Lively debate in Sydney last night finds that there is no value in ’replicas’.
November 20th, 2009
Last night’s second ’Values’ debate – an initiative of Futurespace and Corporate Culture – was a huge success. With high profile members of the design and publishing industries pitted up against each other with the question: ’Is there any value in Replicas?’.
Witty repartee, scathing insults and passionate debate kept the audience entertained, while the night’s adjudicator, Max Thompson (Hamilton Thompson), kept the whole thing on track with his wry sense of humour and impeccable comedic timing.
The affirmative – Darren Palmer (Darren Palmer Design), Greg Carmichael (APP) and Steve Coster (DEGW) – set a solid foundation for the debate, arguing that the ‘replica economy’ is worth a lot of money, that replicas make design available to the masses, that “the end always justifies the means” and that sometimes furniture doesn’t need to last forever.
Despite a sound debating technique, the affirmative were unable to win over the audience. Overall they were most impressed by the argument put forward in the negative, with Angela Ferguson (Futurespace), Paul McGillick (Indesign) and Andrew McKenzie (Niche Media) taking out the debate, arguing that authenticity is where true value lies.
The meeting of minds was quite lively at times, with Angela Ferguson taking a stab at the British (despite the adjudicator’s obvious English heritage) and Steve Coster wrapping up his team’s case with a barrage of jovial personal insults – all in the spirit of things, of course.
Richard Munao – Managing Director Corporate Culture – closed the evening by thanking the teams for an engaging and humorous debate (despite the fact that the affirmative “didn’t have a chance”). Munao also pointed out the value of continuing the conversation surrounding replicas and the wider issue of Intellectual Property, and the importance of bringing the community together to open dialogue.
Stay tuned to indesignlive.com for a video from the debate, where you can hear all the the speakers for yourself.
Next week Corporate Culture Sydney will be holding a Sustainability forum with representatives from Instyle Contract Textiles and Contemporary Leathers – stay tuned for more info.
Authentic CH 07 Chair
Authentic Eames Lounge and Ottoman
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In this candid interview, the culinary mastermind behind Singapore’s Nouri and Appetite talks about food as an act of human connection that transcends borders and accolades, the crucial role of technology in preserving its unifying power, and finding a kindred spirit in Gaggenau’s reverence for tradition and relentless pursuit of innovation.
Schneider Electric’s new range are making bulky outlets a thing of the past with the new UNICA X collection.
BLANCOCULINA-S II Sensor promotes water efficiency and reduces waste, representing a leap forward in faucet technology.
To honour Chef James Won’s appointment as Gaggenau’s first Malaysian Culinary Partner, we asked the gastronomic luminaire about parallels between Gaggenau’s ethos and his own practice, his multidimensional vision of Modern Malaysian – and how his early experiences of KFC’s accessible, bold flavours influenced his concept of fine dining.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
With the trio of buildings at One Sydney Harbour in full operation, our editor joined the visiting Renzo Piano Building Workshop team for a site visit.
Stephen McGarry redefines architecture as an emotive and contextual artform, blending storytelling, material sensitivity, and cultural memory in his shortlisted Bruce Street project.