Iron-ish Designer

Perhaps the most animated audience I have seen so far at SOD, the mostly twenty-something crowd who turned up to see emerging and established designers battle it out at Iron Designer were already pretty liquid by the time the game show graphics started. But sadly the coordinated outfits and choreographed beginning didn't amount to much more than the montage of misfits flashed on the big screen.

It was an impressive line-up of talent - with Studio Round, HPG, Minifie Nixon and The Signet Bureau battling it out in the first round, and Tin & Ed, Motherbird, XYZ and Right Angle Studio taking each other on in the second - but the ideas didn't seem to make much out of the table of goodies.



The final showdown - with finalists The Signet Bureau and Tin & Ed challenging reigning winners Monash University - was most notable only perhaps for the inclusion of Mikael Colville-Andersen's young son playing the role of "the known Universe" in Monash's failed attempt. Apparently the Sydney version of this event - on show as part of Sydney Design - has already sold-out...but I can't help but wonder why. I am told this was a stand-out event last year, but sadly, I missed that...and the point of all this.



At least on the way home, I got to have a look at Trent Jansen's work fully lit...so beautiful how his temporary foam structures, powered with battery-operated LEDs, mirrored the building lights opposite.

Design blogger's dinner

And so it followed, after a frantic day of reinventing Punt Road, I headed to the HQ of the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) to see the first screening of Eco Innovators "The Secret Life of Things".

The first installment of an animated film series, aimed at educated young and old about the life-cycle of the possessions they keep buying, it was funded by the British Council, and spearheaded by the irrepressible Leyla Acaroglu. A girl of many talents (see my article about her "Showcase" of eco products here), Leyla not only helped write and produce the film - in collaboration with Nicholas Kallicos and Tim Grant - but also provided some of the cute vocals. Check it out:



Following this, I made the mad dash across town with Trent Jansen and his lovely girlfriend, to Comme for a dinner discussion about design blogging. Definitely marked as one of the highlights of the SOD festival, I was keen to hear what Melbourne girl Lucy Feagins (The Design Files), Mikael Colville-Andersen (Copenhagenize and Copenhagen Cycle Chic) and Dan Hill (City of Sound) had to say about the rise of online communication, and what it has meant to them as bloggers. (And sitting at the central table with Comme owner Frank Van Handel, I was certainly in prime position).

We were treated to lots of insider knowledge about how each of them have emerged as design and trend gurus, plus the food seared fish with creamy sweet potato mash - was just what I needed after a long day of learning.

(There's a cheesie picture of Lucy and I here).

Time to get serious...

Well I guess it kind of had to happen - the point when I decided to add the link to this to my regular email, thereby forcing myself to write about things people other than my family might be interested in! Well, soon, but not yet. I have to redesign it first...

(But you can follow me on Twitter)

Right now I am in Perth, frantically trying to prepare for the upcoming State of Design Festival, and all the events that I am covering on their own, and as a wrap-up for DQ. I am super excited about so many things!!

Like this dinner at Comme...

And the Top 6 x 6 designers...

Not to mention Iron Designer...

And Rick Joy's work...

The only bad thing about it is that it is only one once a year...