The Powerhouse acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the ancestral homelands upon which our museums are situated. We respect their Elders, past, present and future and recognise their continuous connection to Country.
Hybrid was an exhibition of nine new works commissioned by the Powerhouse that interrogate the contemporary urban condition and explore the role of the home in 2030. Nine design studios collaborated with researchers and practitioners from diverse industries to create furniture and objects exploring the rapidly changing global landscape and the most pressing issues of our time. The selected designers responded to issues such as the global pandemic, poor air quality, bush fires, rising temperatures and wellbeing to premiere new objects ranging from a contemporary home shrine, objects to refocus and de-stress, a responsive light source that brings the experiences of nature into the home, a table from recycled plastic to artefacts developed from the objects left behind by the deceased.
Adam Goodrum x Ella Williams
Elliat Rich x Professor Joel Pearson and Canberra Glassworks
Henry Wilson x Stanislava Pinchuk
GibsonKarlo x Veena Sahajwalla
Trent Jansen x Johnny Nargoodah
Rive Roshan x Emmaline Cox
Andrew Simpson x Professor Tracie Barber
Charles Wilson x Giri Gaurav and Bala Mulloth
Tom Fereday x Dr Thea Brejzek
Hybrid x UNSW
The Hybrid brief was a unique opportunity for students from UNSW Bachelor of Design – Core Design Studio 3 to collaborate and develop design proposals for future homes. View ten individual and three Studio Collective finalists selected by Stephen Todd – Creative Director Sydney Design Week 2020, and Keinton Butler – Senior Curator Museum Applied Arts and Sciences.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Andrew Simpson x Tracie Barber, Mantle. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
This wall-mounted cabinet is designed as a secular shrine: a place for showcasing personal treasures, whatever they may signify.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Elliat Rich x Joel Pearson Otherescope Mirror. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
Designed to evoke a sensation of ‘otherness’, this glass instrument makes possible the practice of wellness as a connection to and empathy with another.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Tom Fereday x Thea Brejzek Sana. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
The SANA (‘to live’ in Korean) series of small household objects — vase, candle holder, platter — was developed according to proxemics, the study of behaviour in relation to personal space.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Adam Goodrum x Ella Williams Tide Table. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
This 3D-printed dining table is made from recycled plastic harvested from the ocean.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Charles Wilson, HAVA side table. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley.
While formally disparate, this HAVA (‘air’ in Hindi) side table shares a purpose to purify air, along with the accompanying pendant light, as they populate/illuminate a room.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Charles Wilson, HAVA pendant light. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley.
While formally disparate, this HAVA (‘air’ in Hindi) pendant light shares a purpose to purify air, along with the accompanying side table, as they populate/illuminate a room.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Gibson Karlo x Veena Sahajwalla End Cycle. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
End Cycle explores the concept of death, the accumulation of worldly possessions and the implications for those left behind in an increasingly densely populated society.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Henry Wilson x Stanislava Pinchuk, Mostra. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
This sculptural sandstone fountain was conceived as a multi-tiered water source for insects, birds, reptiles, and other native and domestic animals.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, Rive Roshan x Emmaline Co x Time To Reflect Lighting. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
This series of sculptural lighting objects are designed to bring nature into the home.
Powerhouse Hybrid Commission 2020, By Trent Jansen x Johnny Nargoodah, Side Table. Image Credit: Zan Wimberley
This side table is inspired by the silt bed of the Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
