Exhibition to shed new light on furniture design

The craftsmanship and originality of the University of Tasmania’s third-year Furniture Design students will be showcased in a graduate exhibition opening at the Design Tasmania Centre in Launceston today (Friday, November 27).

The works on show in MODE range from small products and objects such as mugs, clocks and lights, through to dining suites and benches.

“This year we’ve got lots of lighting, and lots of different techniques on display,” the School of Architecture and Design’s Furniture Design program director, Simon Ancher, said.

“There’s quite a range, but the thing that ties them all together is the materiality, and the individual approaches to using various materials.”

The Furniture Design course was not “wood-centric” and allowed students to pursue their own aspirations and dreams, Mr Ancher said.

“Students have to have a willingness to get their hands dirty, to experiment and learn, and to be a sponge for questioning and inquiry,” he said.

“The strongest quality for being a good designer is to continue asking questions, such as why am I using this design, why am I taking this approach, and almost at every stage not being satisfied with where you’re at.”

The Design Tasmania Centre is located on the corner of Tamar and Brisbane Streets. Its opening hours are 9.30am-5.30pm (weekdays), 10am-4pm (weekends). Today there will be floor talks from 5pm and an official opening at 6pm. The exhibition runs until February 2016.
University of Tasmania, Communications and Media Office