Any collaboration involving the talented NZ designer Rebecca Dowie of Douglas and Bec is worth checking out, so when I received an email recently with news of an upcoming exhibition at BLOC that Rebecca was involved in alongside AUT University, I immediately sat up and took note. With the launch date now just around the corner, this is one you must mark on your calendar!
The exhibition, Material Matter, will run from the 18th of July until the 3rd of August, and will showcase the work of AUT University second year product design students. While aiming to "disrupt the traditional uses of natural materials like wood, metal and fibres", to design a functional design product, they were very lucky to be monitored by Rebecca, who says “I encouraged the designers to push their concepts and their materials further and further. Good design is not about complacency or competency. It is about going against the grain, pushing a concept beyond the bounds of reality. The beautiful and deceptively simply pieces in this exhibition are the result of imagination, experimentation and determination.”
In an age of mass production, I love how that this exhibition focuses on handmade objects made from natural materials. Looking through the 20 design objects that will be exhibited, it's exciting to get a taste of the up and coming design talent here in NZ. What's wonderful is that this collaboration gives students the chance to put their work into the public eye, in the surrounds of a beautiful local design store.
Nessl: ceramic and hardwood nesting jars by Meliza Deocales
Reflect: cypress macrocarpa play on a mirror by Antonio Wan
Awards for the best overall design, designs with commercial potential and people’s choice design will be announced at the exhibition opening on the 18th of July.
To check out all the designs, and to vote for the people's choice award pop over here.