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NEWS

Design exhibition celebrates Kiwi creativity

Friday 16 September 2011, 12:34PM

By Massey University

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Circuit by 2010 graduates Yannick Gillain, Felix Telfer and Shinji Dawson is a short computer animation, using character conflict to draw attention to the increasingly important issue of the 'Digital Divide'
Circuit by 2010 graduates Yannick Gillain, Felix Telfer and Shinji Dawson is a short computer animation, using character conflict to draw attention to the increasingly important issue of the 'Digital Divide' Credit: Massey University
exhibition project coordinator Luit Bieringa, who is holding a copy of a book about Arthur Riley the founder of the Wellington School of Design.
exhibition project coordinator Luit Bieringa, who is holding a copy of a book about Arthur Riley the founder of the Wellington School of Design. Credit: Massey University
Life Chair by Mark Pennington at Formway
Life Chair by Mark Pennington at Formway Credit: Massey University
Instrument Supplies drench gun designed by Peter Tasker
Instrument Supplies drench gun designed by Peter Tasker Credit: Massey University

WELLINGTON CITY

From pop-up toasters to peerless film production – an exhibition billed as New Zealand’s biggest ever showcase of design is set to open at Massey’s Wellington campus.

The exhibition OldSchool/New School, an art and design history of New Zealand, will be on display in the Great Hall of the Museum Building from September 29. It celebrates all aspects of Kiwi design ranging from the practical application of industrial design, to the aesthetic of fashion design and the high-tech properties in communication design.

The exhibition is the highlight of the College of Creative Arts 125th anniversary and is part of the Real New Zealand Festival being held to celebrate all things Kiwi during the Rugby World Cup.

Exhibition project coordinator Luit Bieringa says the exhibition, which continues till November 5, showcases items central to New Zealand’s identity and its economic and social development dating back to 1886 when Arthur Riley opened the Wellington School of Design, a forerunner institution to the current College of Creative Arts.

“Fashion designers, artists, industrial designers, photographers, book designers. Some of the biggest names in the art design world have studies here. The school has given them the tools to go away and create their and New Zealand’s future,” he says.

“The underlying ethic of the design school is one in which people are actually making things. The end results are everything from a Zip toaster to a dress to an advertisement, to a film production studio - in the case of Sir Richard Taylor. They are all part of that practical application of art and design to the world, with the positive benefits this brings to our economy and cultural identity.”

To this end the exhibition has been loosely clustered into four categories: Design for living incorporating everyday products used in the home; design for industry comprising practical working products; design for entertainment and design for identity, including books, photography, graphics design, art and fashion.

Exhibition designer and lecturer in Industrial Design, Matthijs Siljee, says the Great Hall will be filled with exhibits from the everyday to the “out of this world”. He is anticipating a wide range of reactions to the products on show.

“There will be many iconic objects and images that New Zealanders will recognise as part of its cultural identity and history. Overseas visitors will be surprised at the everyday objects they encounter that have been designed here.”

Executive producer of the exhibition, Associate Professor Claire Robinson, says design is the unsung hero of New Zealand industry and culture. “Designers normally just get on with their work and don’t celebrate their amazing achievements. This exhibition gives us an opportunity to showcase some of our most important designers and their successes and in the process demonstrate to the world that there is more to New Zealand than rugby and our clean, green image. We are also incredibly creative and innovative.”

Old School/New School, an art and design history of New Zealand is being held at the Museum Building, Buckle St, Wellington from September 29-November 5.