Graduate designer Timothy Tuppence is making his Milan Furniture Fair debut in curator Sarah K’s dynamic The Other Hemisphere exhibition.
Graduate designer Timothy Tuppence is making his Milan Furniture Fair debut in curator Sarah K’s dynamic The Other Hemisphere exhibition. At this time of year preparations are well and truly underway for the annual Milan Furniture Fair. The major event is a highlight on the international design calendar and it attracts both exhibitors and visitors from all over the globe. It will run from April 8 until April 13 across a number of different venues in the Lombardy capital and this year promises to be even more overwhelmingly frantic and excitedly hectic as the last. As has been the case for the past four years, Sydney-based curator Sarah K will be bringing her The Other Hemisphere exhibition to the Fair. This year’s instalment features 14 artists and designers from Australia and New Zealand. It will be held in the Fair’s popular Ventura Lambrate design district; a satellite exhibition area curated by Dutch practice Organisation in Design. The Other Hemisphere is always well received, due in large part to the outstanding quality of the work on display. But what it does most effectively is provide a snapshot of the newest and most exciting artists and designers currently working in Australia and New Zealand. One of these designers is recent University of South Australia graduate Timothy Tuppence. The graphic and industrial designer is decidedly cross-disciplinary in his own practice, however, for the last three years he has been working as Khai Liew’s assistant. Currently based in The Netherlands, Tuppence is undertaking a Master of Contextual Design at the world-renowned Design Academy Eindhoven. “I chose to study there to gain new insights and experiences,” he says. “And I also felt the time was right to see what was happening in Europe with my own eyes.” This is the first time Tuppence will be exhibiting at the Milan Furniture Fair and he is understandably looking forward to it. Like all the participants in The Other Hemisphere he has to respond to the exhibition’s ‘Simplified’ theme and he is currently developing a new work (with the working title of Personal Tape) to be debuted at the Fair. Tuppence’s blank ‘tape measure’ has been rendered useless, however, the designer has produced something that intends to make everyday life simple. “Life is easier when you don’t have to remember measurements or convert these measurements from imperial to metric,” he says. So an object measured using this blank tape measure simply becomes “this big” or “that small” as the numbers are removed from the equation. For those not fortunate enough to be visiting Milan in April there is still the chance to see The Other Hemisphere when it tours to Sydney in May for designEX. Although Tuppence won’t be travelling to Sydney for the annual Australian trade fair he would like to eventually return to Adelaide, where he hopes to one day establish his own studio. But for now, Tuppence is enjoying his European experience. timothytuppence.com cosmit.it
