Adam Goodrum is kicking the design goals this year. The latest in his growing line of achievements is the Rigg Design Prize 2015 – now on show at the NGV, Melbourne. Barbara Bo Chung visits the show and shares her insights.

Formerly known as the Cicely and Colin Rigg Craft Award, the Rigg Design Prize, presented by NGV department of Contemporary Design and Architecture, celebrates creativity as a reaction to contemporary cultural issues through the craft of making.

This year, the Rigg Design Prize showcases seven Australian designers, each expressing a unique narrative and set of skills. The shortlist for this year’s prize encompasses some of Australia’s freshest design talent, including Daniel Emma, Korban/Flaubert, Adam Goodrum, Koskela and Weavers of Elcho Island Arts, Khai Liew, Brodie Neill and Kate Rhode.

The body of work as a collective presents a unique and vast range of compositions, spanning investigations in geometry, materiality, craftsmanship, cultural values and sensory perception. Each designer was given the freedom to create their own environment within a dedicated space which, when viewed together becomes a series of short stories for art and design-enthusiasts as they journey through the exhibition.

Upon entering, you are greeted with Kate Rhode’s psychedelically curated dinner party scene; loud and filled with colourful fantastical creatures that invite visitors to stay a while longer. The closer you gaze, the more you will discover as you wander through Rhode’s installation.

 

Another piece to look out for is Khai Liew’s meticulously detailed minimalist ‘east meets west’ furniture pieces, where timber is the protagonist. The monolithic timber forms are so seamless that one with a curious eye would hardly resist the temptation to lean over the barriers for a closer look.

The prize winner: ‘Unfolding’ by Adam Goodrum, is as phenomenal as it appears in the photos that have been circling the online design community. The concept behind this awe-inspiring piece taps into a more metaphorical angle. In the designer’s own words:

“I see the house as an expression of my career… Over time and experience, it starts to open, but the form is still an experiment, a mass of planes”

It is Adam’s skill in creating something that triggers a sense of wonder and bewilderment out of a simple palette of transparent acrylic and light physics that makes his submission a true winner – a real example of how less is more.

This exhibition is sure to delight art and design enthusiasts and those who are in search for a dose of creative inspiration – definitely an exhibition worth visiting.

The Rigg Design Prize 2015 is on show at the Ian Potter Centre, NGV until 7 February 2016.

NGV Melbourne
Rigg Design Prize 2015