KEY POINTS:
Included among the latest collection of contemporary New Zealand furniture are what appear to be a bunch of miniature hunting trophies, something that looks like a giant sponge and a cabinet that doesn't seem like it could hold anything much.
So is this art or is it furniture design? And why would you buy this stuff when you can go to a chain store and get a cupboard that actually holds things for about the same price as an expensive frock? Basically the answer is long and convoluted; it has lots to do with sustainability, individuality and the desire to support New Zealand's creative and manufacturing industries.
Meanwhile, an exhibition on at Objectspace Gallery on Ponsonby Rd until October 6 attempts to answer a few of those questions in more depth while displaying some of the most interesting work currently being done in the field of contemporary furniture here. Viva asked a few of the contributors to the exhibition about the future of New Zealand furniture design - so that you too will know whether to put a giant sponge on your living room wall.
DAN EMERY
One of the most fascinating things about Wellington designer Emery's work is what he can do with digital technology. His exhibit is The Canvas Table and the first graphic on it is by local artist Sam Broad. But if Emery has his way, every customer can make their own, unique version of it.
"Canvas allows the consumer to customise the table by creating a graphic and having it laser-etched into the top surface," Emery says.
Current project: "My flat currently has about nine prototype tables scattered around it, in various stages of refinement."
What sort of social trends do you think will affect furniture design in the future? "The rise of a creative class means people are demanding more customisation in the stuff they buy. Some of my latest projects use the internet and online collaboration to allow people to have a go at creating their own products and I think this kind of thing is going to completely revolutionise the way we design - it's going from a solo effort to one involving co-creation with other people with different skills.
"Another interesting side of this is distributed manufacturing. Basically this means it's possible for me to design something and it can then be manufactured in the country where the person who bought it lives. The distribution model changes from shipping products to shipping intellectual property - which has a very strong sustainable argument as well."
Recommend a source of interiors inspiration: "Design blogs such as www.core77.com and www.mocoloco.com"
CRAIG BOND, CANDYWHISTLE
Candywhistle, a design firm founded by Bond in Wellington in 2004, has designed the interiors of some of your favourite fashion stores - including Kate Sylvester in Wellington and Myhart and Area 51 in Auckland. Among Bond's favourite projects is a piece he's exhibiting: a souped-up supermarket trolley that's become a quirky display tray for Myhart.
Current project: "A range of furniture for the Candywhistle label as well as some product development for Te Papa and the Department of Conservation."
Look into your crystal ball: "I'd like to see the application of craft technologies and methods applied to mass production. I'm interested in how we can take all that we know about materials, processes and techniques and apply them, not to limited runs, but to multiples."
Some advice on buying furniture? "Look for quality and something that will stay with you for a long time, something that is going to add some level of comfort or some sort of experience to your day."
JENNY KEATE
Keate was an unknown, self-taught designer when she experienced her biggest success: the Lily lamp. "It was one of the first things I designed but it was an instant success," she says.
The lamp made it on to the cover of local magazines, into group shows at museums and galleries and then won a design prize. It's now produced and distributed both here and overseas.
"That's pretty amazing for something I first made in my garden shed," Keate says.
Current project: "Completing my second degree, a Bachelor of Design. And for my final project I'm working on a super-comfortable lounge chair - that is, applying the logic behind ergonomic office furniture to a chair to relax in around the home."
What sort of social trends do you think will affect furniture design in the future? "One of the difficult things about working as a designer is the feeling you are adding to the global mountain of unnecessary stuff. The challenge is to create things that people need and can bond with - not just initially, but in the long-term. And the ultimate design for me is one that the user grows fonder of over time. Take the example of the Halo lamp. It's easy to connect with instantly because it's nice to touch, and it uses sheepskin."
The biggest problems with working in New Zealand? "Our geographical isolation means that it's sometimes hard to get access to new materials and technologies. Also, it can be next to impossible for a person working on a small scale to get things to market at an affordable price.
"When I was batch-producing the Lily and Noodle lamps, the electrical components were costing me around $20 per lamp. That's more than the price of a [whole] lamp from Ikea."
KENNEDY BROWN
Brown, who is based in Cicada Studios in Hawkes Bay, the design incubator led by export-design success David Trubridge, is exhibiting a celebrant's chair and table that he made for a Samoan church. He says it was an "unforgettable experience" watching the Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn, bless the furniture he designed and made. "That was a real privilege, I thought."
How would you like people to use your work - as art or furniture? "I like to consider my work is both. As furniture it functions. As art it makes you consider its purpose but it also gives you pleasure every time you look at it."
Look into your crystal ball: "I'd like to see Kiwis take a more individualistic approach to their purchases and I'd like to see them take more risks and buy furniture for the long-term.
"Wouldn't it be interesting to see a modern take on the concept of family heirlooms?"
PHIL CUTTANCE
Cuttance is worried he might have been boring people lately. He recently exhibited some work as part of the new design showcase at the legendary Milan Furniture Fair and he says, "I'd been oggling the work to come out of the show for years via magazines and when I knew I would be part of it, I was probably a bit too excited. I bored a lot of people after that."
Cuttance is managing the design workshop at Massey University in Albany and trying to get some of his prototypes turned into commercial realities.
Current project: "It's a challenge but I've just had a product picked up by an American firm, so hopefully my trip will start to pay itself back soon."
What sort of social trends do you think will affect furniture design in the future? "I am enjoying the current trend where design doesn't need to be taken too seriously. Also that issues surrounding sustainability are becoming harder to overlook for designers - which is a good thing."
Recommend a source of interiors inspiration: "Magazines like icon and ID and websites like www.designboom.com and www.mocoloco.com. But I also get inspired by random stuff like bogans and truck graphics."
TIM LARKIN
Another Wellington-based designer, Larkin produces one-off pieces for exhibition or commission and he also tutors in design at Victoria University.
Current project: "A project which takes food safes as a starting point for designing some cabinets. This means the cabinets should have some sense of cool darkness within them but also some crack of light."
What sort of social trends do you think will affect furniture design in the future? "Some sort of integrity based on place and dwelling might emerge - where our bodies and the houses we put them in might not be quite so alienated from the ground they sit on.
Recommend a source of interiors inspiration: "I still love Domus magazine."
SUBART: EMMA FEBVRE-RICHARDS AND KATE LINZEY
Febvre-Richards and Linzey hold two masters degrees in different subjects - one in fine arts and one in architecture - and they combine to make up SubART. They make objects that can work as either art or utility and their exhibit is the perfect example. "The buyer can decide how they are going to use the pieces - as sculpture, as painting or as a domestic tool," Febvre-Richards explains. "With Wall Dresser you can simply compose the spheres by pushing them in or out. Or you can hang your clothes up with them."
Current projects: "We're planning to go directly to homeowners to ask what they are looking for when they buy an art piece."
What sort of social trends do you think will affect furniture design in the future? "Sustainability has had a great impact on us. By creating objects that are multi-functional we are also sustaining their lives within the domestic environment."
Recommend a source of interiors inspiration: "Recycling centres, Sculpture, an art magazine, and At Home: A Century of New Zealand Design by Douglas Lloyd-Jenkins."
JAMIE MCLELLAN
You can't really get a much better list of work experiences than those McLellan boasts on his CV. He's just returned to Auckland to set up his own practice and has also spent time working for well known British design guru Tom Dixon, former head of the Habitat design line.
The highlight of McLellan's multi-faceted career so far? "Working in Jaipur, India, with the local craftsmen and artisans on pieces for Tom's 2006 and 2007 furniture collection," he says.
Current project: "Next season's windsurfing sail collection for Neil Pryde, a bottle for a premium health drink and a range of cutlery and bicycle lockers - to name just a few."
Recommend a source of interiors inspiration: "www.dezeen.com, the Bauhaus Museum in Berlin and an old barn owned by a Danish upholsterer for Fritz Hansen, full of originals, in various states of disrepair, from Wegner, Jacobsen, Panton and more."
What's the difference between art and furniture design? "The distinction is becoming more blurred, which is exciting. Furniture is increasingly being created and sold as art, using fantastic materials and manufacturing processes, and without the restraints of having to flat pack or stack.
"The differences between mass manufacture and craft are blurring also. Factories and craftsman alike are now able to employ digital machining and rapid manufacturing techniques to bring to life their creations, without huge set-up costs and with incredible accuracy and greatly reduced manual labour.
"And creativity is rife. Just look at some of the new designs launched at Milan and Art Basel this year - from furniture made by swarms of honey bees to pieces made by digitally recording the movement of the designer's hand in 3D space."
ROBERT ROSE: ROBERT GRIEG
Grieg set up this company, Robert Rose, in 2005 after working as a designer in the slightly unexpected area of bio-diversity. His work now runs the gamut - from designing wildlife monitoring data capsules to furniture, to whole buildings.
Current project: "We have been working on a project on Whenua Hou Island encouraging kakapo to make love. The product checks to see which bird it is, weighs the bird and then decides if it needs food.
"If we convince the birds that there's an abundance of food in the forest, they tend to cuddle a lot more."
Look into your crystal ball: "I think it would be great to see Kiwis buying New Zealand design because this makes larger scale production viable. It's hard to sell internationally without the support of the local market."
Where do you think New Zealand furniture is at in international terms? "I'd like to think that we're very competitive internationally at designing. And we've certainly been farming a lot of great design talent. The challenge is in building New Zealand design as a competitive entity on an international scale. We'd like to see the point where companies come to us for our abilities rather than our primary resources."
LINDSAY MARKS
Northland-based Marks, who teaches design as well as making his own one-off pieces, is exhibiting a piece called the 12 Second Chair which, as its name suggests, is designed to be put together and taken apart quickly. It came about due to Marks' interest in the "take home and assemble" products you get at places like Ikea, and Shaker furniture, which is typically known for its handcrafted simplicity and innovative joinery.
Current projects: "A parlour guitar and a concert ukulele. The plucked musical instrument is just a piece of furniture, albeit with a particular set of rules and a clear outcome. Also developing some chairs and tables."
Some advice on buying furniture? "Personally, I feel some of the best pieces of furniture tell fibs. For example, the beautifully executed but totally hidden joint. Or the strong but ethereal look of a piece made from heavy materials. Strength comes from design more than from strong materials."
