Mother of invention

Dr Astrid Wootton, Director
Tasmanian Wood Design Collection
Design Centre - Tasmania

THE creative talents of students from St Patrick’s College were unleashed at The Mother of Invention exhibition at the Design Centre – Tasmania in Launceston.

On display were full scale furniture and household items made entirely of wire, papier maché, cardboard and colourful paint.

The exhibition was presented by the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection (TWDC) which is based at the Design Centre and aims to support and sustain Tasmanian design, including by encouraging school-age children to relate to design and to make it a fundamental part of their world.

The Mother of Invention exhibition was a joint project between the TWDC, the College and Tasmanian artist Ross Byers. The title relates to the saying “necessity is the mother of invention” and was prompted by the fact that the material limitations of the brief meant the students were required to develop novel and interesting ways to create their `furniture’.

Ross Byers is both an artist and designer and has been an inspirational influence on the students. He is endlessly creative with his primary medium of cardboard and provided students with a unique perspective of the possibilities of design.

The ideas and concepts underlying this exhibition were intrinsically linked to those embodied by the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection: the appropriate and sensitive use of resources to create innovative, aesthetically pleasing functional products.

I believe furniture made out of cardboard, wire and little else can be functional and Ross and the students of St. Patrick's College have created pieces which, while not always fully functional, provide a basis on which to progress to a more sustainable, carbon-friendly furniture production.

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