Tabla de contenidos para Issue 66 March 2019 en Artichoke

At the time of writing, I’ve just returned from Business of Design Week (BODW) in Hong Kong, Asia’s most important design conference. For this year’s BODW, Melbourne was the partner city and more than one hundred Victorian designs – across architecture, interiors, industrial design, furniture, fashion, technology and more – were on show to a global audience inside the purpose-built Melbourne Pavilion. In addition, more than twenty Melbourne designers and creatives spoke at the three-day summit. The Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria, who officially opened the Melbourne Pavilion, said it was the biggest international showcase of Melbourne design ever staged. Whether it was listening to Rob Adams AM from City of Melbourne speak about dedicating thirty-five years to the “urban choreography” process of transforming Melbourne from a city…

Adamas wall light by Savage Design The Adamas wall light by Savage Design is machined from solid brass or stainless steel. With its warm precious metal creating a feature point on the wall, Adamas works effectively as a single light, or it can be lined up in numbers down a hallway for extra impact. The distinctive knurled pattern on the exterior of the light gives it its name, Adamas, which comes from the ancient Greek word for “diamond.” Savage Design — savagedesign.com.au Blackbook Executive by Jane Holmes ID Jane Holmes ID has designed a “corporate but playful” office for recruitment company Blackbook Executive in Melbourne’s South Yarra. A monochromatic palette of dark charcoal, marble and warm timber tones has been used to create a sophisticated mood throughout. Bold…

“The kitchen floats above the service counter, and the yellow glass box with the golden arches also serves as signage. Like a glowing beacon, it resolves visibility issues in a space that is busy, loud and visually noisy.” When the McDonald brothers opened their new drive-in in San Bernardino in 1948, it was a revolution in food service that ushered in a new era of fast-food automation. The McDonalds rationalized the commercial kitchen, streamlined processes and invented implements and equipment, replacing traditional food preparation techniques with assembly line procedures. And all of it was visible through the counter-to-ceiling glass window that wrapped the octagonal building. Dubbed the “fishbowl,” the kitchen captivated customers and the food preparation system became an attraction in itself. The kitchen is also the star attraction at…

For the first time in the more than 150-year history of the National Gallery of Victoria, contemporary interior design was the focus of a major exhibition in its Ian Potter Centre. The exhibition brought together ten interior design practices, who were invited to create a forty-square-metre purpose-built room as an entry to the Rigg Design Prize, which is awarded triennially. Themed “domestic living,” the participants’ responses offered diverse perspectives on ways of occupying and expressing residential spaces. Melbourne-based practice Hecker Guthrie was awarded the $30,000 prize for its installation titled The table is the base. The design, which celebrates the ubiquitous table, is the epitome of a highly analytical, reductive and abstractive approach to design practice. The entire installation is made from just two elements, the Parsons table, originally designed…

The catchcry “convenience is king” reflects an impulsive and instantaneous attitude to consumption. When almost anything can be bought without leaving home, it seems bricks and mortar retail could someday be a thing of the past. Musing over how technology has changed the way we shop, Cassie Hansen, Artichoke editor, opened the recent Sydney session of Artichoke Night School with a loaded question: “The future of retail – what’s in store?” Reflecting on a philosophical shift, Rebecca Burk, national head of retail design account management with Scentre Group, described the way large shopping centres are gradually being repositioned as egalitarian public spaces. Presenting Westfield in Chermside, a fast-expanding Brisbane suburb, Burk explained that shopping centres are increasingly being designed to suit specific climatic conditions and to respond to the nuanced…

The Artichoke Magazine Prize for design communication is awarded to one graduating student from each of the institutions in Australia and New Zealand that offers interior design/interior architecture degree courses, and which are members of the Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association (IDEA). Each institution’s prize-winning student is selected by its school head. IDEA — idea-edu.com 1 — Denny Lee of University of Tasmania The Fieldnote Hotel is designed to target explorers who enjoy the Tasmanian wilderness. Indoor rock climbing and various other facilities are available for the exploring tourist. The interior is light-filled with existing voids remnant of the building’s previous uses and some rooms are designed to offer “camping” experiences. The Wildloft is designed as an explorer may wander into a cave, moving downward to explore the…

In the last issue of Artichoke I wrote about the value of design, arguing that we need to shift our thinking about how it is communicated and understood, especially given the shifts in our own approaches – designers don’t just use design in order to make “stuff,” we use design to make stuff happen. (Well, I’m pleased to say some “stuff” certainly happened in response to that comment!) Since its publication, many of you have been in touch, sharing how this simple statement made a personal impact, offering a moment of validation that you’re on the right path, that what you do is recognized and that it matters. Of course, this is all very gratifying for the ego, but more importantly it gave me renewed inspiration. And so with the…

“Who said sequels suck?” This is Flack Studio’s bold declaration about Caravan II, the second in a series of cafes and bakeries recently opened by husband-and-wife team Adam Kane and Jessica Chung in Seoul, South Korea, all designed by Flack Studio. The task of creating a sequel is often weighty, a tricky balancing act of capturing and continuing the essence and charm that made its predecessor such a success while bringing something surprising and fresh to the table. This was understandably at the forefront of Flack Studio founding director David Flack’s mind when approaching the design of Caravan II, especially as the brand and identity of the franchise is intimately linked to the personal history and stories of the owners. The name Caravan was inspired by the memories both Chung,…

New Ink Series by Luke David Designs Inspired by urban graffiti and calligraphy, New Ink Series is a new work by Melbourne lighting design specialist and artist Luke David. It comprises a series of “linear gestures” that create dynamic lighting solutions for contemporary spaces. These lines of light are formed from sleek LEDs that “cut through the heart” of pieces of reclaimed timber. Luke David has a background in carpentry and his designs are influenced by the Victorian bush. Luke David Designs — lukedaviddesigns.com Firecracker HQ2 by Setsquare Studio Setsquare Studio has transformed a 450-square-metre mechanic warehouse in Northcote, Melbourne into a vibrant studio and kitchen space for events company Firecracker Event. The design of Firecracker HQ2 uses the existing forms of the site and injects splashes of…

Some special alchemy can emerge when a successful and thriving architecture firm has a crack at designing their own offices, particularly when a change of venue occurs at the end of a long tenure in a previous location. A certain amount of self reflection – otherwise known as constructive designer navel-gazing – can occur as the business considers its prospects and attempts to balance the current needs against the potential for future growth. Techne Architecture and Interior Design has been in the business for many years and understands its market thoroughly. The team knows what it does and knows what it does well, and indeed they do it very well by all accounts – with a long list of repeat clients testifying to a high degree of client satisfaction. Working…

Design has historically included some people while excluding others. The invisibility of women in design mirrors women’s struggle for visibility in society more broadly. We know that the effort required to surface women’s contributions is a long and important project. We also know that there is enormous appetite to address gender imbalance in the creative arts. The exhibition Designing Women at the National Gallery of Victoria draws on the gallery’s developing collection of design artefacts produced by women. Spanning a timeframe from 1980 to present, the exhibition pulls together an important and fascinating collection of women’s contributions. It gives presence to the recent and important push by Simone LeAmon (Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture) to acquire more works by women designers. Grouped neatly into four key themes,…

Kate Ballis is a Melbourne-based artist who travels the globe photographing otherworldly landscapes and subjects. She is intrigued by the concept of making the unseen seen. Her book Infra Realism, published by Manuscript Publishing, was launched in Australia in November. Techne Studio (page 94) Marcus Baumgart is a designer and writer, and a founding director of Baumgart Clark Architects with long-time collaborator John A. Clark. You can read about their adventures at www.help.design. Techne Studio (page 94) Claire Beale is the National President of the DIA. She is a Melbourne-based textile designer, design educator and programs manager of the Bachelor of Arts (Textile Design) and Bachelor of Textiles (Design) (Hons) degree programs in the School of Fashion and Textiles at RMIT University. Comment (page 12) Rachael Bernstone is a writer…

Sway lamp from Made By Pen Amy Sellick and Susan Chung from Made By Pen brought Australian design to the French at Maison&Objet. Among the products on show was the Sway lamp by Nick Rennie – a floor lamp that is untethered to a power cord enabling it to move around the house, outdoors or office. It’s got a lovely gentle sway, a soft casing to the light itself so that it won’t be damaged if knocked against a wall, and five dimmable light settings accessed by a flick of the stem. Made By Pen — madebypen.com Apollo 59 lamp by Pholc Apollo is a graphic lamp with mid-century sensibilities. The lamp features a conical-shaped shade that balances on top of a slim cylinder, creating both a dynamic…

Locura by Pattern Studio The design for Locura, a new bar in Byron Bay from hospitality group Three Blue Ducks, is defined by the use of tactile materials in a largely undecorated space. Given a brief to create a contemporary interpretation of a “Mexican restaurant in Australia,” Pattern Studio sought to echo the humble character and raw beauty of small, late-night venues found across Mexico City. The material palette embraces concrete, grey brick and mild steel. Photography — Ben Hosking Pattern Studio — patternstudio.net Ross Gardam studio by Antony Martin In what was once a ground-floor gallery, Antony Martin has designed a shared home for lighting design studio Ross Gardam and his own practice MRTN Architects that neatly divides the office, meeting and workshop areas. A large shopfront…

Wandering the streets of Chippendale, it would be very easy to pass by the facade of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer’s (TZG) latest interior project without giving the building a second glance. A handsome early-twentieth-century brick factory, like so many found within the old industrial neighbourhoods of Sydney, its perfunctory street presence doesn’t give much away of what lies behind the steel and glass portal. The 75 Myrtle Street project is no ordinary warehouse conversion. It is in fact, quite exceptional. It was not conceived as a speculative development project, nor for a tech or design start-up. The client, Judith Neilson, art collector, philanthropist, business woman and architectural patron, chose to expand her investment in the rejuvenation of Chippendale by commissioning TZG to create an administrative headquarters for her diverse suite of…