http://www.woodreview.com.au 63DESIGNT
he theme ‘tools for design’ has
given me the opportunity to
think on how I design and make.
I’ve brought it down to five areas
that influence me. These basically
look at designing with and without
restrictions, the way my work
evolves, the people I work with and
the ethos I try to maintain.
- The blank canvas
Exhibitions: the freedoms,
challenges and rewards. Exhibition
work is great, when I was starting out
I remember being so honoured and at
the same time completely intimidated
when I was invited to be part of a
small local exhibition.
The freedom to design without a
client in mind, or a budget, brief or
material even sounds like a gift. It
certainly gives you the opportunity to
experiment with new ideas that may
or may not work out, and sometimes
it’s good to allow yourself the freedom
to play.
One of my favourite pieces which I’ve
been making for 20 years is the Barcode
Screen. This was imagined while on
holiday, somewhere between staring
at the barcode on a cereal packet and
watching the light play as you drive past
timber plantations and stands of gum
trees. An invitation to exhibit meant that
I could make these ideas a reality, take
time to nut out the practicalities and see
if it would literally stand up.
Exhibitions are great for creativity,
publicity, engagement and connection
to community and sometimes if you’re
really lucky there’s even prize money.
- Please fence me in
Boundaries. Having just waxed lyrical
about the wonderful freedoms that
exhibition work affords, I have to admit
that I actually prefer some boundaries.When I was doing my education
degree I came across a study that
was trying to understand creative
thinking, and work out if it was
possible to teach creativity.A bunch of kids were divided into
two groups. One group was given an
unlimited supply of Lego of all the
colours, shapes and over-engineered
little components. They told these kids
to build something really amazing.
They had all the time they needed
to do this. No boundaries, no rules,
just go. The other group was given an
unlimited supply of white blocks only.Presumably you can guess what
happened. The kids with limitations
blew the others out of the water when
it came to designing and building
something creative.Boundaries for us can be budget,
time, materials and function.Main: Laura McCusker with
the Barcode Screen she
designed 20 years ago and
still makes to order.
Photo: Peter Howard
Above: The I-Beam
Bench was designed for
the Tasmanian Museum
and Art Gallery’s need for
public seating with a brief
to reference the industrial
history of the old Bond Store
building. Winner of Clarence
City Prize for Excellence in
Furniture Design, 2013.
Photo: Peter Howard