Seidler Horizon Apartments architecture insider tour

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By Penny Craswell

Did you know that the Horizon Apartments in Sydney by architect Harry Seidler includes two low-rise buildings, pool, tennis court, underground carpark and beautiful landscaping as well as the iconic tower? This was one of the many new things I learnt about the project on a tour organised by Sydney Living Museums.

The tower
The tower

Horizon Apartments is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst surrounded by suburban housing and next to SCEGGS school. The site itself had previously been the location of the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABC) Sydney office. Seidler’s intention was to create a tower that makes the most of incredible views to the harbour and city with a tall, slender tower that covers only one third of the block. The rest of the site is made of up two low-rise apartment buildings, while a beautifully landscaped garden, pool and tennis court provide serene grounds above an underground carpark. The building was originally designed in 1990 or 1991, with the building completed and tenants in residence in 1998. Read more →

Bruno Munari’s children’s book Circus in the Mist

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A couple of years ago, I contributed a number of texts to the Phaidon Archive of Graphic Design which was my first book contribution and an amazing experience. The Phaidon editors selected every example they commissioned from me – from infographics, to fonts, to magazine covers – and as a result, I learnt so much about graphic design. Even though 26 of my entries were published, for some reason, a few stories I wrote on children’s books and toys were not published – they must have decided to leave these out. So, since it is just sitting there, here is one of the stories I wrote, on a beautiful book by Italian designer and artist Bruno Munari.

Circus in the Mist by Bruno Munari. Image via LOG
Circus in the Mist by Bruno Munari. Image via LOG.

 

Circus in the Mist – or Nella Nebbia di Milano – was created by Italian designer and artist Bruno Munari in 1968. With black illustrations printed on transparent paper, this is not just a children’s book, but an object of play. Read more →

Review: Carousel installation by Carsten Höller

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By Penny Craswell

At Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria, a golden carousel has been installed in the forecourt, the latest version of a series of works by Belgian artist Carsten Höller that interrogate and confound human perception.

Carsten Höller German 1961–, worked in Sweden 2000– Golden mirror carousel 2014 powder-coated and painted steel, gold-plated stainless steel, tinite-plated stainless steel, brass, mirrors, light bulbs, electric motors, control unit, power unit, sandbags 480.0 x 745.0 cm diameter (variable) Collection of the artist, Stockholm and Gagosian Gallery, New York © Carsten Höller. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery Photo: Christian Markel
Carsten Höller, German 1961–, worked in Sweden 2000–, Golden mirror carousel 2014, powder-coated and painted steel, gold-plated stainless steel, tinite-plated stainless steel, brass, mirrors, light bulbs, electric motors, control unit, power unit, sandbags, 480.0 x 745.0 cm diameter (variable), Collection of the artist, Stockholm and Gagosian Gallery, New York, © Carsten Höller. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery, Photo: Christian Markel

The work is clad in gold coloured mirror. Instead of horses, you sit on a gold seat suspended by gold chains. The usual dizzying ride of a merry-go-round is slowed here to a gradual revolution, with seats spaced so that, even while riding the machine, you feel solitary. The floor underfoot does not rotate, and the centrepiece rotates in the opposite direction, creating a gently confounding experience that is not only reflective in the sense of providing a series of mirrored images, but also reflective in that it inspires a state of reflection – a slowing down of the fast pace of life. Read more →

Reproduction, Replica or Rip Off? Launch sparks furniture debate

Reproduction, Replica or Rip Off? Launch sparks furniture debate

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“Replica, reproduction or rip off? It’s likely what you call a fake piece of designer furniture depends on if you would have one in your house or not. Over the last few years designer fakes have been seen as big issue in the Australian interior design industry. For example Authentic Design Alli ance was set up a couple of years ago to petition government for change and educate both the design industry and consumers.

“The topic of fakes or copies came up last week I attended the launch of Penny Craswell’s The Design Writer blog at Stylecraft. The panel consisted of 3 Australian furniture designers – Keith Melbourne, Helen Kontouris and Greg Natale. The issue of copying was raised by Penny as part of the panel discussion and certainly dominated the audience comments at the end of the night. Whilst none of the designers present had yet had the (dubious) honour of having their pieces copied, all are aware of how prevalent cheap (and even not so cheap) reproductions are – and that they seem to be are comprising a growing segment of the furniture market in Australia.”

Interior designer and blogger Ceilidh Higgins has published a fantastic article sparked by the debate on replicas at the launch of this blog last week.

Thank you Ceilidh for the thought-provoking article from an interior designer’s perspective.

Read more here.

Performative urban intervention at Art and About Sydney

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Art and About finished in Sydney on the weekend for another year. Performative works were big this year, including a wonderful work called “Bodies in Urban Spaces”. The concept is by Viennese artist Willi Dorner who enlists the help of acrobats, climbers and dancers to use their bodies in unconventional ways to fill and layer cityscapes.

Bodies in Urban Spaces as part of Art and About Sydney. Concept: Willi Dorner. Images: courtesy of City of Sydney
Bodies in Urban Spaces as part of Art and About Sydney. Concept: Willi Dorner. Images: courtesy of City of Sydney

Dressed in colourful street clothes and hoodies, the performers find ways to insert themselves into the landscape, wrapping, layering, balancing, planking in and on  the city, often choosing unremarkable structures or corners, in the process transforming the way we see them. Read more →

Renzo Piano’s architecture as symbol in Noumea

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By Penny Craswell

The societal value of architecture is not just about placemaking or city building, it can also be a powerful social and political symbol. My recent trip to Noumea included a trip to the Tjibaou Cultural Centre, a magnificent building by Italian architect Renzo Piano.

Tjibaou Cultural Centre by Renzo Piano, Noumea, New Caledonia. Images: Penny Craswell
Tjibaou Cultural Centre by Renzo Piano, Noumea, New Caledonia. Images: Penny Craswell

Following the political upheaval in New Caledonia in the 1980s, during which indigenous Kanak leaders struggled for recognition from the French government, it was decided to build a cultural centre. The centre was named after Jean-Marie Tjibaou, the Kanak leader and activist who, during the struggle for independence, had recommended the government build a cultural centre for the local Kanak community. Read more →

Melbourne designer Nick Rennie talks Ligne Roset

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By Penny Craswell

Ligne Roset is one of those furniture brands in Europe with a long history, with roots in 1860s France, where the company was founded selling walking sticks and sunshades. Skip forward to the present day and the 5th generation Roset family are running the company, including Michel Roset who first looked at Melbourne designer Nick Rennie’s profile in 2011.

image44986.tifRoset liked what he saw, in particular the Saldo table, a geometric design in 8mm thick ‘crystal’glass that comes with self adhesive sliders. Within twelve months, the product was launched. Read more →

London Design Festival guest post by twitter

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Today, our first guest post comes in the form of some choice updates by excellent London-based design writer (and friend) Giovanna Dunmall who has agreed to let me blog her twitter feed during the London Design Festival.

Design writer Giovanna Dunmall at the Ace Hotel with Martino Gamper doughnuts as part of the London Design Festival
Design writer Giovanna Dunmall at the Ace Hotel with Martino Gamper doughnuts as part of the London Design Festival

Many of the posts are familiar names to us, including designers Omer Arbel, Philippe Starck and Barber Osgerby, brands like Wrong for Hay and venues like the Ace Hotel and V&A Museum.

Check out Giovanna’s web page here or follow her @JournoGiovanna. Read more →

My article on Storytelling in Design

My article on Storytelling in Design

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“While necessities of size, cost, comfort and even aesthetics can be crucial when selecting furniture and lighting, stories are often what make us fall for design.”
Home Design magazine’s latest issue includes a comment piece from me on storytelling in design, including stories on products by Australian designer Trent Jansen, German designer Sebastian Herkner, Knud Eric Hansen from Carl Hansen & Son and UK designer Jay Osgerby from Barber Osgerby.

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Knud Eric Hansen of Carl Hansen & Son (supplied by CULT) and Penny Craswell at DesignEX panel discussion. Image: DesignEX
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Article on Storytelling Design by Penny Craswell in current issue of Home Design magazine.

Designing scent at The Blocks by Faye Toogood

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The Blocks by Faye Toogood. Photo: Paul Barbera
The Blocks by Faye Toogood. Photo: Paul Barbera

“Visitors are first brought to the centre of the space, where five timber sculptures stand like oversized totems. Dubbed “The Oaks,” each one is built in a unique geometry using a different type of timber, inspired by the five groups of grapes available for tasting: aromatic whites, chardonnay, varietal blends, regional and shiraz. “Based on the tasting notes that the sommeliers gave us, we reinterpreted that in terms of geometry,” explains Faye Toogood of Studio Toogood. “We placed the totems in a ring because there is a great mystique to wine which is quite spiritual.”

“In addition to this, each is infused with a different scent, created by Studio Toogood in partnership with Paris and New York-based perfumers Dawn and Samantha Goldworm at 12.29. The scents themselves are based on the tasting notes of each group of grapes; for example, the notes for the aromatic whites group are: pure, mineral, abstract, energy, sorbet, cool, altitude, elevation, pristine, vibrant. The resulting scents do not smell like wine but are related to the wine.”

This one’s a bit of a blast from the past – an article I wrote on The Blocks, an installation in Sydney by Faye Toogood, originally published in Artichoke magazine when I was Editor in 2012. My favourite thing about the project was the design of five scents – I love the idea of being able to create a new scent working with a perfumer.

Read the whole article (republished in full on architectureau.com) here.