House of Cards (Amsterdam)

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It’s been a month since the final night of the Amsterdam Light Festival and it’s crazy to think that being a part of it happened in such a short period of time. It was on one busy day at uni when OGE and Ryan contacted me to get a drawing done within one and a half days….one and a half days! I planned on doing uniwork that night but after seeing OGE’s proposal, I knew the artwork was worth the investment for a grand installation. Each card stands at over a metre tall and everyone had to draw a card of their choice to fill those 120 spots. I wish the giant card was in my possession right now but I think  OGE are keeping it for promotional purposes.

 

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My card isn’t visible to the visitors walking on the street but it can be seen  on the Water colors boat ride.

 

 

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This was the full artwork, the King of Print for the King of Hearts 🙂

 

RMIT i’mmature grad show

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“Emptiness” – A Creative Receptacle by Kenya Hara

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Great news, Muji’s opening its first store in Australia, right here in my city of Melbourne (at Chadstone mall to be specific). On a similar note, Daiso just opened yesterday at Chaddy and Melbourne will open its first UNIQLO store on Lonsdale street sometime in 2014. Some exciting stuff to look forward to so good on ya Melb, it’s about time we get updated. Next up, bring H&M and Forever 21 pretty please? Moving along now, Kenya Hara is a Japanese communication designer, design philosopher, professor and is Muji’s art director. He’s produced a number of exhibitions in Paris, Milan, Tokyo and London and is an author of several books, his most popular one being ‘Designing Design’. Since Mr Hara’s currently visiting Melbourne for the first time, RMIT were lucky to have him for an hour or two to give us a public lecture about his approach to design thinking and brand identity of Muji.  If you didn’t know already Muji is a Japanese livingware brand that specializes in simplicity – simplicity achieved through a complexity of thought and design. Mr Hara talked about the concept of ’emptiness’ and how it ties in with traditional Japanese aesthetics to excel at turning simplicity into luxury. It is a means of communication, people invest their thoughts in “emptiness”.

MUJI opens on the 26th of November. You’ll receive a MUJI Original Cotton Shopping bag with every purchase on the day.

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Cute notepad and pen packed in a MUJI envelop at the lecture

Design had evolved naturally, as a passion and a lifestyle beginning at an early age when I made trips back to the motherland, Indonesia, I experienced the surroundings and the lifestyle that was vastly different from what I was used to. I found myself passing by villages where children made their own toys with whatever was left around them; scrap metal, bits of cloth, banana leaves, and even cigarette butts. Despite this, the children were happy and proud with anything they created.

This image struck me and forever inspires me to contribute my skills to places that need it the most. Design helps me make decisions, while art helps me take risks. Both areas reward me with opportunities to create something impactful and everlasting!