New Zealand Student Craft Design Awards
Recognising and rewarding student artists and designers
Our 2021 Judges
— Tom Dixon
Established in 2002, Tom Dixon is a British luxury design brand which is represented in 90 countries. Specialising in furniture, lighting and accessories, Tom Dixon has hubs in London, Milan, Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. With an aesthetic that is intrinsically inspired by the brand's British roots, the products are internationally recognised and appreciated for their pioneering use of materials and techniques.
Founder and eponymous Creative Director Tom Dixon is a restless innovator who rose to prominence in the mid- 1980s as a maverick, untrained designer with a line in welded salvage furniture. While working with the Italian giant Cappellini he designed the widely acclaimed 'S' Chair. In the late 90s Tom became Creative Director at Habitat and rejuvenated the brand while maintaining Terence Conran's vision of enriching everyday life through simple, modern design. In 2001, Tom was awarded an OBE by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to British design. In 2014 he was awarded 'Designer of The Year' at Maison & Objet, Paris. In 2019, he received a silver medal for Best Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and in the same year, was awarded the prestigious London Design Medal at the British Land Celebration of Design Awards. Tom is one of the industry's most feted British designers and is internationally heralded as a significantly original talent.
Launched in 2007, Design Research Studio, the design and innovations agency at the heart of Tom Dixon, continue to create extraordinary spaces globally. Recent projects have included reimagining the modern cruise experience for Virgin Voyages on their first ship, re-inventing the layout and interior of The Pullman Hotel in Berey, the iconic Drugstore Brasserie on Les Champs-Elysees, Paris and designing The Manzoni in Milan, Tom Dixon's first European hub which acts as a restaurant, shop and office all in one. In 2018, the brand relocated its headquarters - Coal Office - to London's King's Cross, which was a significant step for the business. Coal Office operates as an office, shop, workshop and restaurant all under one roof and is located in the affluent shopping destination, Coal Drops Yard.
Best-selling products such as Beat, Melt, S-Chair and Wingback are instantly recognisable and have been acquired by the world's most famous museums including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; MOMA, New York; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Latest additions to the brand's range, such as the Fat chair, Spring lights and Swirl accessories are quickly gaining momentum and reiterate Tom's status and significance in the design world.
@tomdixonstudio
— Director of The Dowse Art Museum
Karl has a Master’s Degree in Sculpture from Elam School of Fine Arts, Auckland University and has been involved in the arts in New Zealand in a variety of roles for over 15 years. He has been involved in a number of awards most recently as a judge in the Occam New Zealand Book Awards. He was also the judge of the 2018 Wanganui Review, a selector of the Headlands Sculpture on the Gulf, Waiheke and judge of the National Youth Art Awards. He has been a lecturer at tertiary level and prior to that was a secondary school teacher for 6 years.
Recent writing projects have included catalogue essay Tears of Tawhirimatea for Toi Mauri: Contemporary Carving by Todd Couper and Making a Stand for a (very) brief history of Aotearoa, Kereama Taepa’s four plinths project in Wellington. Other recent curatorial projects have included ART LOVES YOU – an interactive art experience for all the senses, White Rainbow curated for RAMP Gallery Hamilton and Children of Mallarme: Fashion, Art & Collaboration co-curated with Dr Peter Shand.
— Lighting Design Consultant, ECC
Anita Dykes graduated from Victoria University with a Bachelor of Design and followed up her passion for lighting and products with a Post Graduate Certificate in Illumination Engineering. She also worked in the stage and event production industry and uses those skills for her current job, as a Lighting Design consultant for ECC, where she liaises with architects, designers and engineers to illuminate spaces.
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“The ECC NZ Student Craft / Design Awards are an avenue for students to present their designs to a wider audience outside the academic environment, and lets the design community see the student talent that is emerging. Also, students can see what other students in similar fields are developing. The judging provides positive reinforcement that their works are original, well-crafted and have a certain flair that will differentiate them in the market.” Anita Dykes
— The Village Goldsmith, Wellington
Ian Douglas is the owner of The Village Goldsmith, established in 1981. From a sole craftsman then, the company now employs 22 staff. It creates custom items for clients in NZ and around the world and has won multiple national and international jewellery design awards, including Best in World for men’s jewellery in 2010 and 2011.
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“The Village Goldsmith is proud to sponsor the ECC NZ Student Craft / Design Awards.. They foster creativity and innovation, and provide a valuable platform for students to showcase their talents in a manner that challenges their normal boundaries. The growth and protection of creativity and intellectual property is crucial to the future growth of our country, and the awards are an important tool in furthering that outlook. I was inspired being around other creative individuals whose passion for their own craft shone through, and also how their appreciation for design and craft covered all the medium.” Ian Douglas
— Textile and Graphics Designer
Genevieve has a Master's degree in Design from Massey University's College of Creative Arts and an obsession with repeating pattern. After nearly a decade teaching textiles within the college, alongside producing her own product ranges, she has worked in textile graphics for costume for film and TV for the last 12 years. Working primarily digitally, she creates graphics across a range of styles and processes – from screen and digital printing, to embroidery, laser-cutting and engraving, sculpting and 3D printing – for anything from garments to belts, bags, buckles, shoes, jewellery, gloves, hats and even tattoos... She has worked on local and international productions, including Ghost in the Shell, Mulan, and for the last two years on the new LoTR TV series.
Genevieve still produces the occasional exhibition piece and commission, and runs Just Good Stuff – an annual craft / design market in Wellington fostering emerging and established local makers. She was the winner of the NZ Student Craft / Design Award in 2008 with her Aerial Antics embossed wallpaper – a design subsequently put into production by Pacific Wallcoverings.
She is excited to return as a judge to the awards.
Designer & Partner — Layplan
Talia has a Fashion Degree from Massey University’s College of Creative Arts which has launched her passion-project turned business, ‘Layplan’, run alongside bestie and business partner Lavinia Ilolahia. Layplan has shown work at fashion shows across New Zealand, had their designs published in magazines such as Viva and Fashion Quarterly, and had their pieces worn by familiar faces throughout the media. They are building a beautiful online community through social media and enjoying all that comes with being a new business.
Talia spends her days deep in design, sewing from her studio in Porirua. She is developing the fusion of her two loves - Art and Design and what this might look like moving forward with Layplan. She would love to dive into the world of print and graphic design and has started her journey towards a collection of prints.
Talia was the winner of The Supreme Award, People’s Choice Award and the Rembrandt Textile and Fashion Award in 2016 with her project ‘Broke’ which spoke to the unemployment crisis young people face in New Zealand.
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“It is an honour to return as a guest judge for the 2021 ECC Student Craft Awards and I look forward to seeing the talent in this year’s entries.” Talia
Layplan in the media:
https://tpplus.co.nz/arts-music/layplan-the-pasifika-designer-duo-taking-aotearoas-fashion-scene-by-storm/
https://www.saben.co.nz/blogs/sabenette/women-in-business-nia-and-talia-from-layplan
— Artist-in-nature, brander, lecturer at Victoria University Architecture School.
“MY PEN CONNECTS MY HEART TO NATURE. IN TURN IT CONNECTS ME TO PEOPLE.”
Those that have worked with William [known to most as Billy] have called him everything from; a brand strategist extraordinaire to a creative genius. He is an inspired artist, photographer and wordsmith, a highly organised project enabler with infectious energy and enthusiasm, and a long-time Icebreaker collaborator.
Born in Gibraltar, home to the famous Rock of Gibraltar, a 426m-high limestone ridge, he has lived in Scotland, Germany, Singapore, the United Kingdom and now New Zealand, after being lured to here for creative work several years ago.
More of what makes Billy tick can be found on his Instagram @williamcardenhorton
He is excited to be a judge at the awards, for the first time.
https://southernchronicles.icebreaker.com/en/reviews/behind-the-pen/
— Proffer / Custance
George completed a BA(Hons) in Industrial Design at Massey University, which he quickly put to use starting the London-based wood-fired pizzeria, Homeslice.
On returning to NZ in 2012, he started Proffer, creating unique interiors for hospitality and retail in Wellington, such as the bakery Starta (featured in HOME magazine), Vic Books cafe and bookstore on the Pipitea campus and Bicycle Junction (featured in HOME magazine). He helped develop a range of customisable products in response to the hospitality design work which are now sold globally.
A love of product design has lead to a focus on furniture for hospitality and more recently the office environment through a new company A.WORKS, started by Custance Associates, where George heads product design and has helped developed modular office furniture (initially for BNZ) with the aim of improving workspace, increasing flexibility and reducing waste (now sold through KADA).
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“I’ve always loved the challenge of designing in 3D. Meshing form, function, materials, production, cost and impact is hard, but when you find that sweet spot it really is magic.
I’m honoured to be invited to help judge ECC Student Craft this year and see what amazing talent is coming through.” George
https://homemagazine.nz/wellington-bicycle-junction/