FORM

RICHES OF ISOLATION

April 28 to May 28, 2006, FORM Gallery,  April 5 – 10 2006, Milan.

FORM, in collaboration with Curtin University of Technology’s Faculty of Built Environment and Design (BEAD), presented the Riches of Isolation exhibition. The exhibition was conceived specifically to showcase innovative designs by participants in programs initiated by FORM and Curtin. The exhibited works sought to reflect a uniquely Western Australian design ethos and identity, thereby establishing a point of difference for local products in the international and national market. Another intent of the collaboration was to illustrate the opportunities available to local designers for career development and raise the profile of Western Australia’s immense craft and design talent, both locally and internationally.

In what was a coup for FORM, Curtin and the Western Australian design sector, Riches of Isolation was selected to exhibit at the 2006 Milan International Furniture Fair’s Salone Satellite, to an audience of over 200,000 people. Riches of Isolation was subsequently exhibited at the FORM Gallery in Perth. The exhibition showcased exemplary West Australian design work including furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles, timber and metal.

The project contained three strands through which it sought to add value to Western Australia’s craft and design sector: the exhibition; the promotion and exposure of Western Australian craft and design via the exhibition, catalogue and associated promotional material; and the professional development of individuals associated with the project.

In trying to articulate an identity for Western Australian design, each exhibitor responded to the show’s themes by proposing their own concepts of what constitutes Western Australian design. Selections from 95 entries were made through a two tiered process. The final 29 pieces were selected by an independent jury for their innovation and interpretation of the themes.
 
The exhibition in Milan was attended by 16 of the exhibitors and the four curators from Curtin and FORM, providing substantial professional and career development opportunities.

The exhibition catalogue showcased the individual artists as well as broader innovative arts development initiatives within a Western Australian context, and articulated the design approaches stemming from the unique circumstances of our state and isolation. In an associated public program, FORM and Curtin conducted three presentations disseminating the Milan experience, with presentations by several of the exhibitors and curators.

Riches of Isolation participating designers:
Angela Mellor, Anna Radeski, Anthony Docherty, Carolyn Smith, Daniel Troy, Debbie Cluer, Holly Grace, Gaiya Designs (Stephen Julius Cestrilli, Phil Ryan and Carolyn Smith), Irene Schneider, Jennelle Horsford, Kate Stokes, Malcolm Harris, Michelle Salomone, Nicole Rogers, Olivia George, Penelope Forlano, Chris Robins, Sarah Sandler, Stuart Williams, Stephen Julius Cestrilli, Steven Pooley, Tim Whiteman, Warren East.