At one point or another we all search for meaning in our lives. In modern times, we are increasingly challenged to question our expectations of current design practices and its implications on the environment.
Join Studio PCL for their installation Precious Matters presented in Rathdowne Village in the boutique window of Robyn Black and Booker & Co, on display at any time across Melbourne Design Week. The installation focusses on the role of non-virgin materials used during the process and the values placed on raw materials used in daily life. Applying the traditional techniques of quilting, patchwork and hand embroidery, Studio PCL re-imagines the occasional chair to create an object that blurs the lines between form and function, while locally produced fashion garments are given a ‘hand’ touch. The objects form a narrative of transformation centering around the infinite potential of already existing and overlooked materials and the potential for design to play an activist role.
An in-store hand embroidery ‘performance’ demonstration will be held on Saturday 25 May in conjunction with the installation.
Participants
Phong Chi Lai
Phong Chi Lai is a Vietnamese-Australian designer/maker based in Melbourne (Naarm/Birrarung-ga). He specialises in contemporary quilts and soft sculptures through improv patchwork. His work has been exhibited at The Wangaratta Art Gallery, QuiltCon, SchoolHouse Studios Gallery, Linden New Art Gallery and The Australian Tapestry Workshop. He has collaborated with The Social Studio, The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild and The Australian Tapestry Workshop to facilitate improv hand quilting and natural dyeing workshops. Phong is a current Artist in Residence at The Australian Tapestry Workshop.
At one point or another we all search for meaning in our lives. In modern times, we are increasingly challenged to question our expectations of current design practices and its implications on the environment.
Join Studio PCL for their installation Precious Matters presented in Rathdowne Village in the boutique window of Robyn Black and Booker & Co, on display at any time across Melbourne Design Week. The installation focusses on the role of non-virgin materials used during the process and the values placed on raw materials used in daily life. Applying the traditional techniques of quilting, patchwork and hand embroidery, Studio PCL re-imagines the occasional chair to create an object that blurs the lines between form and function, while locally produced fashion garments are given a ‘hand’ touch. The objects form a narrative of transformation centering around the infinite potential of already existing and overlooked materials and the potential for design to play an activist role.
An in-store hand embroidery ‘performance’ demonstration will be held on Saturday 25 May in conjunction with the installation.
Participants
Phong Chi Lai
Phong Chi Lai is a Vietnamese-Australian designer/maker based in Melbourne (Naarm/Birrarung-ga). He specialises in contemporary quilts and soft sculptures through improv patchwork. His work has been exhibited at The Wangaratta Art Gallery, QuiltCon, SchoolHouse Studios Gallery, Linden New Art Gallery and The Australian Tapestry Workshop. He has collaborated with The Social Studio, The Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild and The Australian Tapestry Workshop to facilitate improv hand quilting and natural dyeing workshops. Phong is a current Artist in Residence at The Australian Tapestry Workshop.