3 Days of Design made possible by five local women Canberra designers, makers & curators. From Friday – Sunday a 3-day Pop Up will showcase contemporary homewares, furniture, jewellery and wearable art at in Manuka.
Meet the creators:
Polka Luka is an Australian design label creating contemporary resin jewellery and tableware. Focusing on clean lines, organic form, and luminous colour- each item is entirely handmade- resulting in pieces with a unique patina in a range of gorgeous custom mixed colours. Taking design cues from fields as diverse as modernist art and architecture to travels across Asia, Polka Luka also imbues a distinctly Australian style- spirited, bold and vibrant.
Polka Luka Creative Director Alexandra Freeman, has a background in art history, and cultural and language study. A combined Arts- Asian Studies Degree at The Australia National University was the perfect launching board to explore the world, and post degree Alexandra travelled and undertook cultural conservation and design work in areas across South West China, and South East Asia. Initially on a volunteers wage, Alexandra begun to supplement her income by designing jewellery and selling it at Canberra’s markets in the Summer time.
After designing and stringing necklaces in a remote mountainous region on the China-Tibet border, Alexandra eventually left China and travelled back to Canberra for a brief stint in the Public Service. Design, colour, and jewellery were never far from her mind, and eventually this love, as well as eight years of travel and cultural work, and the desire to be her own boss, led to the founding of the Polka Luka Label in 2006.
Alexandra has found Canberra to be a place that can inspire far more than a city concreted from end to end can. By offering so many natural spaces for rejuvenation, an inner space is created which is so beneficial to the creative process. And the combination of the natural environment, alongside a cultural and design scene that grows richer by the month, makes Canberra the place to be for creativity.
Good Creation
Cathy Zhang is currently a student studying ceramics and gold and silver smithing at the ANU. Cathy is originally from Shanghai in China, but has lived in Canberra for 15 years. She always had a fascination for Arts and Crafts at school and since doing a Graphic Design course at Shillington College in Melbourne, she decided her passion is in creating beautiful objects. Enter Cathy’s business – Good Creation.
Her work at 3 DAYS OF DESIGN is stoneware mugs, which offer an experience that is tactile and intimate. Each of the pieces are uniquely hand crafted, with the many varieties of hand pulled cup handles that mean you can find a mug that will sit snugly in your hand. They are available to purchase at the National Gallery of Australia shop and have exhibited at the Watson Art Centre gallery.
Beyond Design
Bronwyn I a interior design consultant and furniture specialist. She spent the last 10 years in Asia establishing the Asia branch of her company. Together with her husband they have returned to Canberra to be with family and start their own. Bronwyn calls herserlf an old school Canberran, her grandparents met at the Manuka pool and her mum was baptised at the St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manuka across the road from where the Beyond Design furniture showroom is now.They relish being back and being able to enjoy being part of a thriving design community. Bronwyn is excited to create the opportunity to highlight Australian designers with her Canberra showroom as it’s something she believes Canberrans really look for and celebrates. Beyond Design is focused on supporting and showcasing Australian designers and also women in creative business and that is what keeps them inspired and growing.
One of Twelve is an Australian organisation by Anna Saboisky that’s dedicated to celebrating and supporting artists from the Asia Pacific region. The concept of creating high-quality apparel came into being after a decade of working as a buyer at the National Gallery of Australia. This gave Anna the opportunity to work with Indigenous Art Centre’s and in product development. The first collection of scarves showcases a broad range of artists from Australia— and projects in development in remote Australia, and Papua New Guinea.
In addition to her own collection, they work with bilum weavers from PNG, selling utilitarian works of art to customers. One of Twelve are committed to the social enterprise business model and believe in consumers’ power to make change with their purchasing choices. Despite having moved around a lot, Canberra is the only place Anna finds herself returning to. She says the transient nature of Canberra’s people makes it a unique and progressive city that’s always reinventing itself. Anna enjoys change as it forces her to innovate and create something different.
Founder Peita Davis is a Canberra girl through-and-through. Having grown up in Kaleen, she left Canberra in the late 90s, and returned a decade later to work as a Middle East Analyst. But after another decade, she felt the call of creative business, and Gingerfinch was born. She’s thrilled to be part of the new generation of Canberra locals who are bringing on-point design and world-renowned culinary delights to our Nation’s Capital. Gingerfinch designs can be described as rare-find homewares which transcend seasons and help you live well. They bring you together with friends and family, they help you save time, space and stay organised, and they echo your values of quality, integrity and longevity. They’ll be the envy of your most discerning friends, but they’ll also become of part of your life story.
Details:
3 Days of Design
Fri Oct 12th 6-9pm, Sat 13th and Sun 14th 10am-4pm.
BDA Showroom, Capital Theatre Building, Corner Franklin & Furneaux Street Manuka.
Further details contact Bronwyn: 0421 450 433; [email protected]
