RESPONSE: Creative Collaborations

Objects!
Potts Point Bookshop, 14 Macleay Street, Elizabeth Bay
Tuesday 1 October – Thursday 31 October, Mondays – Saturdays, 9am – 6pm, Sundays 10am – 5pm

Australian Design Centre and Potts Point Bookshop have joined forces for Sydney Craft Week to present the collaborative exhibition Objects! ADC’s Artistic Director and CEO Lisa Cahill has chosen 10 small, handcrafted objects by local Sydney designer makers; they will nestle amongst the books. Together they create a beautiful visual synergy of creativity. All works are for sale supporting the makers and local small business.

ADC first launched Sydney Craft Week in 2017 – the festival now runs over 10 days with more than 600 participating artists presenting nearly 150 events. This year’s theme is RESPONSE, and this is the first time ADC and PPB have come together for an exhibition. Lisa Cahill explains how it came about.

What made you think of this collaboration?
Partnerships and collaborations are what Sydney Craft Week Festival is all about, amplifying what we do day to day to make something extra special for the festival. I think it is tough for small business in the current economic climate and so joining forces to introduce what we do to new audiences in new ways is what this is about. Also I borrowed the idea from a similar event in a Melbourne bookstore during Design Week!

Where have you sourced the 10 objects from?
The 10 objects are selected from Australian Design Centre’s Object Shop.

Where do the makers come from and what materials are they working with?
I’ve selected works by makers who we show in Object Shop and to showcase the diversity of craft practice. All the objects are small scale (they fit on top of a book used as a plinth) and are ceramics, recycled glass, textiles and fibre, wood and silicone.

What was the last book you bought from the bookshop?
I joined the Potts Point Bookstore book group and last week we talked about Spontaneous Acts by Yoko Tawada. I’m still not really sure what it is about but it was certainly interesting – a dreamlike tale of a person emerging from lockdown – and very much about language. Vastly different from my world of objects.

How has Sydney Craft Week developed since it began in 2017?
The Festival is now in its 8th year. I can hardly believe it has been going for so long. It really is a wonderful collaborative effort from the ADC team and the craft community and I think more and more the value of making is resonating with people. Doing something with our hands is so restorative, creative and inspiring. Craft is accessible and there are so many thing people can try their hand at. Not everyone will be a professional artist but that shouldn’t stop the enjoyment that comes from a creative practice.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m really looking forward to the two day Sydney Ceramics Market at Carriageworks and the Hazelhurst Markets as I get to see lots of craft friends in the one spot. And I’ll be getting to as many exhibitions, talks and events as possible over the next few weeks and during the Festival.

Many more beautiful hand-crafted items are available at Australian Design Centre’s Object Shop.