Melbourne International Design Festival

Image from the 'INDEX : design to improve life' award exhibition in Copenhagen 2007 - these acrylic bubbles will be on display in and around Federation Square as part of the Melbourne International Design Festival 2008. Photos by Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao. Found on the INDEX Flickr site.

It's the calm before the storm this week... in just over a weeks time Design Festival overload will descend on Melbourne in the form of the Melbourne International Design Festival (hosted by the National Design Centre at Federation Square), which runs simultaneously with the State Government funded State of Design Festival.

There is seriously SO MUCH fantastic stuff scheduled for both of these concurrent festivals that I'm not sure quite how I will cover it all! July looks set to be a really exciting, exhausting month!

One thing I'm really excited about this year is that I'll be writing for the Melbourne International Design Festival blog! Yes I am an official contributer - how professional :) So bookmark the MIDF blog for daily updates of all design-related happenings leading up to and during the festival.

...and because it's almost impossible to decide what to go and see, I've put together a bit of a short-list of my top picks for the 2008 Melbourne International Design Festival... See my suggestions below, but be sure to check out the National Design Centre website for detailed info on all MIDF events.

Patrick Blanc's Vertical Garden in the Melbourne CBD
I mentioned this a few days ago... it's the most anticipated event of the festival for me! If you can't get along to the Patrick Blanc lecture at Fed Square on July 18th (only $10 - book here!)... be SURE to check out his vertical garden installation at Melbourne Central from July 17.


Melbourne Design Market
Always popular, always busy, this year's Melbourne Design Market is set to explode as usual... the usual mix of emerging and established designers join forces to present a design market of spectacular proportions. Jewellery, homewares, fashion, and lighting will be amongst the wares on offer. This year the market takes place on Sunday 20th July, 10am-5pm at the Federation Square undercover carpark. Entry is free. My advice - get there early, and bring cash!

Melbourne Open House
Melbourne Open House is a free of charge event on Sunday, July 20th, 10am – 5pm (again!), giving Melburnians a rare opportunity to discover the hidden architectural details of the CBD not often visible to the public.

Melbourne Open House will be opening a selection of inspiring buildings within walking distance of Federation Square and the Melbourne International Design Festival. Taking part in the event are many prominent Melbourne buildings, including the beautiful art deco Manchester Unity building, the ever-popular Nicholas Building and the new Council House 2 on Flinders Lane - that's the one with the 6-star sustainability rating and those fantastic timber slatted shutters on the facade? You know the one. I am really excited about that one.

The incredible facade of 'Council House 2' in Melbourne - images via Picasa

INDEX award exhibition - Design to Improve Life
The international design award INDEX will stage its first major exhibition outside Denmark for MIDF, encircling Federation Square with 70+ acrylic bubbles, each one a showcase for products and projects from all disciplines of design, with the theme of 'design to improve life'.

As an installaton, the 'bubbles' look fantastic en masse... the shots below are from the INDEX award exhibition in Copenhagen last year. These bubbles will be installed all over Fed Square and surrounding areas this week, and will be in place until the end of the month... can't wait to see them!

Image from the 'INDEX : design to improve life' award exhibition in Copenhagen 2007 - Photos by Jessica Haye and Clark Hsiao. Found on the INDEX Flickr site.

So those are my picks for MIDF.... but there are so many more! I haven't even touched on the always popular 'pop-up' events around town... or the 'studio open' events which allow the curious (like me!) to snoop behind the scenes at some of Melbourne's most innovative design studios from all disciplines. Aagggh. too. much. to. see.

(Tomorrow I'll balance things out with a short-list for the equally anticipated State of Design festival.)

Interview - Liane Rossler

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

Spicy Dinosaur dinner - how about those colours!?

Dinosaur Designs vases - more incredible colour

gorgeous gumball necklaces

A few weeks ago you may remember I wrote a little piece about the latest range from fantastic Australian company Dinosaur Designs. I have been a huge fan of Dinosaur Designs for such a long time now, so I was more than a little bit star-struck when I received an email out of the blue from Dinosaur Designs co-founder Liane Rossler thanking me for the write-up! Wow!

So... I have to admit I shamelessly seized the opportunity and asked Liane if she would be interested in doing a little interview for The Design Files... and to my (further) excitement she accepted!

Dinosaur Designs are one of my absolute favourite Australian design-based businesses for a number of reasons. Liane Rossler, Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy founded the business in 1985 after humble beginnings as art students selling their handmade creations at Sydney's markets. Their incredible path to success is well documented in Australia, and is such an inspiring story for any hopeful young designers/creatives!

One of Dinosaur Designs' many strengths is the fact that all their work is absolutely unique - handmade and hand-tinted, no two products are ever the same. The integrity of this approach is truly admirable in an industry so often consumed with mass-manufacture and cost-cutting. DD's signature style is instantly recognisable - an eclectic blend of chunky, textural shapes inspired by organic forms, combined with the most intuitive, incredible use of colour.

As a business, Dinosaur Designs strikes the perfect balance between art, craft, design, small-scale manufacture and shrewd business strategy. Their popularity never wanes, their collections are always true to the signature DD aesthetic - yet their style evolves with each new range to incorporate new materials and broad influences. Dinosaur Designs is an extraordinary company, who just go from strength to strength with each new project and collaboration they undertake.

I feel very lucky to be able to share this interview with Liane Rossler of Dinosaur Designs - Thankyou so much for your time Liane!

Images from Dinosaur Designs' latest range - 'Delicate'

Tell me a little about your background – what path led you to where you are today?

I studied painting and drawing at city art institute in Sydney (now COFA). I completed a Bachelor of visual arts degree and postgraduate degree in professional art studies. I met my 2 partners Louise Olsen and Stephen Ormandy while studying. We thought it would take time before we could support ourselves as painters, so started a stall at Paddington markets making and selling hand painted clothes. Then we introduced hand painted jewellery to compliment the range. We enjoyed making the jewellery more, and so developed the range more. We were at the markets for 18 months, and when we left art school, we moved to a little studio and started to wholesale. After a couple of years we opened our first store in the Strand Arcade, followed by one in Paddington the following year. Then one in Melbourne, and 6 years ago, one in New York. We also wholesale nationally and internationally. (more details on the Dinosaur Designs website).

Dinosaur designs has become one of the most successful and respected design-based businesses in australia. What do you think are some of the reasons for your incredible success and achievements? Did you ever expect your designs to be as popular and as well known as they are today?

Oh…thank you! I guess we had an original product to offer, and we are continually excited and inspired to design new pieces. Quality and method of production and the way we run our business are also important to us. We never really thought about how popular it would be, but still get a thrill whenever we see people wearing or using our pieces.

Dinosaur Designs seem so prolific – especially given your work is handmade and each piece is unique. You stock stores in Melbourne, Sydney and New York, and you exhibit and distribute your work all over the world. How is your workshop/studio structured to keep up with demand – do you have a large team creating the products? Do you and your partners still play a hands-on role in the design and creation of the pieces?

We design new ranges and launch them in our stores every couple of months. Because we hand make every piece, we can make new colours and produce different techniques every day. We have a total company staff of about 60, and everything is produced at our Strawberry Hills studio. Each piece is hand made with love and care. We have a great team, and it is a wonderful environment to work in. The three of us still design all the pieces and plan the concepts of the ranges. The dd team then do the production - mould making, casting, sanding and finishing.

Dinosaur Designs accessories. top image - striking glossy polished resin bangles and rings, bottom image - timber veneer bracelets and beads.

You’ve collaborated with some very well known international designers, and worked on varied projects including installations, textile and rug design and even camera and laptop designs! What’s next for Dinosaur? What would be a dream project?

It is really exciting to work on collaborations with other companies – it has been great to design pieces and have other people do the manufacturing. Designer Rugs were fantastic to work with, and we love doing the installations and other projects. My dream would be to do a hotel one day and design and make everything for it.

Dinosaur Designs rugs for Designer Rugs - left - 'Sunrise', right - 'Banana Split'

Which designers, artists or creative people are inspired by?

I love contemporary art, architecture, design, but also great thinkers in any field. Inspiration is everywhere. I always find something interesting and inspiring to listen to on ted talks (www.ted.com).

Where else do you find inspiration (travel, film, books, architecture, etc)?

I’m constantly inspired by art and nature. Just seeing how the light falls on something, or the way colours are sitting together in everyday life is constantly inspiring. I love films – especially documentaries, and ‘thoughtful’ architecture. Often the most simple things are inspiring.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

It’s pretty mixed. Design. Meetings. It is good to be open to what the day brings, because sometimes you need to be open to the opportunities can occur. You plant a lot of seeds as you go along, and sometimes they pop up.

Bangles and rings from the wood veneer range of accessories

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud to be able to have creative freedom in design and the way that we run the company.

What's the best thing about your job?

As above.

And the worst?

Love it all :)

What are you looking forward to – professionally or personally?

I’m looking forward to seeing the world become more sustainable, and seeing the mind shift move away from the economy being the most important thing.

Bangles from the Bamboo range

Sydney questions –

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

Seans Panaroma at Bondi. Perfection.

Where would we find you on a typical saturday morning?

At home doing painting or craft with the kids, or taking a walk around centennial park.

Dino Breakfast

Sydney’s best kept secret?

Mmmmmm…..that’s a tricky one. I think you can find pretty much everything here if you look for it.

Dinosaur vases. left - 'Bamboo' range, right - classic range

Amazon Love

I love AMAZON! It sends me presents all the time.

Granted, I have to pay for them... but it is a lot cheaper than buying design books in real shops here in Aus. An awful thing to say but its true. Case in point:

Jaime Hayon - Works - $185 on the shelf in Melbourne bookshops, US$63 from Amazon (around AU$75 inc. shipping)

House of Concepts: Design Academy Eindhoven - $135 on the shelf in Melbourne bookshops, US$57 from Amazon (around AU$70 including shipping)

Jaime Hayon - Works

Jaime Hayon - Works
sketches and photos of Hayon's bathroom range for ArtQuitect

Jaime Hayon - Works
double-page of Hayon's inpirations and visual stimuli

Jaime Hayon - Works
Hayon's bathroom range for ArtQuitect in the workshop

House of Concepts - Design Academy Eindhoven

House of Concepts - Design Academy Eindhoven

Fantastic designs by duo Marleen Kaptein and Stijn Roodnat - Left: paediatric clinic in Harlem, NY (which looks like it belongs in a kids cartoon) and play equipment/seating constructed from a continuous piece of fluorescent green piping hundreds of metres long. Love it!

House of Concepts - Design Academy Eindhoven
Interesting designs for public space by Marcel Schmalgemeijer - whose website is SO worth a look for more incredible event design/installations...

House of Concepts - Design Academy Eindhoven

More from food designer extraordinaire Marije Vogelzang.. yeah yeah I know I talk about her all the time. But it really is well-deserved. Her restaurant website is here. Her blog is here. Check them out.

I wholeheartedly recommend both of these fantastic books! Jaime Hayon - Works is a truly beautiful publication in every respect. The stunning indigo printed fabric cover and gold-edged pages give way to the most beautiful collection of photographs, sketchbook doodles and back-story about Hayon's incredible career to date.

House of Concepts is also an absolute treasure. The Design Academy Eindhoven has an incredible track record for producing some of Hollands most exciting and innovative designers... this book gives an insight into the workings of this most unique school, and covers work by its most impressive list of graduates including Tord Boontje, Job Smeets, Jurgen Bey, Marije Vogelzang, Christien Meindertsma, and Bertjan Pot to name only a few. Such incredible work... such inspiring people.

Bertjan Pot

Shared Space is a project Bertjan undertook with Frank Bruggerman in 2007 for Tent and Witte de With - 2 art foundations that share a space in Rotterdamn. Bertjan came up with this fantastic oversized patchwork sofa and a persian rug embellised with a simple but effective pattern created from duct-tape pieces melted into the surface of the rug... genius!

My love affair with Dutch design continues.... and again it's another graduate of the Design Academy of Eindhoven that has caught my eye. Bertjan Pot's non-random lights for Moooi would be familiar to most design lovers... but I wasn't aware of his more experimental projects... aaahh there are so many amazing installations and creations on his website! It's a truly unique way of thinking that produces designs like this...

non-random lights for Moooi

Iboedel, 2007 - images from an exhibition designed by Bertjan. A collection of items are displayed under the clear inflatable bubble... (more info about this exhibition on his website).

Carbon Cloud (2005) blurs the distinction between fine art and design - this 3-dimensional structure delicately envelopes 2 shelving units and a bed, creating a border between the real world and a sleeping place.

Old Fruits, Tops and Bottoms (2004) are simple light fittings created from particular old dried fruits (gourds? perhaps?). The inside is painted white to reflect the light, and the outside coated black. Each half is then fitted with a 25watt light globe. These were created in a limited edition and sold in pairs - so you get 2 halves of the same fruit! This simple idea ensures each product is completely unique in shape, yet uniform in style. LOVE it.

More Old Fruits (2004) - the desk lamp versions, using slightly different shaped fruits, were entitled Versatile. The image above has such personality! (more on Bertjan's website)

The Rollercoaster (2005) - amongst other materials, 135 light globes, 30m of electrical cable, and 120m of black ribbon went into this chaotic creation for a Paris shop window.

Bertjan Pot's website is well worth a look... his unique designs are truly inspiring, but also his commentary and captions are candid and really entertaining :)

There are such incredibly talented alumni coming out of The Design Academy of Eindhoven! Other favourite graduates (who I've mentioned here before) include food designer Marije Vogelzang (and her inspired 'eating design' business and restaurant - Proef) and the incredible Christien Meindertsma.

Clare Buckley

Clare Buckley is an Australian fashion stylist represented by Sydney agency RP Represents. To me her work strikes the perfect balance between kooky and classy.... I also really like that crazy puffy white skirt in the top right image - not very wearable but its a beautiful shot! Also I love the props... bowling balls? Not sure but the colours and shapes work perfectly.

There's an Alice in Wonderland feel to all this work. More on Clare Buckley's website.

Patrick Blanc in Melbourne

Hotel du Département [government headquarters] in Hauts-de-Seine, France

Marché des Halles in Avignon

In case you missed it, the incredible green-thumbed Patrick Blanc (of 'Vertical Garden' fame) is coming to Melbourne. It would be highly unlikely that anyone could have missed this actually, as his visit is getting more publicity than you'd expect if the Pope were coming to town. (Although, I for one, am waaaay more excited about Monsieur Blanc's imminent arrival than I would be about a Papal visit).

Patrick Blanc's incredible soil-less, sustainable and often permanent Vertical Gardens are famous for injecting biodiversity into built-up environments across the globe. The results are always spectacular.

We're very lucky that someone clever at the Melbourne International Design Festival (or, probably more likely, someone clever from the Melbourne Central marketing dept.) has coaxed Mr Blanc out here, and that the Melbourne CBD will host one of his incredible installations. Melbourne Central will proudly display a living, breathing vertical garden from July 17.

Also The National Design Centre is hosting a lecture with Patrick Blanc on Friday July 18 at Fed Square as part of the festival. Tickets are only $10 - so book early!

ps) There's a great article with more info on Patrick Blanc's incredible work at PingMag here. (all images here from PingMag)

Musée Du Quai Branly

'organic wallpaper' in a private home

Design Lecture Series featuring Stefan Sagmeister

Stills from the Design Lecture Series of films featuring Stefan Sagmeister at Zoom-In Online.

I just received an email from the co-producer of a great website called Zoom-In Online.... She mentioned my post a while ago about the fantastic Hillman Curtis film documenting Stefan Sagmeister's ongoing project Things I have Learnt in My Life so Far, and wrote to let me know that Zoom-In Online recently posted not one but THREE videos covering an event called 'Design Lecture Series' in San Francisco, featuring Stefan Sagmeister!

I had previously embedded one of the films here, but the audio was a little distracting, so I have removed it... however please do visit the following links to watch these little films, they really are worth a look. Here's the first film... The other 2 films can be seen here and here.

What a great find! These films offer a terrific insight into Stefan's work and his background - lots of footage of Stefan himself talking to camera, slick editing, and cute animated segments throughout that clarify the chronology of Stefan's career to date. The films are edited into perfect bite-sized chunks - just the right length to watch at work with the headphones on (shhhh!).

The more I see of Stefan Sagmeister, the more I like him. Clearly he's an incredible designer, and is famed for thinking outside the square, but also, he just seems like such a nice guy! Plus - I can't imagine a more endearing accent... (not entirely relevant to his creative output, but you know).

Zoom-In Online offer daily coverage of the latest happenings in culture, entertainment and technology through regularly published videos, podcasts and blogs... well worth a thorough browse.