What everyone needs ...

I thought I would share with you my most prized possession, a Tamara Hahn pourer. It is simply elegant and softly beautiful and ingeniously designed. It sits on my kitchen bench full of delicious olive oil.

It’s hard to see in the picture, but there are two soft indentations on either side of the pourer, so it sits comfortably in your hand when holding. The spout is long and slender, and only the perfect controlled drizzle flows out (no accidental gulps). I had never used an oil pourer, until I owned this one, and I didn’t realise how much pleasure it could give me, I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

Tamara once explained to me that it is nearly impossible to design a spout that will pour oil without a dribble, so instead the pourer has been designed to embrace the inevitable dribble, and sits upon a turned timber base, that absorbs and is nourished by the excess oil, without leaving a mess on my bench.

Tamara works from her studio at the JamFactory centre for contemporary Craft and Design in Adelaide, where she has recently completed an associatship. Tamara’s ceramics revolve around the idea of imperfect beauty. Forms are deliberately altered or taken out of symmetry. Swollen bellies are added to some, and deliberate indents to others. Tamara is inspired by human form and her work comments on what is perceived as beautiful in our society. The work is about self-expression, personal narrative and social comment. By pushing forms out of the symmetrical, the idea of perfect, flawless beauty is lost, and the beauty of the unusual is highlighted.

I use this subtle unassuming pourer almost daily, and I can’t speak highly enough of the richness it has added to my time in my kitchen. So if you haven’t got one, I think you should consider coming in to our store to have a look at it maybe even try holding it. I think it would also make the perfect gift for a special master chef in your life. In the collect store, we also stock the equally beautiful Tamara Hahn decorated beakers and bowls.
I hope you are keeping well and warm,
Sarah.

Jess' rings match the sky...

We have had some spectacular wintery weather here in Surry Hills these past few months. One day, after the rains had cleared, Jess looked outside and noticed that her set of Bubble Rings by Melinda Young matched the clearing late afternoon skies - so she took this lovely picture of cloud shapes upon clouds... Melinda has made a stunning new collection of her hand cut and finished acrylic jewellery for Collect to accompany the Blue exhibition, including her ever popular pendants and rings as well as a brand new range of earrings.

Blue!

Object Gallery is currently showing two exhibitions. Blue in the main gallery has been curated by Object's own Kylie Johnston and Annette Mauer. It features the work of 9 makers from around Australia: ceramists Gerry Wedd, Honor Freeman & Mel Robson, glass artist Brenden Scott French, textile artist Lucille Martin, jewellers Brenda Factor & Melinda Young, book sculptor Nicholas Jones and mixed media artist Emma Davies. Each maker has responded to a phrase relating to the colour blue to provide inspiration for the new work shown in the exhibition. The results are absolutely stunning (if we do say so ourselves!) here is a slideshow of Blue:



You can read more about Blue here

As a special retail treat to accompany the Blue exhibition we have given our entire Collectors Cabinet over to blue work by a diverse range of makers represented by Collect - there is an abundance of exquisite glass, ceramics, jewellery, textiles and objects - all in blue!

Accompanying Blue in the Project Space is Big: Sydney's Small Studios a collaborative project by designer Stephen Goddard and photographer Keith Saunders that features a glimpse behind the scenes of 12 of Sydney's independent design studios. Aside from the fascinating subject matter, the exhibition design is pretty neat too! Here is a slideshow of Big:



You can read more about Big here.

Both exhibitions are a part of Object's Spring Series an exciting and innovative exhibition and event program that runs until October. Find out more about the Spring Series here.

‘Tubeway armies’...we are all addicted!!

Hailing from the frosty Melbourne (they know how to keep warm down there) these arm warmers feature unique ‘two-of-a-kind‘ combinations of stripes and textures with stitch, button and appliqué detailing. Both smart and casual, our arm warmers make a practical, eco friendly gift for all age groups. Or the best kind of gift – a gift for yourself! Keep your hands, wrists and arms toasty and stylishly snug and your fingers free for crafting, keyboarding, cycling, dog walking, music making and pram pushing!

‘Tubeway Armies’ are part of the ‘Body Parts’ range of winter accessories, a collaboration between Gaye Naismith (Gaye Abandon) and Melanie Hill (Textile Allsorts), the range transforms recycled, felted wool jumpers into comfy and funky winter accessories. Olenka typed earlier “I personally love armies because they are adorable, and keep our wrists warm while allowing us to do the normal dexterous things that we just can’t manage with gloves on i.e. write, type, dial the phone etc. Using vintage buttons and buckles, each pair is cleverly composed and individual.”

To co-ordinate with your ‘tubeway armies’, we also stock the super soft and cosy one-of-a-kind scarfs that have been cut from recycled, boiled, 100% wool sweaters and joined with a strong zig zag stitch. These also double as a warm and stylish necklace that can be worn in a variety of ways. If some of the sweater pieces in these necklace scarves look familiar, it’s because they're cut from the bits left over when making the arm warmers.

‘Gay Abandon’ aims for a no-waste policy and endeavours to upcycle every part of the sweaters that are cut up so the bare minimum ends up in landfill. All the electricity used during production is sourced from 100% wind energy, and the water used to shrink them is re-used on the garden. So you can keep your conscience healthy.

And while you’re here, why not buy a handsome sweater to dress your hot water bottle in? They’re great for stopping your feet from burning on direct hot-water-bottle contact.

The ‘Hottie Jumpers’ with fold up collar, like the other ‘body parts’ range, are all handmade entirely from upcycled, thickly felted, wool jumpers (but only the very softest!) and finished with repurposed buttons. Each one is unique, and there are so many colours, there’s bound to be one made just for you. To see more juicy colour combos and other ethically produced, eco-friendly winter accessories visit us at the collect store. Post proudly brought to you by Sarah.

x

Bison at Collect

Hey there,
Penny here. As you can see, the girls at Collect love their stock, and I'm no exception! We currently have some fabulous Bison pieces available. Bison is an ACT based ceramics business. All their pieces are hand thrown and hand glazed. This means each piece is quite unique, in shape and colour. Despite this, they are super durable, both dishwasher and microwave safe.

There is a great range of objects to choose from, including mugs, egg cups, bowls and vases. Not to forget the quintessential milk jug!

I had a friend from Canada visit the store who commented; "Hey! Why are there Buffalo stamped on the pieces?" Of course she was referring to the Bison logo, however this did get me thinking, why are they called Bison?

After some investigation, I had my question answered. Inspired by the ancient tradition of painting onto stone, Bison's creator Brian Tunks became fascinated by ceramics whilst on historical excavations. Clear connections can be seen between Tunks' original training, in archaeology and the aesthetics of his work. Simple, functional and beautiful, the pieces have smooth semi-gloss glazes, leaving the user with a fantastic textural quality when holding the piece. The pieces are designed to survive a lifetime with you, and embody an ageless quality much like their ancient inspiration.

One of the nicest things about Bison wares is their simplicity. Produced in a small factory just outside Canberra, there is no excessive adornment. The pieces are soft colours, have beautiful textures and (I think) most importantly, are great forms to hold and use on a daily basis. You can feel that they have been hand thrown.

Most makers will agree, an object that is hand made has an extra quality about it. It’s something that manufacturers have difficulty replicating. It's the softness of surface, the bumps and lumps, subtle differences in texture, colour, and form. It’s why makers MAKE. Most have an inherent obsession with material investigation. Bison have experimented and explored clay for many years, and their success is evident in their collection of wares.

Bison have stockists and stores in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Visit http://www.bisonhome.com/ for more info about Bison or pop into Collect to purchase from our current selection!

New Tjanpi baskets in store

Hi readers!

It’s Pen here - I haven’t been in to work for a few days, and when I came back we had a whole range of new stock! It’s always lovely coming to the store and finding new treasures, but I was particularly taken by our new range of Tjanpi Baskets!

Tjanpi (pronounced: J-um-Py) is a collective managed by the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council. It is an organisation completely governed and owned by Aboriginal people, and all profits from the baskets are used to sustain Tjanpi Desert Weavers. Based in the heart of Australia (Central Western desert region) Tjanpi is an employment opportunity for local women passionate about weaving. This employment program is special because it provides income whilst embracing local cultural activities.

“While out collecting grass women take time to hunt, gather food, visit sacred sites and teach their children about country. At its core Tjanpi is about family and community. It is work that more than accommodates social and cultural obligations, it encourages them.” www.westerndesertmob.com.au

I love Tjanpi baskets because each one is so unique. Textures, colours, form and weave all vary greatly depending on the making and aesthetic style of the artist. Some are quite subdued in earthy tones often ornamented with emu or bush turkey feathers. Others are quite outstanding in the use of pinks, yellows, greens and blue dyed grasses! Each work has a life and personality/vitality of its own and visitors will often find themselves drawn to a particular basket.

At home, they look beautiful on a shelf with other treasures - My favourite basket sits next to a very special glass piece in my living room. The warm yellow hues in the glass glow next to the natural tones of the grasses and raffia used in the basket.

But they can also be very practical. Some of the flatter dish-like pieces make great places to keep jewellery on your bed side table. (...and won’t scratch because they are made of lovely soft grasses!) If you are looking for a wall feature, these baskets look great hung in groups by small hooks.

These baskets never stick around long at Collect, and most are under $35 each, so as soon as word gets out they go flying off the shelves! I recommend popping in and checking out the new collection. You won’t be disappointed!

It's beaker season!

We seem to be engulfed in wet, windy, wintery weather these days, which means the Collect ladies are all putting their favourite beakers to good use with delicious cups of hot tea!


We have some beautiful handcrafted beakers in store at the moment by Christopher Plumridge, Honor Freeman, Liz Low, Lisa Boyter, Virginia Jones - just the thing to warm the cockles of yours or someone else's heart!

Come in out of the weather and enjoy some winter warmth at Collect!