Young Hawke’s Bay Designers to Exhibit Overseas

Media Release

Young Hawke’s Bay Designers to Exhibit Overseas

Hawke’s Bay artists Liam Farrell and Toby Vanderspeck are two of just nine emerging New Zealand designers selected to showcase their work at an international exhibition being staged in Germany in March.

The two young men submitted their designs as final-year Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design students at EIT’s ideaschool.

As part of a capability initiative, Creative New Zealand funds artists chosen to take part in Talente, a prestigious platform for young hopefuls launching creative careers in design, technology and craft and object art.

In its 33rd year, Talente is held as part of the International Trade Fair for the Skilled Trades in Munich. Last year’s event attracted nearly 700 applications from more than 30 countries world-wide. One of four young Kiwis chosen to take part was Hayden Maunsell, who also completed his degree at EIT last year.

Now it is Liam and Toby’s opportunity to show the world what they can do.

For Liam, that will mean showcasing two posters which use letters to create typographic portraits of a skull and his mother’s dog Jet.

A former William Colenso College student, the 21-year-old holidayed in Melbourne while at EIT but that’s been his only travel overseas.

Liam says degree studies boosted his artistic capabilities, doubling them every year. He also enjoyed a student internship working at Band – a design house, advertising agency and creative collective in Ahuriri.

“At high school, I studied art for its own sake,” he says. “You start degree studies not necessarily knowing where you want to go. You get good direction in every area and that informs your decision-making. My studies gained more purpose.

“The lecturers were great and the programme built up. I can’t believe how far I came. I am now 10 times better than when I started at EIT in terms of my understanding of the creative industry.”

Toby initially focused more on graphic design but last year he felt he wanted to try something different. Heading himself into product design, his submission to Creative New Zealand was for an electrical wall clock.

He made his prototype in wood, but the final model is powder-coated aluminium with acetate sign-writing.

“I learnt heaps studying at ideaschool,” he says. “I definitely developed direction now and acquired more technical skills. I have a better understanding of what it is that I want to do.”

While Toby believes it will probably be easier to find a job in graphic design, he ultimately sees himself working in industrial design. The 21-year-old lives in Napier and went to St John’s College, Hastings.

ENDS

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