NZ Student Craft/Design Award Winners Announced

Wellington design students took a clean sweep at the 2008 NZ Student Craft/Design Awards, sponsored by TheNewDowse Friends.

Genevieve Packer’s entry Aerial Antics is the 2008 Overall Winner, with a prize of $3,000.

_Genevieve recently completed her Masters through the College of Creative Arts, Massey University Wellington. Her entry responded to the sight of a fantail performing its distinct aerial manoeuvres, high above the viewer, with bush and sky in the background. Genevieve took the fantail imagery and created delicate wallpaper and lamp shade surfaces. The work is extremely sexy and tactile, and like the backlit fantail, it is light that brings the surfaces to life.

One of this year’s judges was Architect/Artist Gina Jones, who commented that “the key to good design is simplicity, and Genevieve has demonstrated this premise beautifully with her Aerial Antics wallpaper and lamp shade”. Gina went on to comment that “Genevieve has boldly reworked the iconic New Zealand image of the fantail, and applied the sophisticated motif onto two classic interior design staples”.

The Merit Award of $500 went to fellow Wellington student Palarat Ronakiat (Trong), who is in the final year of a design degree at Victoria University’s School of Industrial Design. Trong’s Kostellow bookshelf was a response to a university project that required the students to create a concept for an everyday piece of furniture inspired by a ritual. The catch was that the only material that could be used was found timber pallets.

Both the winner and runner-up works were strongly individualistic works, which were well-executed and presented. The awards will be presented on 15 October at TheNewDowse.

There were a record 53 entries for this year’s NZ Student Craft/Design Awards. The awards are open to full or part time students who are either currently enrolled at a New Zealand tertiary institution, or who completed the final year of their course in 2007.

ENDS

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