Saturday 28 February 2015

BlackBOX - Design and Innovation I Melbourne Australia

The Yarra room at the Melbourne Town Hall was the venue for BlackBOX Design and Innovation I Melbourne Australia Stakeholder Information Session this week.



The founder of Melbourne Movement Professor Kjell Grant is honoured for his commitment to design in Melbourne and his contribution to the Melbourne Milan Sister City relationship. 





BlackBOX - Concave by Susan Cohn


Alessi Concave bowl designed in Melbourne by Susan Cohn.

Monday 16 February 2015

BlackBOX - Design and Innovation I Melbourne Australia

David Warren designed the black box flight recorder while working at the Aeronautical Research Laboritories (ARL)in Melbourne in the 1950s.

The project was titled ARL Flight Memory and in 1954 David wrote the paper : D.R. Warren, ‘A Device for Assisting Investigation into Aircraft Accidents’, Mechanical Engineering Technical Memorandum 142, Aeronautical Research Laboratories, Research & Development Branch, Department of Supply, April 1954.

Today I had the pleasure as part of my research to view the original prototypes and test equipment from David Warren's innovative work.

Senior Curator Engineering & Transport Matthew Churchwood provided access to the items in the Museum Victoria collection.

Inspired by this project from Melbourne which has had global impact,  BlackBOX - Design and Innovation I Melbourne Australia is an exhibition that showcases 64 projects and celebrates Melbourne as a design city.




Designed in Melbourne - Black Box Flight Recorder


Senior Curator Engineering & Transport Matthew Churchwood and BlackBOX Design and Innovation I Melbourne Australia curator Ian Wong view the early prototypes from the Black Box Flight Recorder by David Warren in the Museum Victoria collection.


ARL Flight Memory airborne signal monitor at Museum Victoria - Black Box Flight Recorder David Warren


ARL Flight Memory Ground Equipment at Museum Victoria - Black Box Flight Recorder David Warren







Thursday 12 February 2015

Designed in Melbourne - Brian Davis

Decor Corporation is an iconic Australian brand and it all started with one product the Habana beaker set. Today I interviewed Brian Davis who established Brian Davis Plastics which became the Decor Corporation in 1958. I first met Brian in 2009 while researching STILL09. Decor products have long been a focus of my research and collecting. Brian was recognised for his contibution to design in Australia with membership of the Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame in 1996.


Design Institute of Australia Hall of Fame member Brian Davis pictured with his very first product the Habana beaker set and his most iconic the Decor BYO wine cooler.

More posts on Decor Corporation here

Tuesday 3 February 2015

Designed in Melbourne - 'The O' mobile platform at MONA

The first mobile interpretive solution designed to replace wall labels and traditional signage was invented by the founders of Art Processors. Originally developed for the Museum of Old and New Art, Mona, in Tasmania, 'The O' has been used by over 1.5 million Mona visitors and 45 million artworks have been viewed on the system. The technology allows visitors to seamlessly engage with rich content relevant to nearby items of interest.


Designed in Melbourne - "The O" mobile interpretive platform for MONA - Museum of Old and New Art.


The early prototype for 'The O' was developed in 2009 to demonstrate the feasibility of using indoor positioning technology to provide proximity based artwork listings and deliver an electronic system capable of replacing wall labels,


Designed in Melbourne - Art Processors Enzo Locate and Enzo Beacons 

Designed in Melbourne - "The O" mobile interpretive platform for MONA - Museum of Old and New Art.

Designed in Melbourne - "The O" mobile interpretive platform for MONA - Museum of Old and New Art.

Throughout the Mona project the Art Processors founders worked closely with Mona's creator David Walsh and his dedicated team of exhibition designers, art directors, architects, and curators in designing the new mobile guide. Considerable research, development and testing resulted in what Mona's visitors affectionately now refer to as 'The O'. Operating reliably across Mona's 8000 square metres of floor space as the sole source of artwork information and interpretive material, The O forms an integral component of the visitor experience.


MONA - Museum of Old and New Art - Tasmania.