In collaboration with Creative Director and writer Stephen Todd, the Powerhouse has commissioned nine design studios to work with researchers and practitioners from alternative industries to create a series of furniture and objects exploring the rapidly changing global landscape and the most pressing issues of our time, from the COVID-19 pandemic to increasing effects of climate change.

Acclaimed designer Trent Jansen and Nyikina man and saddler, Johnny Nargoodah explore the environmental changes witnessed by Johnny and his community in Western Australia with a critical piece of design communicating the traditional laws pertaining to the land and commenting on the devastating effects of climate change.

Using large-scale 3D printing, Sydney-based industrial and fine furniture designer Adam Goodrum, in collaboration with Ella Williams and Tran Dang of the UTS Advanced Fabrication Lab present furniture made from recycled ocean plastic, placing environmental considerations at the heart of the design process.

Sydney-based product and furniture designer Henry Wilson and Melbourne-based artist Stanislava Pinchuk present a reinterpretation of the water feature, commenting on the impact of
climate change on the urban ecosystem.

Industrial designer Charles Wilson in collaboration with Gaurav Giri & Bala Mulloth of Hava Inc seek to reinvent domestic air purifiers. Design Duo GibsonKarlo, in collaboration with Australian Research Council Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla, explore the concept of death and its implications for those left behind, with artefacts developed from the objects left by the deceased.

Amsterdam-based designers Rive Roshan, in collaboration with Emmaline Cox, Design Director of Axolotl, Sydney, respond to the global pandemic, natural disasters and lockdown, with a responsive light source that brings the experiences of nature into the home.

Industrial and furniture designer Tom Fereday in collaboration with Dr Thea Brejzek Professor of Spatial Theory at UTS propose a series of sustainable, inclusive and responsible domestic products that respond to the themes of privacy, isolation and the importance of human interaction in the time of widespread spatial distancing.

Sydney industrial designer Andrew Simpson and mechanical engineer Professor Tracie Barber present a contemporary home shrine, a space to refocus and de-stress.

Designer Elliat Rich with neuroscientist Professor Joel Pearson and Canberra Glassworks redefine the domestic mirror, exploring
the concept of intrinsic wellness.

Sarah Buckley

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