLSCAP STUDIO JX8 Dining Table Commendation
Danielle Brustman Chromatic Fantastic Cabinet
MANUEL CANESTRINI + COLIN WHITEHEAD Symbiont Coffee Table
OKU SPACE Breezeway Cabinet
Chromatic Fantastic is a suite of modular furniture pieces including colourful, rhomboid cabinets. These oak and steel cabinets invite engagement with both the harmonic and discordant combinations of colour, and can be detached and reconnected in various arrangements.
“Original concept and beautiful use of colour to give fresh and joyful perspecitve on a storage unit.” – Nick Garnham
21.
A Return To Place. Inspired by the Australian way of life, and our deep connection to the landscape, Living Forms by Jardan is a celebration of the colours, materials, and organic lines of nature.
2.
Photography: Kimberly Low / Haydn Cattach / Jonathon Griggs / Alex Earl / Chela Edmunds / Dean Toepfer / Jessica Tremp / Rachel Byron
Living Forms
LIGHTING DESIGN
WINNER Copper Flask Lighting System
Following an increased demand for variation in their existing suite of light fittings to suit commercial interiors projects and large scale commissions, Copper Design embarked on a mission to create a fully customisable lighting system. Flask is the result of this three-year period of experimentation. The final design was the fruit of an obsession with the way light transmits through coloured glass. After months of prototyping, a slim, textured borosilicate glass tube was decided upon as the ideal vessel to illuminate. The striking, mouth-blown luminaire is created with precision glass-blowing techniques in either clear or sandblasted glass. The coloured nodes take the form of sconces, pendants and tubular mounts, offering customers endless options for colour, shape and glass thickness when designing a bespoke lighting network. A variety of metal tubes, joins and bends connects the completely customisable arrangement, which can be positioned vertically or horizontally to fit a space. Made within a cost-effective manufacturing model, the Flask light is produced on a made-to-order basis. The modular system can be installed as a singular beam or suspended from the ceiling as a fleet.
“Very innovative with a lot of wow factor. Love the endless possibilities and the building block idea.” – Volker Haug
Commendations
Ross Gardam Ceto
Dale Hardiman + Stephen Royce Open Garden
Taking over a year to develop, this sculptural glass shade brings together Venetian glassblowing techniques and LED technology. The abstract interpretation of Murano tradition delivered a versatile luminaire that ripples like the ocean.
Discarded iPhone screens are transformed into a unique, conceptual installation. With the screens removed, the LCD phone panels are warped into an arched wall fixture which beams light across its curved surface.
“The Ceto collection is an extremely considered, sophisticated and well-crafted range of exceptionally beautiful lighting pieces.” – Kate Stokes
“This is a brilliant collection of art that has been thoughtfully executed. It’s so exciting to see the boundries of object/lighting/ art being blurred.” – Kate Stokes
Finalists
ALEX EARL Olid Ring Pendant
TAKEAWEI Lighthouse Lamp
STUDIO HENRY WILSON Pillar
KOSKELA Ngalya/Together
LIAM FLEMING + DEAN TOEPFER Solute
POP AND SCOTT Cosmos Collection
SKEEHAN STUDIO Haru
23.
Photography: Isobel Egan / Emily Weaving / James Lemon / Rebecca Newman / Yvonne Doherty / Kirsten Perry / Nicolette Johnson / Georgina Proud / Boby Corica / Grant Hancock / Daisy Watts
HANDCRAFTED
WINNER Tjunkaya Tapaya of Tjanpi Desert Weavers Tjanpi Teapot
Senior Pitjantjatjara leader and Tjanpi Desert Weavers artist, Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM, provides a playful representation of the important cultural ritual of tea making in ‘Tjanpi Teapot.’ Her unique expression, form and exquisite use of colour demonstrates her mastery of weaving with native grasses, as well as an innovative aptitude for using weaving as a vehicle for social commentary and reflection. Tea is ever-present in the lives of Anangu (Aboriginal people) across the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) lands, spanning the central desert region of South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. When making art, telling stories, facilitating a meeting, undertaking cultural ceremonies, or holding sorry camps - a fire is made, the billy is boiled, and everyone drinks tea together. The teapot is where activities begin and end, and has become an object of great importance to the social fabric of community life, and Tjanpi Teapot directly speaks to that. Tjanpi Desert Weavers is an Indigenous governed and directed social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council (NPYWC), which represents over 400 women artists from the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) lands, spanning the central desert region of South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Commendation
“Each strand is thoughtfully stitched by hand to create the teapot - part of the social fabric of community life. Woven through the challenging times of COVID-19, away from her home Country, Tjunkaya has created a beautiful, unique reflection of part of her daily life in community.” – Elisa Carmichael
Szilvassy Aether
Exploring the relationship between art, object and place, this ceramics collection draws upon a deeply personal connection to the Australian landscape. The 12 functional forms express the earthen qualities of clay through subtle variations in the terracotta tones.
“These forms are elegant and refined yet I love that they are for the everyday.” – Amanda Dziedzic
Finalists
CUT THROAT KNIVES Imprint
SIÂN BOUCHERD Oyster Shell
KIRSTEN PERRY The Lost Homes of Soft Boiled Beings
NICOLETTE JOHNSON Assemblage
GEORGINA PROUD Glass Houses
TANTRI MUSTIKA Lithify Commendation
James Lemon Pest Chairs
LIAM FLEMING Graft Vase Series
DAISY WATT + SAMANTHA SEARY Holding Light
Made from stoneware clay, glaze and toothpaste, these large-scale ceramic sculptures are an homage to humble yet sophisticated insect architecture such as anthills, termite mounds and beehives.
“There is an energy and expressive boldness to the artist’s forms. Anti-refinement, anti-construction, anti-establishment; the work explores the social, environmental and political ideas of the moment through artistic expression and inuitive technique.” – Bruce Rowe
Photography: Dan Hilburn / Cricket Studio / Longboy Media / Tomas Friml / Willem-Dirk du Toit / Jonathon Grigg / Callie Marshall / Ian Lanterman / Amelia Stanwix / Nina Hamilton / Hayley Nedland
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN OR INITIATIVE
WINNER
THE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN OR INITIATIVE AWARD IS PRESENTED BY COUNTRY ROAD
Good Citizens 100% Recycled Eyewear
Good Citizens takes discarded single-use plastic bottles and transforms them into stylish sunglasses frames. In order to eliminate any metal components from the design, the team (a father and his two sons) reimagined sunglasses from the ground up. While traditionally there could be up to 22 components in a pair of glasses, Good Citizens’ contains only seven. Most importantly, the company has reengineered the traditional sunglasses hinge to enable an entirely recycled plastic product. This resulting plastic clip can be easily removed, making the sunglasses colour customisable. Individual parts can also be replaced and recycled if required, instead of the entire product becoming waste. Good Citizens sunglasses are made in Sydney and the company controls the entire manufacturing process to make sure neither its employees or the planet are exploited. The accompanying recycled PET, felt case is also made in NSW and sewn in their Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) certified factory. It takes one 600ml bottle to make one pair of Good Citizens frames, and for every pair sold, the business removes a kilo of plastic waste from the ocean through their NGO partners.
“As well as using 100% waste, here’s a clever minimal and modular approach to extend the product lifecycle of something forever breaking – eye glasses.” – Karina Seljak
Commendation
Dowel Jones + Soft Serve Studio New Model
“This interactive studio concept and its bags exemplify how we can rethink materials and products to divert commercial waste from landfill.” – Karina Seljak
Finalists
SUSSEX TAPS Circa
FIVE MILE RADIUS Waste Terrazzo
ADAM CORNISH DESIGN + JUNGLEFY Junglefy
KOALA ECO
DALE HARDIMAN + STEPHEN ROYCE Open Garden
COMMUNE + CO Cirque du Soil
Commendation
Returnr Deposit-Return System + Products
WAVERLEY WOOLLEN MILLS 100% Natural Fibre Recycled Range
New Model intends to produce zero waste, carbon neutral products made from surplus materials available at a commercial scale. Eventually aiming to foray into furniture and lighting, the brand’s debut project is the zero waste 1 Hour Bag made from deadstock upholstery materials.
SEED & SPROUT Raise The Bar
MELBOURNE FOOD HUB Grow/Source/Eat
In a bid to reduce the amount of disposable packaging used in transporting meals, this hospitality-focused, deposit-return system offers stainless steel reusable food and drink vessels to take away customers.
“This is not just a sustainable, recycled, recyclable, reusable food packaging product, this is the redesign and reimagination of an entire food/customer journey system. The system was broken, so they designed a new system. Returnr is low ego and big impact.” – Jeremy McLeod
Photography: Ben Hosking / Tatjana Plitt / Josh Robenstone / Nina Hamilton / Andrew Curtis / Dallas Kilponenn / Tomas Friml / Nynno Bel-Air / Sharyn Cairns
2.
COLLABORATION
WINNER Edition Office & Daniel Boyd For Our Country
For Our Country is the inaugural National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander war memorial, commissioned by the Australian War Memorial, and located on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country. The memorial is designed to reflect the lived experience and memory of all Indigenous communities, including those who served in the Australian armed services, and the trauma of the frontier wars of colonisation. Behind a ceremonial fire pit lies the sculptural pavilion made primarily of fractured basalt shards. A wall of two-way mirrored glass set with thousands of transparent lenses represents our perception, while highlighting our incomplete understanding of history. The design is the collaborative work of Daniel Boyd, a Kudjala/ Gangalu/Kuku Yalanji/Waka Waka/Gubbi Gubbi/Wangerriburra/ Bandjalung man, and Edition Office architects.
“Gravitas expressed. Design, art and nature create an absolutely exquisite ‘Hall of Memory’.” – Amanda Henderson
Commendations
Manapan x Foolscap Studio Gulnura Furniture Suite
Edition Office + Yhonnie Scarce In Absence In Absence is an architectural installation that invites audiences to better understand the fallacy of terra nullius. The installation was designed in collaboration between contemporary artist and Kokatha and Nukunu woman Yhonnie Scarce, and Melbourne architects Edition Office.
This suite of bespoke, boardroom furniture was commissioned for the Australia Pacific Airports Corporation office at Melbourne Airport. Manapan worked closely with Foolscap throughout the design phase.
“A staggeringly beautiful and meaningful collaboration between designer and maker, industry and country.” – Jeremy Wortsman
“An important piece of work. A sacred geometry for the general public to contemplate.” – Megan Morton
Finalists
PAN AFTER + ALICE OEHR Paper Pattern Collection
NUDIE JEANS X WAVERLEY MILLS Recycled Blanket
ARTHUR SEIGNEUR + ADAM CENTRE FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY + ELLIAT RICH GOODRUM Exquisite Corpse + OUTSIDE ASSEMBLY Wren Furniture Suite for ApMurra Furniture
NICHOLAS JOHNSTON + KRISTIAN KLEIN Krof Cutlery
OBUS + OLANA JANFA Olana x Obus
THE BIG GROUP + KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS Landmark by Lexus 29.
Photography: Hilary Faye / Caitlin Mills / Kirsten Bresciani / Lillie Thompson / Greta van der Star / Sarah Mackie / Charles FrĂŠger / Natalia Parsonson / Caitlin Mills / Victoria Aguirre
TEXTILE DESIGN
WINNER
NORTH, Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection
NORTH is a not-for-profit lifestyle brand facilitating the economic agency of remote Aboriginal artists and art centres. These artists share stories of their connection to country through jilamara (design). Tiwi Strong Women’s Collection is a range of hand screen-printed wearable textiles, created by artists from Jilamara Arts and Crafts in the Tiwi Islands over 12 months. These artists are Pirlangimpi, Milikapiti and Wurrumiyanga people. NORTH is underpinned by slow fashion principles. Each linen piece is handsewn in Melbourne and uses only water-soluble paints for printing. Deadstock fabric is repurposed as accessories or sent to Tiwi sewers in a Darwin-based workshop. Textile practice signifies a new medium for Tiwi artists to tell stories, share culture and engage with the contemporary Australian design world. In addition to providing extra revenue, the Aboriginal-led workshops produced in collaboration with NORTH aim to deepen skill sharing between artists and enrich local art practices within participating communities. Opportunity to share the process, achievements and stories of the artists within their community is built into NORTH’s project plans and funding models. Every project is supported by community Elders.
Commendation
“An incredibly considered Australian fashion label with great social and ethical practices. I hope they can continue to strike that balance and grow for years to come.” – Cassie Byrnes
Kip&Co with Bábbarra Women’s Centre Kip&Co x Bábbarra
“What an incredible collaboration that has been delivered with sensitivity and respect to the artist involved. Great transparency around copyright and percentage of profits that are going back to the artists.” – Cassie Byrnes
Finalists
ANNIE COOPER Annie Coop Textiles
BAINA Collection .01
GORMAN AND MANGKAJA ARTS RESOURCE AGENCY Mangkaja x Gorman
The iconic lifestyle brand and the Maningrida-based women’s organisation join forces on this collection of hand printed homewares. Both creative groups are female-led.
MAGPIE GOOSE Magpie Goose x Ikuntji
GEMMA THREADGATE Threadgate
Commendation
Ellen McKenna From Art to Fashion
The debut large-scale, solo exhibition of artist Ellen McKenna showcases the complex process of developing a garment of clothing through art. The show’s objective is to highlight an alternative to the seasonal turn-arounds of the disposable fashion model.
“The works exhibited are not only beautiful and bold, but I especially love that the artist is questioning our relationship between art, fashion and consumerism.” – Luciana Wallis CASTLE Little Garden Bedlinen
PAMPA To-yik-ca
