Object’s 2015 Vision coincides with our upcoming 50th anniversary and is a reimagining of what kind of institution we will become and how we work in the future. It is also largely about securing a permanent home for Object that will allow us to be innovators in the way we engage with audiences. If you are unfamiliar with our 2015 Vision click here.

As we enter new and interesting times for the sector as a whole, Object has spent much time working with its passionate Board of Directors considering new models of operation that will work to support our ambitions for 2015.

One key change is the decision to suspend our current retail operation – Collect. This is certainly not a decision to stop retail activity; in fact it is what will enable us to become bigger and better at a potential retail venture in the future. The suspension of retail as we know it will provide us with the opportunity to explore and expand on new and innovative retail ideas.

Alice Rawsthorn has a long and detailed history with design, which is well elaborated on at her website. She is presently the design critic for the International Herald Tribune and is a former director of the Design Museum in London. She delivered the keynote address at 7 Kinds of Happiness, held as part of DesignEX.

Rawsthorn kicked off her keynote address by defining design as a resourceful, intuitive response to a problem — whether that means crafting a clay cup so you no longer have to drink with your hands, or developing quantum computing so that your iPad can get a little lighter.

Linda van Niekerk’s exhibition Wood You Wear? boldly and aptly questions assumptions about functionality and provenance and reflects her curious and audacious process in creating her new jewellery designs.

The small scale of the community in Tasmania and connectedness inherent in this proximity has led to a collegiality among designer makers and a collaborative spirit. In this exhibition van Niekerk capitalises on these exchanges through the design process she employs.

To create these new works there have been ‘partnerships’ with six different designers makers who each knowingly, either at the time of making or event after, have consented to van Niekerk using their completed components or discarded remnants as the major feature of her jewellery. Remarkably she resists temptation to re-design, adapt or re-mould, instead simply honouring the form and subverting the function.

In a successful attempt to enhance the experience of their visitors, New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design established the Open Studio Program in 2008. A three month in-house residency, the program allows six artists to work in a studio on the sixth floor, providing them with prime public exposure. In addition, museum visitors are given the opportunity to learn about craft and design practice. However, by blurring the line between a private studio and a place for unrestrained public discussion, one begins to question the benefits of this noon-traditional space.

As well as more conventional jewellery and ceramic practices, the current program houses Don Porcella, a pipe-cleaner sculptor whose thoughts on the Open Studio Program provoke the same fascination one gets from looking at his hand-made tools.

Object is excited to announce that the Australian Design Alliance has come on board as an Industry Partner for our creative program CUSP: Designing for the Next Decade. As part of this partnership, AdA Executive Director Lisa Cahill joined the Object team for a day planning marketing and communication ideas for the program.

Last week I joined 10 people from the fabulous Object team to design a marketing strategy for their new project. CUSP: Designing for the Next Decade kicks off in Sydney in March 2013. It will involve 12 amazing Australian designers doing groundbreaking work towards evolving a better future for us all. I’m there because the Australian Design Alliance is a partner on CUSP and Object is one of our valued associate members.

The great thing about being part of this project is that Object takes design thinking into every aspect of the work they do. Everyone at Object is involved in making this project happen — marketing, admin and curatorial staff, producers, the General Manager and Director all contributed.