They're teachers, collectors, makers, architects, and even a comedian. They're the people behind everything from the controversial building you drive past to the chairs you sit on to how you perceive your surroundings. And they're all creating impact through their one shared love – design.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They'll share their passion for their craft through more than 70 events as part of Design Canberra – nine days of exhibitions and talks to open studios, tours and collaborations.
It's certainly the last thing he's known for. Tim "Rosso" Ross, one half of comedy duo Merrick and Rosso and much-loved radio presenter, actor and writer, is now pouring his efforts into a whole other passion – design and architecture.
"I've always been a furniture collector and my father is an antique dealer, so I've always had this appreciation of history and design and industrial design, and I inherited his fascination for the story of things," he says.
"Twenty years ago almost I started collecting furniture from the '50s, '60s and '70s, and that sort of spiralled out of control until I had so many things … I've always liked houses; being a kid of the suburbs I watched the suburbs grow up around me and it sort of just expanded from that – I decided to put all my passions together."
Together with his mate, musician Kit Warhurst, they developed Man About The House in 2012. They've been performing the show ever since, everywhere from iconic buildings to people's lounge rooms, in locations from Melbourne to Palm Springs in the US.
Ross says the show can best be described as an "old-fashioned variety show", with comedy, music and a bit of history rolled together.
"I always think about some of the design aspects but I'm not an expert, I'm not an architect, and I try not to bore people. I tend to try and find a funny story to illustrate a point because the show is a comedy show. A lot of the time I let the venues speak for themselves."
As part of Design Canberra, they're bringing the show to one of the capital's iconic buildings, if only for its extraterrestrial resemblance – the Shine Dome, Australian Academy of Science at Acton. The dome-shaped, heritage-listed building, built in the 1950s, was designed by Australian architect Sir Roy Grounds.
"Roy Grounds did such an extraordinary job and it still looks great today. I love the whole idea of calling it the Martian embassy – it's always something that's amused me. But I think it's time to revisit it and look past the kitsch and look past the Martian jokes and think about it as a wonderful piece of contemporary architecture.
"It's a beautiful building. I went down and had a little look around and did a site check and it's a really special place. They've done a great job restoring it – it's got all the original furniture in it. It's literally stuck in time in a way that so many buildings like that aren't."
Man About The House with Tim 'Rosso' Ross and Kit Warhurst
When: Wednesday, November 25, 7.30pm
Where: The Shine Dome, Acton
Tickets: $38.50 from designcanberrafestival.com.au
ANCA Design Open Day
While anyone can see the end design of a piece, being able to intimately view the process is quite something else – usually reserved only for the artists themselves.
For one afternoon, Australian National Capital Artists (ANCA) will open their studios in Mitchell and Dickson to give the public an opportunity to get up close and personal with their designers.
One of ANCA's rising stars, jewellery maker Phoebe Porter, will open her studio space in Dickson, showing off every step of the process in creating her unique style of jewellery.
"I think because a lot of people don't do a lot of hand making any more, they're quite fascinated to see all the tools and how it's actually done," she says.
Porter first studied silversmithing at the ANU School of Art. Her geometric-shaped designs stem from the piece's fastening mechanisms – using what is often an afterthought as the design's catalyst.
"It becomes really integral to the design rather than something that's just attached afterwards. I rarely use sort of commercial fittings and I always try to make that a considered and totally integral part of each design.
"It's the kind of modernist desire to have the function of something fully integrated into the aesthetics – sort of get away from decoration as such and have the beauty of a piece come through it working in the most streamlined way."
The designer moved to Melbourne after her studies to hone her skills under the guidance of contemporary jeweller Blanche Tilden, and moved back to Canberra three years ago to continue making.
"I think it's an exciting time for Canberra; there's a lot more opportunities from when I left to when I've come back – the city feels quite different.
"It seems like people are starting to stay here rather than feeling like they have to leave and go to a bigger city if they want to pursue a career in design – there's more opportunities to stay and grow a small business in Canberra."
ANCA Design Open Day
When: Sunday, November 22, 2pm-6pm
Where: ANCA Dickson, 1 Rosevear Place and ANCA Mitchell, 96 Hoskins Street.
Tickets: Free, no booking required. See anca.net.au.
Thought – Process by Tom Skeehan
Wherever you eat or drink coffee in Canberra, there's an increasingly good chance you've come across something designed by Tom Skeehan. The industrial designer has now worked with eightysix restaurant, Barrio coffee collective, Hotel Hotel, Lonsdale Street Roasters and the newly opened XO in Narrabundah to create bespoke furniture and even chopsticks.
The work of Skeehan is in demand. He has studied at the Canberra Institute of Technology and the University of Canberra, and done an apprenticeship of sorts in the middle in furniture making. His process is one that's completely materials-driven.
"I let them really speak for themselves and be honest by finding a minimal style allowing the person viewing the product to understand maybe how it's made or how it's connected," he says.
"I think a lot of that inspiration comes from Japanese design – they have a very honest approach to furniture. They design for longevity, and they consider its environment – where it's going and what it's designed for. And that story's really beautiful."
It's this process which will be on full display at his first solo exhibition, Thought – Process, as part of Design Canberra. The exhibition, running from November 6 to December 12, shows the journey of a piece from sketch to finished product. He's also sharing his skills with a much younger audience with a drawing workshop for kids aged from eight to 12.
"I wanted people, kids especially, to get involved and understand that it's OK to make and tinker and play and just explore materials and sketch," he says.
"I was really lucky from a young age being encouraged to be creative and I think that's a really lovely way to grow up and be allowed to play and experiment."
Drawing our City: Workshop for Children
When: Saturday, November 28, 1pm-3pm
Where: Craft ACT Gallery, Level 1 North Building, 180 London Circuit, Canberra
Tickets: Free. Bookings essential at craftact.org.au.
More events to check out:
– The duo behind purveyors of reusing materials, boyandgirlco, will use leather from BMW along with car parts to create bespoke pieces which will be sold through silent auctions, with proceeds donated to charity. November 21-28. Open Monday to Saturday, 8am-4.30pm. Rolfe Classic BMW, Phillip. Free.
– Go on a behind the scenes tour of Canberra Airport led by the architect. Saturday, November 21, 10am. Free but bookings essential on gmb@gmbarchitects.com.
– Find the story of items that have ended up in the tip at The Green Shed Shop Garema Place pop-up. November 21-28, 10.30am-6pm weekdays, open till 7pm Friday and 4pm Saturday. Free. See thegreenshedcafe.com.au.
– A classic Greek theatre realised as a contemporary pop-up with a program of theatre, cabaret, film and spoken word by the Aspen Island Theatre Company. November 21-29. Civic Square, London Circuit. See aitc.org.au for performance times and tickets.
