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indie art & design blog
bilingual en route
Instinct interlocking sterling silver ring set - Indie giveaway prize by Sydney jewellery designer Bilingual
Continuing on from our last post on Bilingual, the "Instinct Ring" giveaway poll is heating up... At the moment, 65% of indies would share the ring set with someone special, while 35% would wear the rings interlocked as a single piece. Vote now (top left of this page) & let us know how you'd wear them, and enter the draw to win this beautiful prize worth AUD $350!
Via Ljubljana sterling silver pendant/brooch by Sydney jewellery designer Bilingual
Bilingual's current collection is titled "Stopover" and comprises unique reversible brooch/necklace hybrids that can attach to the wearer's clothing and "stop over" at a position of the individual's choosing. The four designs, "Via Barcelona", "Via Berlin", "Via Messina" and "Via Ljubljana", are inspired by the means of travel in these cities.
Via Barcelona sterling silver pendant/brooch by Sydney jewellery designer Bilingual
It was a 3 month sojourn in Europe that inspired Marta Niegowska to design the "Stopover" collection. On the road for those months, travelling from country to country, from town to town, the designer decided to create pieces that not only reflected her travels but also the notion of travelling itself. Barcelona just happens to be one of the top destinations on my travel wish list... I'm not sure if this is influencing my opinion, but I think "Via Barcelona" (pictured above) might be my favourite.
Via Messina sterling silver pendant/brooch by Sydney jewellery designer Bilingual
The sterling silver pieces can be worn on varying lengths of chain, draped over the body or sitting high on the collar bone. Bilingual is a label based on concepts that challenge wearers to think outside of the normal jewellery realm, and "Stopover" succeeds both in concept and function. Designer Marta Niegowska gives each pieces a clean matt finish, and the overall effect is subtle & refined.
Via Berlin sterling silver pendant/brooch by Sydney jewellery designer Bilingual
Check back soon for the next instalment of the Bilingual story. The "Instinct Ring" giveaway winner will be announced in early October, and we'll also reveal designs from the next Bilingual collection - this time in the form of ring/pendant hybrids!
An exhibition on the 16th of October at Gaffa Gallery (Sydney) will celebrate the launch of the new range. While currently stocked in selected boutiques nationally and online, Bilingual is set to expand into New Zealand, with a view to international markets such as Japan, NY & Europe.
version 1 opens friday
Sydney-based artist & designer Claire Suzy Stannard's first solo exhibition, 'Version 1', is opening at Gallery Adagio (Glebe) in this Friday evening. As we're proudly sponsoring the show, we thought we should fill you in about Claire's inspirations, motivations & processes - so we asked here a few questions...
I 1. What led you down the path of art & design?
CSS One of the main aspects I find fascinating is the physical constraints that designing involves. It leads to a process of constant problem solving... ...dealing with the immovable laws of physics, while simultaneously trying to mesh them with a concept that is engaging and aesthetically pleasing (the art component).It promotes a mental nimbleness, taking set factors & constantly reconfiguring them.
So to put it simply it could be about the quest of the perfect (but unobtainable) solution... utilising left and right brain!
I 2. Who are your favourite artists/designers & how have they inspired your current work?
CSS In 1919 Johannes Itten wrote the first basic course for the Bauhaus in Germany. He attempted to strip back all the superfluous flourishes that became popular styles with artisans. Simple explorations in the theory of colour, forms & materials amongst other areas encouraged students to start their work from a position of honesty & integrity, and had the added benefit of producing really original, varied works. To look at it now it is incredibly contemporary. He was an original thinker.
Andy Goldsworthy does amazing, in situ works. Using mainly natural materials he creates patterns & structures that seem to defy the laws of nature. They are painstakingly constructed only to be destroyed by the elements a short time later. Itten & Goldsworthy's work are linked by their seemingly simple approach & beauty, but are beguilingly complex. In my own work I am attempting to achieve this balance.
I 3. With their striking composition & perspective, your wall pieces seem to move between 2D and 3D space – did you begin making two-dimensional art and move into sculpture, or are you a sculptor who sees the hanging space on gallery walls as another location to explore?
CSS 3D work is my real interest, due to the challenging nature of it, but I don’t think I’ve ever consciously distinguished the difference. I just make. The impossible perspective pieces in particular are about having fun by teasing the eye & attempting to trick the brain.
I 4. What are your favourite materials to work with & why?
CSS As I like working quickly I look for materials that are easy to manipulate so that my ideas can take form rapidly for which wood is ideal. Plus its sensuous grain, tactile nature & smell are beautiful.
I 5. How do you balance your time between your art practice & commercial jewellery design?
CSS I'm pretty unorganized so I do a 6 month plan for the jewellery business (new products, marketing etc) & implement it depending on its urgency 2-5 days per week.
The art is left to develop & follow its own course in the remaining time.
I 6. In what direction do you plan to take your art in the future?
CSS I imagine that it will become more reductionist as I go along… the eternal quest for truth & beauty...but we'll see how the exhibition goes!
'Version 1' opens on Friday 19th September, from 6pm - 9pm & continues until 6th October at:
Gallery Adagio
91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, NSW, 2009.
ph. 02 9552 2833
Hope to see some of you there!
perth upmarket today!
The first Perth Upmarket is on TODAY from 12pm - 5pm, so if you're an indie living in Perth, get down there quick!! You certainly don't want to miss out on over 50 labels displaying their wares!
We introduced you to Perth Upmarket back in early August, and some fantastic labels have jumped on board since then. For the full list, visit Perth Upmarket's retailers including the lovely labels pictured here... MAC Flameworked Beads, Jasmin Jones Jewellery, Bellymoo, Margie Oldfield, Hemd, Stuffaduck + many more.
Perth Upmarket is on today: Sunday 14 September 2008 from 12-5pm at the Perth Town Hall, cnr Barrack Street and Hay St Perth. Excitingly, it will become a quarterly event, so Perth indies will never have too long to wait for their favourite designers to emerge into the publich realm again!
fresh green fashion
Peppermint Magazine has launched!! The first issue is FREE and is spilling over with absolutely gorgeous images, products & environmentally-conscious labels from Australia, New Zealand and around the world. Collect your copy from one of the following stockists, or if that's a little too far to travel, hop to www.peppermintmag.com and you can order a copy to be posted specially to you for just AUD $3.50 (+$2.45 p&p).
Peppermint Magazine Stockists
BRISBANE: Bliss Ecowear (15 LaTrobe Terrace, Paddington), Retro Metro (297 Given Terrace, Paddington), Blue Lotus Cafe (Shop 16, Kelvin Grove Urban Village), Lyssy May (676 Wynnum Rd, Morningside), Kropp Organic Hair Salon (112 Bennetts Rd, Morningside), Box Vintage (29 Vulture St, West End), The Region (Boundary St, West End), One Colour (West End Flea Markets)
GOLD COAST: Inverse (21C James St, Burleigh Heads)
MELBOURNE: Bird Girl (155 Brunswick St, Fitzroy), Meet Me At Mikes (63 Brunswick St, Fitzroy), Thread Den (Level 1/16 Errol St, North Melbourne), Sankofa (3/245 Adderley St, West Melbourne)
ONLINE: www.ecodepot.com.au, www.ibutrade.com.au
Here's a sneak peek into Issue 1! The Peppermint Magazine Limelight Pages (the first of which are pictured above) display a Show & Tell of eco fashion & accessories. Loads of intriguing & unique labels including Bowerbird Vintage, Lyssy May and Thea & Sami just to name a few...
In "Skin and Threads", Peppermint Magazine takes a look behind the scenes at a local label which is taking steps towards a more sustainable future in style. Skin and Threads use only natural & organic fibres in their effortly chic designs, but surprisingly they found an initial resistance among boutiques to take on an eco-label. "There was a general perception that eco-friendly couldn't be fashionable" explains Penelope Cohen), who together with Emma Gathercole forms the duo behind Skin and Threads. How things have changed!
I love the Bamboo Fish t-shirt (AUD $114) featured on the Global Guy page. It is made by Pure Pod, a sustainable fashion label based in Mullumbimby in northern NSW. The Car Upholstery Wallets (AUD $45 each) look pretty cool too - these are from Nearly Roadkill.
The photography for the La Vie En Rose feature is beautiful! Garden greens with floral highlights & delicate, feminine fashion...
The first half of our recent Lark interview is also in print! (Click here to read the interview in full.) The wonderfully crafty Allison (who brought Lark with her when she moved here from the UK) has given us a wonderful insight to the workings of a successful handmade label. From her inspirations & obsessions, to co-ordinating the making of selected product lines by fair trade workers in India, and adults with disabilities through local organisation Windarring...
Watermelon hand-knitted fruit rattle by Lark - AUD $14.95 (incl. GST) from indie art & design store.
Lark products in store!
We've also stocked the indie store shelves with an array of Lark handmade products - colourful knitted fruit & veggie rattles, knitted doughnuts & sweet treats, and gorgeous vintage storybook mirrors & magnets! The Lark lineup is very reasonably priced & would make such original & personal gifts for a new arrival or new mum, or anyone who has a soft spot for the stories of their childhood! We also have a few copies of Peppermint Magazine to give away, so the first three indies who purchase from our Lark product selection will also receive a copy of Issue 1 of this minty fresh mag!
design discovery
Bridget Bodenham, Crackers, 2008, unglazed, sculpted, cut and pierced high fired stoneware clay.
The Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award Exhibition 2008 showcases some of Australia's most exciting, outward-looking and globally focussed
design. Recognised as the most prestigious award in Australian design, the show opens tomorrow at Object Gallery in Surry Hills (Sydney) and continues until 2.11.2008. There are 10 finalists, and we're giving you a sneak peak of just four of the works here - I don't want to spoil the surprise for those of you who can make it in person! (Each designer is represented by their Award entry as well as other designs from their broader body of work.)
Pictured above is "Nutcrackers" by Bridget Bodenham. These forms are directly influenced by the movement of grinding, cracking and crushing. They refer to the prehistoric or early food gathering cultures where food preparation was a physical act deeply connected to the environment and fundamental to the wellbeing of society. Bridget developed the forms through an intuitive play approach to weight, shape & surface texture. I particularly love the warm, muted earth colours and surface design!
John Hoogendoorn, Aurora Lamp, 2008, opal acrylic.
John Hoogendoorn's "Aurora Lamp" (pictured above) explores ideas in strengthening the emotional bond between objects and the user. It is made from acrylic layers representing the letter 'J'. Each part is twisted in relation to its neighbour to allow a complex 3D form to materialize from simple two dimensional components.
Trent Jansen, Kissing Pendants, 2008, pressed aluminium, CAD drawing.
The design of Trent Jansen's "Kissing Pendants" (above) is so simple - and brilliant! I would love to have these guys illuminating my personal space. The Kissing Pendants were designed as a sustainable piece of lighting, aiming to be involved in a lasting personal relationship with their owner, fostered by the human characteristics that this piece possesses. The pendants are an expression of the intimacy that exists between two people when they kiss. When the lights are off, the two shades hand separately, side by side, but when pushed together are held by a magnetic attraction. A magnetic reed switch then turns the lights on simultaneously.
Christina Waterson, Plexa Module, 2007, stainless steel.
"Plexa#1" (above) is Christina Waterson's series of interlocking modules that allow the individual to experiment, reinvent and personalise their surroundings. As modules are interlocked, the natural geometries that stem from material properties create elusive forms and surfaces. Plexa#1 is designed to use the otherwise useless strips leftover from industrial sheet processes and cutting.
If you live in Sydney, do get along - admission & inspiration are free! The Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award Exhibition 2008 is on at Object Gallery from 6.9.2008 to 2.11.2008. (St Margarets 417 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010. T. 02 9361 4511)