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Tasmania showcases its wood design works
By Susan Grigson
Symbols of an ancient civilisation, medieval cathedrals, the hinges and cables of boat building. The common thread, you ask? These were the inspirations for some superb pieces created by Tasmania 's top wood designers.
The items are on show in an Aspects of the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection tour that was launched in January.
The tour takes a selection of pieces from the permanent Tasmanian Wood Design Collection, based at the Design Centre in Launceston.
The collection itself, was established in 1991 to sustain and promote Tasmania 's unique wood design industry and the island's role as a producer of wood works of excellence.
Tasmania 's capacity to grow a wide range of native timbers suitable for top quality wood designs—including the famous Huon pine, celery top pine, sassafras and myrtle trees—is the foundation of the industry.
In the hands of Tasmania 's skilled artisans, these timbers are being transformed into functional and aesthetically beautiful objects such as contemporary chairs, tables, jewellery boxes, soup ladles and pepper grinders.
The Aspects of the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection tour has visited countries as diverse as China , Finland , Germany , South Korea , Sweden and the United States, but until this year Australian mainlanders have missed out.
This year and in 2006 the tour will visit Victoria , South Australia and Western Australia .
Aspects has been supported by the Australian Government's Visions of Australia program, which funds tours of cultural material from sources as varied as social history, Indigenous culture, science, art and craft.
The program assists small community museums and cultural centres where so many of Australia 's important cultural items are held and that often face financial and logistical constraints in developing and touring exhibitions.
Launceston's Design Centre general manager, Dr Astrid Wootton, says Visions funding has been central in mounting the Aspects tour.
‘It is quite a massive task for a small organisation such as ours to manage, curate, catalogue and freight a long tour like Aspects .'
‘We do this while running a full exhibition program in our home venue and dealing with acquisitions, conservation and display of our permanent collection, among many other things!'
Aspects of the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection has been to Geelong , Sale , Ballarat and Shepparton in Victoria . In early September 2005 it will visit Hamilton before crossing the South Australian border to Adelaide , Mt Gambier, Port Pirie and Port Lincoln . The tour is expected to close in Perth in August 2006.
For tour details contact the Design Centre on 03 6331 5505 or email info@twdc.org.au or visit www.twdc.org.au to learn more about the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection.
For information on the Visions of Australia program, see www.dcita.gov.au