DETAILS
Ticketed
Robin Boyd Foundation
290 Walsh Street, South Yarra VIC, Australia
DATES
Thu 22 May 12 – 4pm
Fri 23 May 12 – 4pm
Sat 24 May 12 – 3pm
Sat 24 May 3 – 4pmBook now
Designer talk
Sun 25 May 12 – 4pm
Until 2019, a 25-metre-tall heritage-listed Monterey pine stood before the Walsh Street residence that architect, writer and cultural critic Robin Boyd (1919-71) designed in 1957. The tree died, and the Robin Boyd Foundation’s supply of felled timber provides an opportunity to consider its second life. The community admired the tree when living; now milled, pine is commonly viewed as a cheap and ugly material unsuitable for fine craftsmanship. Embracing pine’s democratic role in 20th-century industrial history, including modernist approaches – from Rietveld’s postwar Crate Chair (1935) to its everpresence across many IKEA designs the Foundation has commissioned furniture maker Alexsandra Pontonio to design a seated solution for the timber supply.
Join the Robin Boyd Foundation at Walsh Street to celebrate Knot Pine through a launch exhibition and accompanying talk exploring the creative process from design to prototype.
Participants
Alexsandra Pontonio
Alexsandra is an award-winning furniture maker and designer based in Melbourne (Naarm/Birrarung-ga). Her bespoke pieces are contemporary in design and reflect a sensitivity to traditional woodcraft. Her practice is underpinned by a deep understanding and respect for materials; her work predominately made from wood emphasises timber’s intrinsic tactility and materiality. Alexsandra graduated with an Associate Degree in Design (Furniture) from RMIT University in 2015 after which she was the recipient of the Future Leader’s prize in Craft Victoria’s 2016 Fresh! exhibition, the VIVID Design Award, and the Tait Award for Design Innovation at Fringe Furniture. As she has established her practice, she has received high profile recognition for her work, including Wood Review’s Maker of the Year Awards in 2021 (Chests, cabinets and shelving) and 2020 (Overall runner-up) and as a finalist in the 2021 Victorian Craft Awards. Alexsandra has been involved in selected group exhibitions including David Clark’s ‘At Home -Modern Australian Design’, Government House, Sydney, Craft Victoria’s ‘Future Remains’, Melbourne, and the Salone Satellite, Milan.