LIFE LIFE STYLE: January 2009

Introducing... Nina Still of Puka Puka

For our second interview of the year, CLOG is proud to feature the lovely Ms. Nina Still, bringer of smiles and maker of Puka Puka mobiles. Nina originally began her career in architecture, before moving on to jewellery and then moving on again to create her wonderfully interactive and kinetic mobiles under her label, Puka Puka which is a Japanese term that translates to 'an object gently floating in space'

Using materials like plywood and polypropylene, Nina is inspired by the environment and she draws upon forms like sea sponges, leaves and koi fish. Each mobile is lovingly handcrafted in Nina's home in Putney, NSW and are captivating to both adults and children (yours truly can testify to that!)

Leaves mobile, polypropylene

Which came first: architecture or jewellery?
When I was growing up I always wanted be an artist, then I got interested in studying Architecture which was very stimulating at University and I got to play around with of ideas and different materials. After working in Architecture here and overseas, and also doing lots of night courses in Jewellery and art, I realised I needed a career that involved actually making things physically, not some abstract object on a computer! I love being connected with materials, using your hands and creating something in a few hours not in 5 years time! So I started studying jewellery and later spent a few weeks in the studio of Warwick Freeman in New Zealand, to see how a master works! I love jewellers’ studios, so many tools and amazing materials.

With your academic background, it would have been easy to sink into a career as an architect or jeweller. What inspired you to make mobiles and to launch Puka Puka?
I wasn’t personally satisfied with just being an Architect, and Jewellery can be sometimes limiting with the scale, whereas with mobiles they involve all my favourite things- detail, shadows, light, colour and form and they can be made in any scale! I saw that there was a gap in the market for modern Australian handmade mobiles and homewares, and Puka Puka was born.

Tell us a bit about the materials (old and new) you use... what was the first mobile made of?
One of the first mobiles I made was made from acrylic and pearl shell (This was after seeing Warwick Freeman), it was pretty large! I have since moved to lighter materials such as Polypropylene which is translucent and moves with the slightest breeze. I have been making some new mobiles from plywood, which is great as it allows me freedom to add paint, pierce and sand.

Apart from the Puka Puka, what else do you make or busy yourself with?
I’m always thinking of new projects, sketching, renovating our ancient house, playing with my 2 children, and dreaming of buying a laser cutter!

Your work has travelled to the bedrooms of so many little kids around the world. Have you ever received any far flung requests/commissions to far flung places?
Most of my mobiles seem to gravitate to Brookyln, NY. I have done several large scale custom mobiles for clients in NYC, and mobiles seem to be very popular there. I guess most people live in apartments there and my mobiles provide a link back to the landscape.

What are your favourite things to do in your suburb of Putney, NSW?
Hang out in my veggie patch, listen to the birds, walk along the river. There is a fantastic Italian cafe here called Dolcini which serves delightful fresh warm ricotta cakes...

And finally, what's the best piece of advice someone has ever told you?
An architect once told me it important to ‘get your hands dirty’ – use your hands, get involved! I guess it’s also pretty important to find out what you really love doing and try to do it well!

The sea sponge that inspired the mobile below

Sponge mobile, handmade from Australian plantation plywood

For more images and to learn more about Nina, visit her blog or her website... or why not visit both!

Craft Hatch in January

We had our third craft hatch market on Saturday 24 Jan, and once again talent filled the City Library gallery and seminar rooms. With some help from an article in The Age lift out A2, we were bombarded with Melbournians and Visitors looking to find some craft treasures. If you missed out this time, the next one is on February 14th.

Amina McPhee & Rhiannon Smith.

Beautiful feminine jewellery by Amina McPhee.

Everyone loves a fringe! Jewellery by Rhiannon Smith.

Lovely bags by Christiane Poulos.

Contempory furniture by Damien Hipwell & Jacqueline Cuijpers of Studio Hip.

Cross your heart pin cushions by Tara Badcock.

Tara Badcock.

Ta-wit ta-woo! Stunning owl toys by CatRabbit.

Must have craft by CatRabbit.

Beautiful textiles by Nin Coutts-Slater.

Ribbon brooches by Nin Coutts-Slater.

Pretty tea-cup candles by Cate Lawrence.

Badges for all occasions by Cate Lawrence.

Cate Lawrence.

Victoria Purves & Naoko Inuzuka.

Dont forget, market go-ers! There are two rooms filled with craft joy so make sure you ask for directions to the seminar room.

Book of The Month: 'Zakka Sewing'

January's 'Book of the Month' is Zakka Sewing, authored by Therese Laskey & Chika Mori. A handy guide with clear and simple instructions on how to create a multitude of super-cute Zen craft projects (examples below!), Zakka Sewing is perfect for any budding crafty type with some time on their hands.

Squirrel tea cozy.

Bunny wallet.

Room shoes.

Clear instructions on how to create the little shoes.

The term 'zakka' is a Japanese word that literally means 'many things'. Zakka refers to everything and anything that improves your home, life and outlook (well according to Wikipedia anyway!) For more on the subject, read this article.

Using buttons to signify the level of difficulty, Zakka Sewing contains 25 projects for the home that range from the simple (applique coasters) to complex (room slippers). What we love best about the book is the number of cozy-making instructions it has! A cozy for every occasion: your camera, teapot, mug, the list goes on! Beautifully printed and thoughtfully compiled by Therese Laskey & Chika Mori and photographed by Yoko Inoue, Zakka Sewing will make for many a happy crafternoon!

Take a ball of thread. . . By Melinda Young

At first glance, this exhibition can be summed up by one word: pink. But at closer inspection and exploration, a wonderful world of quirky design and elaborate craftsmanship await.

Beautiful neck pieces, brooches and earrings, all made from the same ball of pink thread and other found objects make up Melinda Young’s exhibition at Craft Victoria.

I found myself drawn to the fine textures and vibrant shapes all possessing a hidden meaning and thoughtful purpose. Items range from petite bird brooches to extravagant rope-like neckpieces, and even a cat’s whisker or two.

My favourite design was a brooch titled Dry, which consisted of the candy pink thread wrapped around a small pink plastic cactus. A cute presentation of something very simple. I felt as though Young had wrapped up the cactus shape so preciously as if protect it. And while it may be the nature lover in me playing tricks, it led me to believe this piece was about protecting the environment, much like a ‘Save the Planet’ or ‘No Oil’ badge.

Much of the work inspired a nautical feeling, and even more made me think of my Granny’s tassel-work gone techno-coloured. But what I found most intriguing was Young’s ability to produce such an abundance of high quality and extremely wearable jewellery, which possessed social commentary about women, hair removal and the outside versus the inside, and personal feelings from within the artist.

This is a rarely perfected mix of beauty and commentary stemming from something as elementary as a pink ball of thread.

- Review written by Emily Bentley-Singh.

Unwearable By Lisa Walker

Our classification of something being wearable has, throughout human history, included such items as mouse fur stick-on eyebrows and plastic bobbles in our hair. We paint our faces, clip on brooches and string charms around our necks.

Thinking of this, as I apprehensively approached the gallery at Craft Victoria, I thought, what could be so ghastly that it be deemed ‘unwearable’?

Lisa Walker’s Unwearable collection of jewellery challenges the very concept of what we wear jewellery for, and at what point we say ‘I cannot wear this’. Upon my first encounter with the display of 87 pieces from her extensive collection, I noticed the jewellery ranged from the tiny and intricate, to the outrageously large and uncomplicated.

Grotesque and tacky plastic toys, rubbish from her workshop bin, shells, toy sheep and plastic craft eye balls combine with a plethora of other material to make up the display of brooches, necklaces and pendants. Trying to understand the idea’s behind the pieces was as much of the experience as discovering what peculiarly collected items awaited you at the next table. It was surprising and exigent, and while I only found a small number of items aesthetically pleasing, I was interested in each piece equally.

As I wandered around the gallery, watching other craft enthusiasts and makers interpret the works, I remembered my years at kindergarten and early primary school, when I would make a seemingly endless number of ice-cream-bucket hats, or necklaces with brightly painted clay beads for my Mum, who would proudly wear them, no matter how unfashionable. They meant something to her, just as these pieces mean something to Walker, and undoubtedly to all those who encounter them.

Wearable or unwearable, they make a statement, and essentially, isn’t that what jewellery is there for?

Each piece, whether individually or collectively, question the simple thought we face everyday- what is wearable? The display is beyond eclectic, it’s challenging.

- Review written by Emily Bentley-Singh.

Introducing... Jarren Borghero of te.

te. is a label started by Jarren Borghero and Toshimitsu Ota. Using leather as their primary medium, the te. range includes bags, wallets, belts and other accessories, all of which are painstakingly handstitched using waxed linen thread. Meaning 'hand' in Japanese, the te. design philosophy places an emphasis on traditional techniques and the handmade and was created out of "our love for the original and dislike of the mass produced, along with our focus on traditional techniques ensures that the product is pre loved. the brand therefore cannot grow out of control where its aura becomes greater than itself."

To start of 2009, our first interview of the month is with Jarren who is one half of the design team behind te. Despite starting his artistic training in photography, it was after a trip to Japan that inspired Jarren to start te.

Without further ado, read away!

About te…
In Japan there is a real love for leather. I started noticing it everywhere and becoming a real connoisseur of it. Inspecting it with and internal dialogue discussing how it could be different or better.

A challenge was set, I guess. I started with just 2 tools and drawing on what my dad had taught me as a kid I started making wallets and bags at every chance I could. I became totally addicted to it. I was truly at peace with myself when creating with leather. Usually when making things I can't wait to finish and rush to get to the end. The emphasis being the result rather than the process. But it is not like that with leather. I love every facet of leather work and have a great sense of contentment during the whole process.

In Japan I went through a massive change in the way I think too. I went to there to escape for a while, to gather my thoughts and really make some decisions about what I wanted to do. My previous work as an artist was all about questioning consumption and planned obsolescence. Tokyo gave me the bigger picture about consumption. I discovered that it was impossible to escape it and that the world does indeed have to revolve around it, at least for the time being. I started thinking that what I produced had to be ethical and sustainable. Ethical and ecological design means no seasonal ranges and actually connecting with the things we make through craft. This was the concept for te.

A design that is close to my heart….
One that makes me swoon every time I make it is te. gooni. I feel like out of all of my designs this is the one that makes me believe in my abilities as a designer, a pattern maker, and a leathersmith. It is the culmination of all of my experiences, training, education, likes and dislikes all in one little bag. I feel that it is somewhat unique as a product out there, both in the way it is made and its aesthetics. Plus every time I make it, it makes me gush like as though it's a new puppy.

The material I use is…
Primarily leather. Leather comes many forms but I mostly use full grain leathers to be precise. This means the surface has not been corrected with paints and other finishes. Full grain leathers will show all the natural marks on the skin like fat lines, scars, and spots. I believe that it is part of the leather and should be utilised as beauty and not something to hide. I stitch with waxed linen threads, which matches perfectly with the natural leathers.

When I’m not in my studio I’m…
Not in my studio?!? Those moments have been few and far between lately, but I usually head to a park somewhere and get horizontal under a tree.

The last exhibition I saw…
I can't remember. I don't really venture into galleries anymore.

If I could buy anything in the world I would buy…
A mud brick house out in the forest somewhere.

One thing I can’t live without…
I worry that one day I will hurt my hands. Without them I wouldn't be able to make things.

te. gooni design

te. wallet

This Saturday: Craft Hatch

We've had a bit of break here at CVHQ, and now we're rested and ready to go! This Saturday join us at the City Library for the Craft Hatch market of 2009. With tons of great work to look at, there's something for everyone! Here's a sneak peek at what to expect:

From top: Tara Badcock, Little Red Duck by Rochelle Rudduck, Cate Lawrence, Naoko Inuzuka and Amina McPhee.

Joining us again will be furniture design duo Studio Hip, Christiane Poulos and her great bags, ceramacist Mojgan Habibi and fine jewellery from RMIT Gold & Silversmithing and Box Hill TAFE. They will be accompanied by textile artist Nin Coutts-Slater, accessories from Cate Lawrence, childrens clothes from Rochelle Rudduck's label Little Red Duck, jewellery and accessories from Tara Badcock and CatRabbit, and more jewellery from Naoko Inuzuka and Rhiannon Smith & Amina McPhee.

Craft Hatch will be on from 11am to 4pm at the City Library, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne. The market will be held on Level 1 of the library in the Gallery and Seminar rooms. Come on down and say hello!

Also, the next round for market registrations in February, March and April is now open. The deadline for applications is Saturday 31 January (which is not too far away!) so if you'd like to participate and launch your career in craft and design, do consider registering for a stall. Click here to download a registration form. If you have any other questions, please direct all queries and registrations to market@craftvic.asn.au or call us on 9650 7775

Openings and launches...

Tomorrow evening will be the opening night of three very important occasions: it will be the launch of our first two exhibitions of the year as well as the launch of Notions of Space, a publication jointly produced by Craft Victoria and the School of Architecture and Design, RMIT University. What a way to kick off 2009!

In galleries 1 & 2 will be the work of jeweller Lisa Walker. Curated by Damien Skinner, the exhibition entitled Unwearable will consist of work completed by Lisa over the past fifteen years. Monumental indeed!

Complementary to Lisa's Unwearable exhibition are the highly wearable, and not to mention visually edible, objects by Melinda Young in gallery 3. Take a Ball of Thread... saw Melinda use an industrial spool of cotton candy pink thread to create a multitude of fantastic objects under a series of limitations: the product must be wearable and the project must end when the thread runs out.

In addition to these two exhibitions, tomorrow will also be the official launch of the Notions of Space publication. It follows on from RMIT's School of Architecture and Design exhibition last year entitled Urban Interior Occupation as well as the Notions of Space exhibition. Like the best things in life, copies of this excellent journal are free and hard-copies are available at Craft Victoria. Alternatively, you can also access the publication in PDF form by clicking here.

Craft Hatch in December

Not too long ago on a wet Saturday in December, Craft Victoria held its second Craft Hatch market at the City Library. This time, we had 12 stallholders joining us and each maker's work demonstrated such a high level of quality (and charm of course!), it truly made us blush with pride upon seeing such a young group of talented people under one roof.

With 5 makers in the gallery and 7 in the seminar room, December's Craft Hatch presented a wide array of beautiful work to choose from. Our next market will be this Saturday, 24 January so do come along!

Here are some images from the day:

Ceramic jewellery and accessories by Simone Hede

Fine jewellery by a talented bunch of students from Box Hill TAFE

A closeup of Box Hill TAFE student Jodie Welch's pretty silver jewellery.

Upcycled leather brooches and fabric bags by Mingus (aka Dear Songsuwan)

Sustainable AND cute! That's how we like our accessories here...

Jules Musgrove (who also owns the loveliest vintage shop - Poppet in North Fitzroy!)

Vince Letterpress stationery by Meaghan Barbuto

Meaghan revives ye olde artistic practice of letterpress and makes it super fresh!

And over in the seminar room around the corner, we had more fabulous makers waiting to be uncovered... Greeting you at the entrance were students from RMIT's Gold and Silversmithing course. Their table was quite the crowd-pleaser and yours truly had a tough time trying to squeeze in to take some photos!