eco: brand creative- planet friendly furnishings

Eco : brand creative is a South Australian design company founded by Andrew Parkinson, he is certainly passionate about his designs. I spoke to him at Bowerbird Bazaar as my son clambered over his constructions. In fact, the Bowerbird event itself relied heavily on their unique designs; tables, stools, lounges, the front desk and even the change rooms amongst other things came from the imagination of this South Australian design company.

Eco: brand creative is a design firm featuring a very exciting material; “Re-Board”, a completely recycled building material created from waste timber. This Swedish developed product is extremely versatile in its application; it is water-resistant, strong, durable and able to be printed on using a UV cured print process. Most importantly for Andrew it is environmentally friendly; sustainability, as well as performance and reliability are rapidly becoming a major consideration for designers.  For public event furnishings the designs from eco: board creative really come to the fore front; they have the ability to be solid and durable, while at the same time are fully recyclable. The capacity of their designs to be easily shipped in flat pack form and assembled on site is also a great feature.
Eco: brand creative has developed a stylish a product line for children called eco: board kids. The “Klaus Fun House” is a flat packed cubby house that slots together. This cute design resembles a log cabin; with printed wooden slats covering the external surface. It evokes an outdoor rustic motif with the use of green grass along the base with silhouetted children playing beneath the branches of a tree. Overall it has a better look than the bulky plastic versions and has the ability to be completely recycled, so is planet friendly.  On a different level, as a parent I prefer my children to play with materials that does not feature sickening primary and secondary colours in glossy plastic. This little house reminds me of the fridge boxes kids used to play in, although more stylish and durable, this design still taps into those comfortable ideals. The door to the house is rounded to enable easy access for little fingers. As it is constructed from light weight, yet strong cardboard, children are able to play safely with little chance of hurting themselves. The normal crush points of a cubby house are virtually non-existent.  There are also plenty of windows for little eyes to spy on the world outside. The side of the roof may be lifted to provide adult access, should the need arise. The applications of this house are numerous; I could see the design feature in a variety of public places such as coffee shops and libraries, anywhere where children may wish to play and their parents might need a bit of a break.

The eco: board kids desk and chairs are an exciting development; again there are numerous applications for these products. Two types were featured; one, a brightly coloured alphabet styled activity table with chair, and the other a more simplistic desk and chair with a wood print, mirroring the cubby house. One might think that these constructions would be flimsy; on the contrary they are extremely solid. The parts slot together in an ingenious fashion providing stable seating for adults as well as children. While the tables may well have been designed for public events, I can see further applications such as in third world countries where furniture is expensive and difficult to ship.

Koush design and eco: brand creative are separate company’s yet have pooled their collective talents to create stylish public event furniture, such as this chair. Andrew was proud to lift the chair and show me the base which was folded and slotted together in such an ingenious manner as to provide great strength yet sport a very stylish look. Cushions can easily be added to provide a softer look and a burst of colour. The chairs have clean lines and simple construction. Good design should not be a complex affair.

Public event furniture of the past was often a sea of plastic; a sense of style can be achieved by utilising what we might perceive comfortable in our own homes. Eco brand creative have also developed a range of lounge chair style seating building on this idea.

The designs are based on Art Deco style club lounges. Colours can be altered to suit the client’s needs as well as accessories such as cushions.  Again the ability to flat pack and assemble these creations on site is a great feature of these designs.

Above all these designs are fun! They interact with the space and create a homely feel. They also respond to a shift in people’s thinking toward a greener more environmentally friendly world.

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http://www.ecobrandcreative.com.au/

The thrilling work of Jan Van Dijk

Jan Van Dijk is a Queensland artist, and has lived in Brisbane since he was four. His painting style has its roots in street art and is energetic, thick paint envelopes the space. Bright bold colour drags the eye to and fro; each work is a cavalcade of interesting marks. There is always something to interest the eye in Van Dijk’s unique turbid works.  His exhibition is currently showing at Greenhill Galleries in North Adelaide and is titled “Thrill of All Thrills”. It is predominantly a collection of works examining the amusement park Ferris wheel and roller coaster. Jan Van Dijk is a true exponent of mixed media exploration. Scratching and pushing his subject matter, Jan uses oil paint onto wet aerosol and etches pencil and pastel lines upon his surfaces. The textural eccentricity and playfulness of his drawn lines; through both pastel and graphite, create a sense of chaos and depth. While his contrasting thick daubs of oil paint, freeze the eye and cause it to look deeper into the work.

Cyclone 9, 2012 is a coloured silhouette of the Cyclone roller coaster from Coney Island in the USA. It is one of the original wooden roller coasters with steep drops and savage turns that offered its patrons an exciting thrill. It was a ride to remember. Van Dijk has sought to capture its essence in this work which highlights the complex structure. The use of negative space in this work is its defining feature as a white aerosol has been sprayed over the complex forms to contain the piece. The deep contrasts of Van Dijk’s shapes pull the eye about. Energising it with colour and propelling it about the space. There is a pleasant balance in this work through the use of repeated curves and white highlighted text and line. This stops this painting from getting out of control. I find the use of text in an artwork rather loud, yet it is balanced in this piece by the use of white negative space and serves as a resting place for the eye. Life is a constant roller coaster, with a myriad of twists and turns. There are inevitable ups and downs but it is full of colour and excitement. We ride it not knowing how it will end, and that is the thrill of it.

“Wonder wheel 37, 2011” is a work based on the Ferris wheel at Coney Island. It is unusual in that it is an “eccentric” Ferris wheel which means the covered passenger cars are able to slide as the wheel turns from the rim toward the centre and back again. It is a feature of Deno’s Coney Island amusement park. This work places the viewer on an angle to the wheel, exposing the rim and the steel structure. Van Dijk’s wonder wheel is an uneasy piece; the movement transmitted is not altogether contained by the use of negative space, as in his other works. Textural lines expose themselves through the stencilled aerosol and continue to spin. The eye attaches itself to the ride and it is difficult to get off! Bright colour whirls throughout the shapes. This work however, incorporates a black stencilled framework on the lower portion of the wheel. This anchors the forms to the base of the picture.  Again, the use of text in this work serves to lock the viewer’s gaze; momentarily providing it with respite from the swirling mass of seething shape and energy.

Wonder Wheel speaks to me of the cycle of existence; the dribbles and haphazard brushwork of energy and chaos. This wheel is something we must all cling to and ride.

Jan Van Dijk’s works speak to us from the warm summer world of the Amusement park; something that most of us may rarely experience, yet we are all familiar with.  As a Queenslander, Van Dijk would be well familiar with the attraction of theme parks.  The excitement of the ride is a beautiful analogy to the inevitable ups and downs of life. This show continues til the 7^th of August at Greenhill Galleries in North Adelaide and is well worth a visit.

Greenhill Galleries Adelaide

Bowerbird bazaar this weekend- don’t miss out

Bowerbird bazaar this weekend- don’t miss out

Yet again a new array of excellent design in the one spot.

Wild Fibre Artists-Worn to the edge

Worn to the edge is an exhibition that brings together 9 textile artists working in different media. Each artist has explored the theme of “worn to the edge” which carries with it a range of possible meanings. Sharing a common interest in the textile and fibre these artists have put together a stunning array of work. I must admit I was a little dubious that I would enjoy a textile based exhibition such as this. Meeting a few online friends working in this area showed me that it could be much more than nanna rugs and pompoms atop woolly hats. The wild fibre artist’s exhibition includes papermaking and sculptured forms as well as art to wear. This exhibition is on display at Prospect Gallery until the 22^nd of July.

Bev Bills’ work is appropriately titled “On the edge”, it is a mixed media piece incorporating a photographic transfer with embroidered elements. It has been machine stitched in places with various coloured thread. The work shows the rusted edge of a sheet of corrugated iron; corroded and falling apart. Bills has stitched over the surface  in a wave-like pattern, reflecting the surface structure and using many colours, almost in an effort to repair the dilapidated metal. Beneath the work, she has patched a piece of worn denim with 9 buttons. The number of buttons could refer to the number artists in this group that meets and exhibits together. We all have worn aspects of our lives that need to be carefully patched and repaired. Through this work we can see the result of this patching and reworking is that we can become something new. Revitalised and restored thought we may be we are never the same.

Gem Congdon interpreted the theme in a different manner. She viewed the manner in which we as humans have worn animals to the edge of extinction. For Congdon, the main element of her work is texture. It is a patchwork of rectangular and square sheets of fabric that mimic the hides of endangered beasts.  These squares are contrasted against a dark background. Closer inspection reveals that the hides themselves are worn and frazzled. The darkened background serves to highlight this feature. Our impact on the environment is often a slow and gradual thing. “Edge of extinction” reflects this process. As our clothing can be worn to shreds through constant use or neglect, so to can our environment.

“Fracture” is a wall hanging constructed by Liz Steveson. She has constructed this work with a pair of worn child’s jeans. The background is an assortment of treasured fabrics. This interpretation of “Worn” is different from the other artists in that Steveson brings a nostalgic remnant into the work. Children’s clothing is something that carries a lot of memories. We see a deeper meaning in this piece; a mother’s love in patching a child’s favourite garment again and again until eventually they grow out of them. As I sort through my own children’s clothing a myriad of memories flood into your mind. This work is no doubt the same for Liz Steveson, precious memories contained in this object may only be known to the artist. “Fracture” is a work composed of edges, and not just in a physical sense, entire and jagged, sharp and graded, rough and smooth, straight and curved can describe moments in one’s life just as easily as a piece of fabric.

Worn to the edge Media Release- from Prospect Gallery