THE SHAPE DESIGN
The Age
Friday June 19, 2009
JEWEL CITIZEN DEYAN Sudjic, director of London's Design Museum, has commissioned Melbourne jewellery designer Susan Cohn (left) to curate an international exhibition of contemporary jewellery. Sudjic was after a maker's perspective, though may have also had promotional motives. "Inviting someone from Australia was, I suppose, to ensure that international overview with different eyes to Europe, the UK and US," says Cohn.But filling 500 square metres of exhibition with jewellery will be a massive endeavour and Cohn has just returned from a scouting expedition to Europe. "There was a lot of 'Why you'? she says of the European response to her appointment. "It was quite nice to say 'Why not?' But generally jewellers were pleased that it was someone from outside, so it wouldn't be predictable."designmuseum.org REWARD SCHEMES WIN AUSTRALIAN expat David Droga created history at last week's design and art director's awards in London. New Yorkbased Droga won two Black Pencils for his Million campaign for the New York education system. He used mobile phones as an incentive to encourage school attendance, participation and rewards for learning. The bribery worked.Students received air time for phone calls, texting and music downloads and schools enjoyed improved progress reports and grades. Droga's other winner, the Great Schlep, used comedian Sarah Silverman in a video to encourage Jewish voters to schlep to Florida and convince their grandparents to vote for Obama. Four other Australian creatives also picked up coveted Yellow Pencils. dandad.org GOLD MEDAL SWIM EVENT THE Beijing Water Cube, designed by Australian firm PTW, continues to perform swimmingly. Last week its engineers, Arup, won Britain's biggest prize for engineering innovation. The Duke of Edinburgh presented the 40th annual MacRobert Award to the Arup team with a $100,000 prize and the solid gold MacRobert medal.Based on the geometry of soap bubbles, the Beijing National Aquatics Centre's signature cube is made from lightweight transparent plastic. Made with 22,000 individual pieces and 12,000 joints, it is considered perhaps the most earthquakeresistant building to date.raeng.org.uk PLEASE EXPLAIN AFTER its how-to kits on eco design, intellectual property and sustainable design, Design Victoria launches a guide next week on exporting. A collection of case studies, The Case for Export promises tips on the opportunities and pitfalls, based on the experiences of Victorian designers. Contributors include Catalyst Design chief executive Hugo Davidson, Qube Konstrukt creative director Adam Gardiner, and Geyer Design chief executive Peter McCamley.designvic.com STREET CRED AS THE city gears up for the State of Design festival, architect and industrial designer Michael Trudgeon looks to the streets with his Blue Stone Lounge Room exhibition at the City Gallery. Designing the Streets of Melbourne demonstrates how the city's roads have been continually doctored. Bins, benches and footpath widths have all changed over the years to accommodate aesthetic and practical requirements.Using archival photography and actual objects, the exhibition will also display draftsmen's drawings, including that of a one-person urinal from the 1880s.City Gallery, Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street, July 17 - Sept 30, melbourne.vic.gov.au/arts -- RAY EDGAR
© 2009 The Age
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