First Thursdays: Platform 26 | Meet the Makers | DJ & Design Conversations

The exhibition covers a range of media practices including woodwork and whakairo, lighting, Acoustics, conceptual furniture, material reuse & manipulation and sustainability - there’s something for everyone. Pop in for a drink, nibbles and some groovy tunes while you chat to the object artists about their work. This is an opportunity to check out the show if you missed the opening or just want a second look. The exhibitors will be onsite to answer questions about their practice and how they made their intricate and original pieces - some will even have props and examples to show and tell. And Platform’s own DJ Captain Darling aka Rupert Herring will be spinning the decks, playing tunes that inspired much of the work in the show. Come along to engage, learn and even get inspired to start your own making practice. About the Makers Rebecca Asquith is a designer and maker of things from Taranaki. With 25 year’s experience in the film industry, ranging from model making to art direction, Rebecca creates conceptual sculptural works combining decades of her experience building intricate models and finely crafted furniture. Her sculptural works delve into narratives that explore her concern for issues around the environment and sustainability. Susannah Bridges (B.Des) is an Auckland based artist/designer who grew up in Devonport.  Susannah’s ceramics and lighting are widely recognised within New Zealand and aboard - her work has been acquired by the Auckland Museum, The Dowse and MTG in Hawkes Bay. She continues to practice her craft while constantly pushing the envelope within this media. Kennedy Brown began designing and making furniture in the late 1990s. Inspired by growing up in the cultural melting pot that is Aotearoa, New Zealand, Kennedy’s creations display elements of art, design and craft - as well as free-thinking and experimentation. Edward Fuller is a multi-disciplinary designer based on the North Shore. He concentrates on the design and production of objects and furniture which primarily explore the manipulation of flat surfaces and repetition of geometric shapes. By allowing his design process to work within the laws of geometry, he has created a unique and original language of form and function which he uses as the core foundation for his design direction. Rupert Herring is an artist and designer based in Mangawhai. He combines his skills as a cabinet maker and knowledge of materials to create work which projects ideas of transformation and potential within the realm of used objects/ and or material - making something new from something old. Roger Kelly is based in Hawkes Bay and has a 30-year history designing, making and exhibiting furniture and objects and 20 years lecturing in 3D design and design thinking practice. Current research and practice focuses on making objects that enhances people’s wellbeing by supporting our connections to place, to nature, ourselves and each other through deep materialism. Leon Kipa A descendant of Waikato, Te Arawa, Ngā Puhi and Ngāti Kahu and now living and working in Auckland. Leon’s work reclaims Māori object design and indigenous knowledge. An industrial designer of 20 years. He now pursues his indigenous values for guidance. Leon crafts work that represents genealogy, sustainability and nature.