Next month Australian homewares distributor Maxwell & Williams will launch a collection of asymmetric ceramics called Parts by Berlin based designers ett la benn. Made up of 19 pieces, the off-kilter shapes were inspired by the designer’s popular ‘Kami‘ collection made from 100% biodegradable cellulose which they introduced last year.
Last month I stumbled across the magical work of Australian jewelry label Billy Bride, whose rough cut crystal ring designs are now at the very top of my Christmas list. Their striking jewelry is all handmade in Australia from locally sourced minerals, stones and crystals. The lady behind the label is Renee Warne, who runs Billy Bride from her studio in Sydney. What is particularly beautiful about her work is her clear passion for the materials she works with. Renee researches and details on her website each crystal’s spiritual properties so her customers can find a design that not only looks striking but also has symbolic importance. Lin-Morris caught up with Renee to find out more about her crystal obsession and to see her latest collection, Enter Oblivion, which sees the designer sourcing materials from outside of Australia for the first time. Read the rest of this entry »
Adelaide based designers Daniel Emma design and make the desktop accessories of my dreams. Their first D.E. production collection launched in 2010 and has been high on my wish list since I first laid eyes on it at 100% Design in London last year. The clear acrylic balls they use for their Stationery Container and Rubberband Ball remind me of the crystals that David Bowie carried around with him in my favourite 80s cult film Labyrinth (those who have no idea what I’m talking about click here). As Bowie says of his own crystals “This is not a gift for an ordinary girl”.
This month’s National Geographic magazine features the amazing work of Sydney based photographer Murray Fredericks. Called Salt Flats, the images look like a collection of computer renderings, however, they actually show the 3,700 square miles of featureless landscape that is Lake Eyre, the lowest point in Australia. On the rare occasion that the lake fills up, it becomes the largest lake in the country and 18th largest in the world. Over the course of eight years, Fredericks visited the lake every winter and camped there alone for five weeks. In winter, the heart of the lake completely dries up under the harsh sun, wind and cold, allowing him to capture these desolate images with intense, saturated colours. In the image above, at first light, predawn colours are reflected and distorted by a rare rain puddle in the highly saline lake.