Thursday, 29 November 2012

Workshopped 2012 - Moore Park Supa Centre

The Workshopped 2012 Exhibition continued on to the More Park Supa Centre to give more exposure to the public. This put the products on display in a shopping environment where people everyday come to view products in the flesh.

The Exhibit was on at Supa Centre Moore Park from the 14th November - 25th November. I didn't personally get to check out the exhibit at the centre but I think the pictures do it justice!



































Images Courtesy of :      http://www.workshopped.com.au

Tuesday, 27 November 2012

AD12 Furniture Exhibition - RMIT

Furniture will be on display from the 2012 graduates of Associate Degree in Design (Furniture). These furniture pieces show the final product of countless hours of constant design, experimentation & prototyping. 




Exhibition Information


Melbourne Central

Level 2, Lonsdale St Overpass


28th November - 3rd December




Here are some pictures of some of the furniture that will be there! 




Popper Light - Andrew Hnatojko

Perch Graffiti - Jaz Wood

The Clam Chair - Ben Brayshaw, Ben Grand and Don Abeyratne

Centre Piece - Jack Lewis and Josh Tuulakitan

Lionheart Stool - Ash Allen

Sticks and Stones - Ash Allen

 Franklin Table - Ash Allen
 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Make your own Glue - Gelatine Glue



Gelatine Based Glue


Gelatine is derived from collagen a protein substance that exists in the ligaments, tendons and tissues of mammals. “Gelatin is a purified protein, derived from the selective hydrolysis of collagen”1 Most Gelatine on the shelf is used for edible purposes such as jelly desserts, marshmallows and powdered milk. 

It is produced by boiling all the tissues, ligaments and tendons of animals. But the actual process to produce gelatine powder or sheets is lengthy. 



1  )      Pretreatment

2  )      Washing

3  )      Extraction

4  )      Purification

5  )      Drying

6  )      Grinding

7  )      Blending and quality control



The purpose of using Gelatine in this glue is that it forms the binding agent for other materials. After cooling it becomes a rubber like material. It is ‘thermo glue’ in that it can be re-heated for re-application. It is water soluble and is 100% natural.

Glycerin is an organic compound derived from either plant oils or animal fats. It is used in foods to keep them sweet and moist. Its attributes are that it is odourless and does appear as a clear liquid.

 Vinegar is used to provide some sort of resistance barrier against mold and bacteria.




Recipe : Basic gelatine glue


Ingredients 


  6          Tablespoons of Water
  4          Tablespoons of Gelatine Powder
  2          Tablespoons of White Vinegar
  2          Tablespoons of Glycerine
  2          Hand full of wood shavings



Bring the water in a pot to the boil. Turn off the heat and add the gelatine and mix until all clumps are gone. Add the white vinegar and then the glycerine and stir well. Add in Wood shavings and stir in. Allow mixture to cool.

The reason I added in wood shavings was to give the glue more rigidity and strength. I also mixed in Aluminium powder in another experiment which gave the final cured glue less elasticity and higher rigidity. For this application I am using the glue as a binding agent for the wood shavings. If you want to just use this solely as glue then don’t add in the shavings.



Powdered Gelatine, Glycerine, Aluminium Powder, White Vinegar, Wood shavings



Add in water, boil water



Turn off heat, Add Gelatine Powder



Mix in Gelatine well



Move Glue over to a Plastic tub



Here I am mixing in Wood shavings


The glue has dried, Thick  and rigid with rubber like properties.




Friday, 16 November 2012

The furniture of "Three Sides to Every Coin"

The open night for 'Three Sides to Every Coin' was abuzz and lively. During the speeches Franklin one of the teachers at RMIT said that the title of the exhibition was a great summary of what it is to be a student or rather a designer maker. In that, sometimes you just have to take risks, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And when a particular joinery method or cut doesn't work, we learn from it and improve on the next.

The work on display was a culmination of responses to specific design briefs that the students had to respond to. One brief I believe was a storage piece and the other was a culture inspired piece. Of course the brief's went into a lot more detail than I just did then! 


Thought I would show some pictures from the exhibition on this post! Enjoy!





 Sticks and Stones (Tasmanian Oak Dowel,Crumbed Rubber,Resin) - Ash Allen



 Franklin Table (16mm Pine Ply, CNC cut) - Ash Allen



 Franklin Table - Ash Allen


Lionheart Stool (1.6mm Expanded Steel Mesh)  - Ash Allen






Kudu (Fijian Mahogany) - Douglas Duvoisin



Luca (Concrete & Stainless Steel tube) - Douglas Duvoisin



(Bamboo Board, Steel Sheet) - Hamish Maggs



Mirror Chair (Reclaimed Messmate) - Hamish Maggs



Piano Stool (Fijian Mahogany) - Hugh Maloney



- Hugh Maloney



The SBR 1419 Chair & Ottoman (Recycled HDPE Board) - Joshua Bourke



- Joshua Bourke



- Marianne New



Gymea Day Spay Stool (Camphor) - Marianne New



Gymea Day Spay Stool - Marianne New



Rebirth (Blackwood from Kinglake, Victoria)- Mick Dierer



Walnut Sideboard - Nathan McMahon



Beech Chair (European Beech) - Nathan McMahon



- Sunbum Jin



Fan Storage - Sunbum Jin



Also this will be the last group of students to go through the Diploma of Furniture Design & Technology at RMIT. As the course has been disposed off. It is a shame, this just means more skills and jobs in manufacturing going overseas......again.






The Exhibition was held at - Off the Kerb Gallery


Very cool space to exhibit and show off your work. They are now calling for artist applications for May - August 2013. Get on Board!

Monday, 12 November 2012

'Three Sides to Every Coin' - Furniture Final Year Exhibition






" 'Three Sides to Every Coin' is the culmination of RMIT's final year students work in Diploma of Furniture Design & Technology throughout 2012. The works are a showcase of the talents and skills the students have acquired over the journey and demonstrates how all the angles of design have been approached and resolved and as such demonstrate the 'three sides of every design'. The works explore two major briefs given during the year, one representing an approach to a culturally influence piece and the second based on a designer-client relationship and formulating a brief to the clients specifications. Both briefs have yielded some spectacular results from the future of Australia's furniture designers/makers. "




This year is the last group students to successfully graduate from the Diploma of Furniture Design & Technology at RMIT. There will only be the Associate degree of Furniture design from now on. As they have discontinued the course. So go support these students!  




Friday, 9 November 2012

Powerlab - Irregular Forms - Dale Hardiman










Dale will be at the Powerlab in Brisbane this week producing his work from Irregular forms. I previously posted a story on his exhibition in Bendigo, Victoria.  Which was on from the 24th - 30th of September. So he is backing this up in Brisbane. If your around go check his work out!





Powerlab is a series of artist residencies at Brisbane Powerhouse focusing on the development of new ideas, experimentations of form and performance work.

Powerlab supports and fosters leading creative minds in project based developments with visible outcomes.

Powerlab aims to bring energy of the sector to Brisbane Powerhouse, providing Brisbane Powerhouse with a strong connection with new art, new artists and new ideas.



Powerlab is the Brisbane version in some ways of the Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. In that Designers and artists go there to show their process, ideas and work to the public.





The powerlab

 

Dale set up for Irregular forms
 



Some of his work!




The Designers of Workshopped 2012







The Crew of Workshopped 2012 - These are the people (including myself) behind all the exquisite work exhibited!







Before the open night we all gathered around for a group photo, great diverse group of people. I had a chance to talk to quite a lot of the designers that participated in the exhibition. Very interesting to find out how they go about their design process and also where they were at in their careers.

Although I didn't stay for too long on the open night as I had to fly back to Melbourne that night. Which was a shame, as I would have loved to have stayed longer. But hey when you have uni exams, you just got to get them over and done with.