There was an air of curiosity and anticipation at the launch of the Ketel One Commission on Wednesday 9 March.

Held at Blue Diamond, 15 levels above Queen Street in the Melbourne CBD, the event kicked off with much milling and chatting, although no one was quite sure what they were there for!

Silence reigned as the Commission Curator, Ewan McEoin, took to the stage to reveal the concept behind the project – and how the creatives in attendance would be contributing to this.

Paying homage to 10 generations of Ketel One distilling, and the craftsmanship involved in this, the Ketel One Commission invites 16 talented modern craftsmen to share their creative process.

The project provides a platform on which to communicate this process, while encouraging creatives to express their views on the importance of craftsmanship in the modern world.

Those invited to participate straddle myriad disciplines, including illustration, photography, furniture making, web design and more.

Juliet Moore and Ben Edwards

Final submissions will be on display 25 May – 28 May at the Compound Interest Centre for Applied Arts, in Collingwood.

There’s also a prize up for grabs, with the winning submission receiving an all-expenses paid trip to the Dutch Design Week, followed by a visit to the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam.

Those participating in the Ketel One Commission include:

Aaron Moodie and Colin Tretcher
aaronmoodie.com

Andy Gibson and Adam Sargent
southsouthwest.com.au

Ben Edwards and Juliet Moore
edwardsmoore.com

Gregory Bonasera
bonasera.com.au

Geoffrey Nees
kallirolfecontemporaryart.com

James Harcourt
stilllifewithmammals.blogspot.com

James Watkins
jameswatkinsphotography.com

Jessie Fairweather
thefoundry.com.au

Justin Hutchinson
justinhutchinson.com

Matthew Angel
matthewangel.com.au

Nick Rennie
happyfinishdesign.com

Ross Didier
rossdidier.com

Rory Hyde
roryhyde.com

Scottie Cameron
scottiecameron.com.au

Simon Goodrich
portable.tv

Tim Fleming
flatlandok.com

Toby Horrocks
freefoldfurniture.com