“As our lives become increasingly digitalised, and we consume more images on-screen, the presence of handmade elements in a digital context brings the content back into our ‘real’ world and our tactile experiences”

Job Wouters

‘So how would you describe your design style’, a question that has always made my heart skip a beat, my ears turn red and my forehead sweat. To answer the oh-so-feared question, I would begin by saying that I consider myself to be a designer that often strays away from computer-generated designs as I find that my strengths lie mainly in hand crafted, organic and often time consuming work. Whilst I am aware that we are currently in an age where digital is dominating the analogue design, I believe that the individuality and uniqueness of hand crafted methods and outcomes should be valued and not lost under all the mass production of digital design.

 Margolin discusses how design is constantly changing in order to adapt and mould to what is happening in society and as a result he states that, ‘unprecedented forms of design will continue to emerge’. In relation to Margolin’s statement, I believe that in a world where manual craft is supplanted more and more by digital technique, appreciation for different types of design apart from what is being created digitally will continue to emerge as such design will be appreciated and valued amongst the majority. 

I came across my major inspirational designers on a rainy day during my first year of studying design. I had bumped into one of my high school friends on the train, and the conversation of ‘personal styles’ and ‘inspirational designers’ came up. Somewhat stumped by the communal conversation, I got home and found myself browsing the net. To my surprise I stumbled upon the crafty and talented Australian based, Magdalena Ksiekzak. Using different types of cardstock to cut, shape and layer, Ksiekzak creates vibrant, colourful and unique pieces of design.(figure 1)

In awe of her meticulous, paper work, I fell in love with the idea of hand creating my future assignments. Whilst utilising some elements that technology has to offer I often combine digital with hand-poked, woven, assembled pieces of design. The feeling go having some sort degree of control over the end product is part of what enables handmade processes to result in something so unique and fascinating.  “It’s easy to make things look perfect on screen, so when things look handmade it intrigues people,” says Anthony Burrill, collaborator of Sussex based studio Adams of Rye. 

Growing up in a family where the importance of hand-crafted design was emphasised, I often find myself enjoying briefs the allow me to shut my laptop and rely purely on the materials and tools I have around me. My aunty, Jenny Pinto, designs lights for corporate and domestic spaces out of handmade, environmentally sustainable fibres. Her passion for uniqueness, sustainability and organic forms has fuelled my interest in producing such design outcomes. 

As I progress further into my final year of Communication Design, I aim on continuing to explore the weird and wonderful ways of hand-crafted design as well as take on board elements of technology to produce interesting and unique pieces of design.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdilaHlA7-/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqme9LcFIKX/

Tara Dias

Student Number : 28795083 

Standing behind a mass of high school students that had all squeezed onto the one escalator leading up to the 3rd floor of the NGV, I found myself wondering what the Designing Women exhibition had in stall for me. I have to admit, I was intrigued by the idea of having the questions that had been circulating around my mind ever since I came across the exhibition, finally being answered. Questions such as , ‘why does there have to be an exhibition that focuses on the fact that the pieces of design and art were created by women? The gender of the designer and the outcome of the work are two seperate factors… right? You don’t see exhibitions called ‘Designing Men’ so why an exhibition on ‘Designing Women’?

After reaching the top level of the NGV, I made quick attempt to jump in-front of the group of school kids and entered the exhibition. Surprised by the low-key lighting and size of the room, I turned to right, where an introduction to the exhibit had been plastered onto the wall. As if to satisfy my restless mind, the text seemed to answer the questions that I had been asking myself just a few seconds prior to entering the room. 

Designing Women, was an exhibition aimed to highlight the significance and critical force women had in shaping the contemporary world of design. Displaying up to 70 works of design, each crafted and created by women, the exhibition focused on four crucial elements that women offered to the field; Leadership, Community, Teamwork and Research (Designing Women, NGV). Acknowledging that fact that in today’s day and age, the concept of setting up an exhibit that displays the work of women in design, therefore, separating gender identity from the design itself, could be considered somewhat controversial.

However the goal of the space was to draw on the idea of how throughout history, the role and contributions of how women ‘have played a tremendous part in the shaping of particular ‘ways of seeing’’ (Bruce 1990) and often been forgotten or not acknowledged.

Questions answered and mind at rest, I made my way through the room. Divided only by the platforms that the designs were displayed on, the notion that, despite all the differences that each individual piece of work carried, whether the year, country or material it was made in/out of, they all came together as one. A sense of unity that came about due to the fact that they were all created by women in a field that has not always been accepting and appreciated, ultimately been ‘rendered invisible’ (Connory 2017).

From the obscure and rather bold, black steel Horse Lamp, to the delicate and iconic Christian Dior’s Look 48 dress, the exhibition had a vast array of different designs that displayed the multiple levels of intricacy and skill that women brought and continue to bring to contemporary design. In awe and quite honestly inspired, I left the exhibition feeling excited to see where my role as a young female designer would take me. 

Bibliography

Bruce, C 1990, “Women designers—is there a gender trap?”, Design Studies, Butterworth & Co Ltd, Manchester.

Connery, C 2017, “Plotting the Historical Pipeline of Women in Graphic Design”, Design History Australia Research Network, Melbourne.

National Gallery of Victoria, temporary exhibition ‘Women in Design’ from 28 Sep 18 – 29 Sep 19, visited 8th April 2019.

Tara Dias

Student Number 28795083