The Harris Tweed label was tremendously successful in promoting textile crafts in the Scottish islands. There are parallel moves today in the use of geographical indications. But such labels do not include the names of those who wove the cloth. When would this be appropriate? What happens when the label is a designer brand, such … Continue reading Who made it? Draft standards for ethical labelling
Packaging Bollywood for Downunder–The Zaishu story
In February 2006 I flew to India from Australia with camera man Mike Crowhurst, production manager Shalu Sood and my father Ken Butler to embark on a one month community art / design project that I had dreamt up the year before. My task was to see if it was possible to generate employment for … Continue reading Packaging Bollywood for Downunder–The Zaishu story
The journey begins
Sangam – the Australia India Design Platform was launched in Melbourne on 21 July. During the day, RMIT Industrial Design hosted the Ethical Design Laboratory’s workshop into ethical labelling. Experts from around Australia met to develop a set of standards for creative collaborations. Representatives from law and design, alongside leading practitioners, considered best practice for … Continue reading The journey begins
Moe Chiba to speak at forum
Moe Chibe will be joining the upcoming discussion about designers working in India. Moe Chiba has extensive experience working throughout the South Asia region. She heads up the Culture Unit of UNESCO in New Delhi and has been working with the Craft Revival Trust on the second edition of their Designers Meet Artisans publication. She … Continue reading Moe Chiba to speak at forum
Welcome to Sangam – the Australia India Design Platform
Sangam – the Australia India Design Platform is a three year program of forums, workshops, roundtables, residencies and exchanges. Its aim is to develop pathways for collaboration between designers, craftspersons, artisans and artists in Australia and India. Discussions across India and Australia between 2011 and 2013 will consider where the interests of village and city, … Continue reading Welcome to Sangam – the Australia India Design Platform
There are two kinds of people in the world…
….the dreamers and the doers, the one and the many, the old and the new. It is common in cosmologies to divide the world into two. Moiety is a key element in most traditional kinship systems, but it has also characterised the global awareness that emerged in the modern world. When thinking about the relations … Continue reading There are two kinds of people in the world…
On the one hand principle, on the other hand consequence
“Perform your obligatory duty, because action is indeed better than inaction.” In Bhagavad Gita, neither Krishna nor Arjuna believe that their war is just or reasonable. But while Arjuna desists meaningless slaughter, Krishna believes that one must uphold honour regardless of consequence. The two positions represent the alternative moralities. Krishna argues on the basis of … Continue reading On the one hand principle, on the other hand consequence
Goodbye book, hello storied object
On the one hand information, on the other hand a book Technology continues to sustain the idea of progress. Almost every year brings a new device that promises to transform our world. Many proclaim 2010 as the year of the e-book. New competing platforms are emerging this year to provide us with a paperless reading … Continue reading Goodbye book, hello storied object
And on the right, Cecil Balmond
The origins of the term ‘right hand man’ are disputed. The most literal reference is to ancient Greece military formations, where soldiers would hold their shields in their left hand, thus depending on the person of the right for full defence. In the modern world, the phrase has come to indicate the person behind the … Continue reading And on the right, Cecil Balmond
On the one hand Spring, and on the other, Autumn
Today in the South our calendars tell us that this is the beginning of spring. But as trees come into blossom here, the leaves will begin to wither and die in the North. In his novel Rasselas, Samuel Johnson attempted to discover the secret of happiness. After many adventures, he concluded that any happiness is … Continue reading On the one hand Spring, and on the other, Autumn