creative nation

it's a busy weekend for the right-brains of the east coast… this saturday the city of brisbane will not only host one of the nations only full blue skies, it will also showcase the states best-known creatives at the Renegade Market.  Head to fortitude valley between the hours of 10 and 3 to pocket a piece of creative goodness.

further south, VIVID Sydney is in full swing.  you have until june 9 to admire the enormous (and free!) Good Design Showcase in martin place… a carefully curated selection of the the best in cutting-edge design and innovation from around the globe.

for those of us on the isle, the Design Centre Tas launches its Winter In Design program with it's usual belly and soul warming finesse.  Tapas, tunes and a tipple are on offer… as are a few 50x50 boxes in which you may submerse your noggin for full exploration of the senses.  hmm.. curious?  drinks will be poured from 6pm this friday.

So… what's happening in the west??

Reggie

Reggie in certified local tassie oak and dyed black FSC eucalyptus

hypnotised this past month by the textural giddy-up of my new drum pendant light, Reggie, I missed whispering howdy to the outside world. so a booming happy wednesday and without ado here's...drumroll...rrrrReggie, dedicated to Tasmania's tallest growing hardwood Eucalyptus Regnans. or good ol' Tassie Oak as we botanically challenged like to say.

Reggies inside chevrons laid flat

the big issue

teddy bears, huh? those threadbare companions with undone stuffing and missing bits reveal their stories directly to camera at the studio of photographer, Mark Nixon, and feature in The Big Issue Taiwan. ironic juxtaposition. in the same issue but not so frighted is my itty bitty story of luminous things. 'twas an enriching experience working with Vivian Yang and Hui-Min Tsar.

profiled and postable

it's the news we hope all you lighting enthusiasts have awaited…  Pod Luxe is only 3 - 7 working days from a power point near you!  that's right, our luxurious leather pendants have joined the collection of unique homewares to dot the delightful shelves at hardtofind, and are ready to 'add to cart' pronto.

in honour of the new arrival, hardtofind have also given us our very own cyber spread.  so, after you've bagged yourself a couple of pendants (who can say no to free shipping?!), jump to their blog and peer into the grey matter that conjures these luminous creations.

photos: Chris Crerar

alex the great

photo via TEDxSydney

juggling a portfolio that reads like an atlas; the workload that ensues a ranking in Phaidons 100 most influential designers worldwide; and a darling, new baby girl - it's little wonder why Alexander Lotersztain installed his luscious, fur-lined restaurant, Depo, beneath his west end studio, derlot.

photo via Design Addicts

the man is unquestionably prolific, and we had the pleasure of working with him at the recent flat.stack.fold workshop in queensland.  endearing us with his argentinian bred accent, and passion for designing a sustainable world (both flaunted in his TEDx talk), Alex helped us tweak the Pod Luxe into the mailable masterpiece that it now is.

so, if you're looking for a little weeks-end inspiration, or motivation, be sure to scan Alex's website (may require a few sittings), and also the highly desirable furniture he's created with our fellow taswegian designers under the one/third label… and then have a lie down.

Plantation by Derlot Editions

stacked, folded, done, dusted.

the final installment of flat.stack.fold 2013 was delivered at full-tilt this week.  two fruitful, brisbane-based workshops, devoured by nine extraordinary tasmanian designers, culminating in the completion of nine extraordinary, new tasmanian designs.
loading our precious protos in the dodge (l-r) master craftsman Jye Edwards, Street & Garden Furniture Co. director David Shaw, and Design Tas GM Rye Dunsmuir

noteworthy highlights?  our mentor, David Shaw, delivering us to Brand + Slater Architects in his fabulous ex-Vegas dodge… enlightened moments behind-the-scenes at metal fabricator, Rockpress… a beer-fuelled presentation (at west ends über cool watering hole, Depo) to haled designers from Luxx Box, Derlot,and the curators from Artisan… and, of course, the buoyant feedback received for our newest luminaire - a flat-pack version of pod luxe - 'bolb'!  

watch this space for details on the official unveiling of our future-friendly creations in september.

euro-meets-wildlife watering hole, Depo - co-founded by director of award winning design studio, Derlot, Alexander Lotersztain.  the mans prolific!  

flat.stack.fold

Q. how do you stuff a grand, incandescent bovine into a humble envelope?

good question!  and perhaps a tad ambitious.  but we are eager to to explore the possibilities when Design Tasmania kicks off the second edition of their flat.stack.fold (FSF13) workshops next month.  acknowledging our conundrum (large leather pendant seeks petite packaging for future-friendly travel), Design Tas selected us to take part in their four day, bi-state intensive, alongside seven other forward-thinking furniture designers.  expertly guided by Street & Garden Furniture Co. director, David Shaw, our flat-packed, stacked and folded creations will be unveiled for public scrutiny in september.

there's no business like...

we'd like to take a moment to thank you (yes you. right there. hello!) for your tremendous support of a humble business with grand dreams of illuminating the homes and lives of the masses.  we also enthusiastically welcome our newest allies, Business Spectator and Bendigo Bank, who've graciously cast us as the tas-wege stars of their new online business consult series!  THE Business Spectator himself, Alan Kohler will be joining Bendigo Banks sage business advisors in imparting their wealth of business savvy, as part of a four-part series broadcast nationally via the Business Spectators website.  lights, camera, eeek!  stay tuned…

the talented Mr Smith

the devastation that this impromptu ice-cream installation must have left in its wake is palpable…  though for many a passerby, the polychromatic sludge is beauty…  it tells a story.  such is the creative ethos of 2012 UTAS furniture design graduate Matty C Smith.  'inspired by waste' and aspiring to give longevity to his versatile pieces by forming a connection between owner and object - this designer, philosopher, ex-architectural joiner and motorcycle demon is (hopefully) just moments away from his podium placing as DIA's GOYTA in furniture design! aka - the Design Institute of Australia's Graduate of The Year Award for very fine furniture.  Go team tas!

flock

being a small isle brimming with creative spirit, tasmania embraces its community and the arts in an enviable fashion. indulging our benevolent soul, we commenced the year by momentarily setting aside the grandeliers to pull together our 'Flock' - a public art commission for Ravenswood Child and Family Centre under the Tasmanian Government Art Site Scheme.  

our sixty two winged creations playfully soar across the walls of the Centre toward a kaleidoscopic, illuminated birdhouse - a buoyant and nurturing sanctuary much like the Centre… minus the neon lights.  our flock are inspired by the close knit and resilient residents of Ravenswood and, of course, the essence of what birds represent - freedom, fresh beginnings and the safe haven of a community… a flock.

creative resolve

so. seventeen days in. how is this new, luminous year treating you, friends?  according to interweb stats (which, of course, are always very accurate), 29% of you have already 'un-resolved'.  oops.  well in an effort to rediscover that vigor and drive you possessed two weeks ago, this year we have resolved to bring you a stimulating series of inspirational creatives from across the land.  we're tracking down the masterful minds and makers that have had us brandishing our facebook thumb like a desperate hitchhiker and we're shining a grandelier into their creative life… and possibly their shoe collection.  hop to it - join our mailing list here to join the fun.  your first shiny instalment will be delivered shortly...
Photo: Patrick Pleul