Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen said craft arises from repetition of a known skill-set but ultimately hinges on the maker embodying a “sincere constructive spirit”. Those three words are at the forefront of setting out to make Surrounding Objects. It is that quality or state of mind of being honest with oneself, ideas and materials that imbues made objects with meaning.
We recognise common building materials. For example; the board, the brick, sheet of plywood amongst others carries with it a historical significance and a preset of standards and dimensions. There is a cultural familiarity to these raw materials and a general understanding as to their purpose and capabilities. Reworking these basic singular building blocks suggests another scale, finer, more detailed versions of the old adage; to get the most out of something. What can you make with one board or one sheet of plywood? Can the waste material have just as much meaning as the final assembled work?
Surrounding Objects explores these artistic treatments and tool actions and introduces a further preciousness that all raw materials have embodied within them, however common or ubiquitous.
Participants
Surrounding Objects
Surrounding Objects is a design studio and workshop for objects and architectural environments. They present collections with variations on a single theme or object. The process and production of work is informed by stories, specific material research and conversations over time to create practical designs for daily use. We gravitate towards objects that represent the economical use of material, often drawing attention to common or overlooked local resources. Surrounding Objects presents these collections in varying formats as a living archive of thoughtful design. Stephanie and David Getty received their Masters in Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. The two oversee the design and production at AGK, a family-run woodworking shop in Indonesia while currently living and working in Melbourne.
Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen said craft arises from repetition of a known skill-set but ultimately hinges on the maker embodying a “sincere constructive spirit”. Those three words are at the forefront of setting out to make Surrounding Objects. It is that quality or state of mind of being honest with oneself, ideas and materials that imbues made objects with meaning.
We recognise common building materials. For example; the board, the brick, sheet of plywood amongst others carries with it a historical significance and a preset of standards and dimensions. There is a cultural familiarity to these raw materials and a general understanding as to their purpose and capabilities. Reworking these basic singular building blocks suggests another scale, finer, more detailed versions of the old adage; to get the most out of something. What can you make with one board or one sheet of plywood? Can the waste material have just as much meaning as the final assembled work?
Surrounding Objects explores these artistic treatments and tool actions and introduces a further preciousness that all raw materials have embodied within them, however common or ubiquitous.
Participants
Surrounding Objects
Surrounding Objects is a design studio and workshop for objects and architectural environments. They present collections with variations on a single theme or object. The process and production of work is informed by stories, specific material research and conversations over time to create practical designs for daily use. We gravitate towards objects that represent the economical use of material, often drawing attention to common or overlooked local resources. Surrounding Objects presents these collections in varying formats as a living archive of thoughtful design. Stephanie and David Getty received their Masters in Architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. The two oversee the design and production at AGK, a family-run woodworking shop in Indonesia while currently living and working in Melbourne.
