DESIGN Canberra: we profile four young designers

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DESIGN Canberra: we profile four young designers

By Karen Hardy

Design is in Canberra's DNA.

From the time of Walter and Marion Griffin's visionary design a century ago, to iconic experimental modernist architecture of the 1950s and 60s, through to contemporary and sustainable design developments today, Canberra has been – and will always be – a living design laboratory.

Christina Bricknell, Alison Jackson, Tom Skeehan, and Zoe Brand.

Christina Bricknell, Alison Jackson, Tom Skeehan, and Zoe Brand. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

From November 6-26, DESIGN Canberra showcases the best the ACT has to offer across all design disciplines.

designcanberrafestival.com.au

Alison Jackson designs and makes jewellery, tableware and metal objects.

Alison Jackson designs and makes jewellery, tableware and metal objects.Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Alison Jackson, 31

What I do

I design and handcraft jewellery, tableware and metal objects.

Why I do it

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Because I love it. I've always made things with my hands and I hope I always will. It's part of who I am, I don't distinguish between "work" and "life", it's all one and the same to me.

I first started designing because ...

I don't remember "designing" as such, but I've always tinkered and made things with my hands. I started making things as a young kid. I think it is something I was always drawn too, it was never a conscious decision to start.

The first thing I ever made was ...

My Dad helped me make a wooden trolley to wheel my teddy bear around after me

The best thing about working out of Canberra is ...

The supportive creative community, it's something to be cherished.

What's the one thing you wish you had designed ...

Nothing. I'm content working on my own projects, designs and exploring things that are meaningful to me.

Why are we talking about "hand made" again in 2017 ...

Why wouldn't we be? Canberra is full of an amazing array of creatives, you just need to look beneath the surface.

alisonjackson.com.au

facebook.com/alisonjackson.studio

instagram.com/alisonjackson.studio

Zoe Brand is an artist, jeweller and truffle hunter.

Zoe Brand is an artist, jeweller and truffle hunter. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Zoe Brand, 33

What I do

I'm an artist, jeweller and truffle hunter.

Why I do it

I make because I believe it's good to be able to view world from multiple perspectives, my work often shows the humorous side to the banality of life and takes square aim at our mundane everyday language (and being a truffle hunter just makes me infinitely more interesting).

I first started designing because …

I didn't want to spend the rest of my life behind the counter of a pen shop selling very expensive writing instruments.

The first thing I ever made was …

A brooch out of a house key and some rusty wire, I think my mum still has it.

The best thing about working out of Canberra is …

The space. There is space to breath and space to make. There is also space for exhibiting, collaborating and for community to grow. It's pretty special, and there isn't any traffic.

What's the one thing you wish you had designed?

Nothing I can think of however, a key influence in my practice is an iconic piece of contemporary jewellery by the Swiss avant-gardist Otto Künzli. Der rote Punkt or The Red Dot from 1980 is a readymade, glossy red, metal thumbtack (drawing pin), with a round black rubber pin stopper. I love that a humble ubiquitous object, now as jewellery has obtained a cult like status.

Why are we talking about "hand made" again in 2017?

Why should we stop talking about the handmade? There is something in the handmade that you just don't get with mass produced objects. In fact most of my work looks as if it could come off the production line, but the reward is in the real. Once you have the piece in front of you, you start to see that it's not quite right, that something is a little off and that's I find where some of the interest and desirability of a piece lies.

zoebrand.work

instagram.com/zbrandbrand/

Christina Bricknell designs and makes furniture.

Christina Bricknell designs and makes furniture. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Christina Bricknell, 23

What I do

I design and make furniture

Why I do it

I always wanted to pursue a career in design but there are so many avenues within our industry to choose from it is easy to get lost. I kind of fell into furniture design as my degree wasn't a traditional industrial design degree but more specific and heavily focused on the construction of furniture and even more particularly wood, teaching us how to craft fine furniture and learning joinery techniques.

I first started designing because ...

Originally I wasn't as interested as most of the other guys in the furniture department because I didn't really know much about wood as a material, but towards the end of my second year of university I started appreciating it more, understanding the craft and thus design of furniture. I am so lucky to be able to create a career out of something I love so much. Now I am looking more into the design process and using different materials and seeing where that will take me.

The first thing I ever made was …

I can't remember what the first thing I made was, and I don't think any of my early works are indicative to what I am doing now.

The best thing about working out of Canberra is …

There is such am amazing creative community with many different specialised crafts and so much access to different people doing an amazing variety of things. I am not originally from Canberra but found it easy to meet people in my field, and am now very grateful to be apart of the design scene in Canberra with great access to such work with people from different disciplines and having so much support behind our practices.

What's the one thing you wish you had designed …

There is nothing I wish I had designed, I'm still young and have all the time to do what I want to design later. Also nothing is ever designed once, products are constantly being updated and there are different versions of everything, think about how many chairs are on the market right now.

Why are we talking about "hand-made" again in 2017 …

I guess the idea of hand-made is making a resurgence because people are again becoming more interested in locally produced products, supporting Australian designers and the small batch manufacturing as well as the story behind what they are buying. We are not only buying objects purely for the functionality and aesthetics of the object but also what that piece represents.

christinabricknell.com

@christinabricknell

Tom Skeehan designs and makes furniture.

Tom Skeehan designs and makes furniture. Credit: Sitthixay Ditthavong

Tom Skeehan, 29

What I do

I'm the director of a furniture, lighting and product design studio here in Canberra.

Why I do it

Because I love it. It was a natural place for me to end up.

I first started designing because …

My family were very supportive of me perusing a career that I was passionate about. I have been involved in art and design from a young age and it grew into me formally studying industrial design.

The first thing I ever made …

I remember making wooden toys with my father, I was about five. He is a well respected craftsperson and carpenter and I would spend alot of time in his workshop.

The best thing about working out of Canberra is …

The great community support here. When I first started out the local community gave me a chance to show my products and that was a launch pad to work with larger brands. I've been very fortunate to travel and exhibit around the world with my work but i still love coming home to Canberra. Its a great place to call home.

What's the one thing you wish you had designed …

Naoto Fukasawa's Hiroshima chair. It's a beautifully engineered chair, a commercial piece with a great design aesthetic.

Why are we talking about "hand made" again in 2017 ...

I've always been talking about it. I think people are starting to invest in the story of a product and where it came from. My studio wouldn't exist without the support from some amazing Australian manufactures and its great to see the public appreciating it.

skeehan.com.au/

instagram.com/skeehanstudio/

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