Interview with

The 2009 Design NSW Travelling Scholarship Award was won by the very talented Liesl Hazelton, so we asked her a few questions, and found global warming cant be underestimated!.

Where were you when you heard the news of your win in the Design NSW: Travelling Scholarship?

I was working in Amsterdam when I was interviewed but it wasn’t till I returned to Australia that I found out the result.

What will the prize allow you to do?

The freedom to devote time and energy into challenging myself to succeed in Australia and abroad. It is great to know that I won’t have to work in an Irish pub to get by whilst away! I was working, unpaid, as an assistant in Amsterdam before the announcement and was planning on returning to work again for another six months if I didn’t win the scholarship. But now I am able to work on my own career instead of someone else’s. Another thing the scholarship has given me is a confidence about what I am making, to be recognised at this level is a big acknowledgement and encouragement!

Is this the first year you have entered and what are some of the rules of entry?

No, I entered last year to help fund a guest semester at Pforzheim University, Germany. I was unsuccessful…didn’t even make the short list…So I funded the trip myself and thought that I would try again this year knowing I have matured from my 2008 submission. Rules? Well to be eligible you need to be within the first five years of graduation or professional practice and working in the broad areas of product and communication design. All can enter because unless you are an established artist or working in the built environment the scholarship is open for interpretation.

How much does technology influence your designs?

In terms of machinery and equipment? Not much…I mostly work with my hands….stitching, weaving, I made a conscious decision to be able to work alone and in transit…So I don’t rely on technologies to produce my work…But because I am working with E-Waste (electronic waste) I am influenced and challenged by the amount of cables and wires discarded as a result of wireless technology and consumerism. So about this much (stretches arms wide).

Your cable couch is amazing and even looks comfortable, tell us a bit about the idea behind this, and do you think using recycled materials is important in design?

Thank you….The couch was the result of a project whilst studying in Germany. The aim was to collaborate with a disabled workshop, in Stuttgart (www.stuttgart-Fasanenhof.de) and design an object or small series using the facilities and skills of the people working there. I was interested in learning basketry but never like wicker, so when I visited the computer graveyard attached to Fasanenhof I was overwhelmed by the amount of E-Waste they had no purpose for. This graveyard was an inspiration as it challenged my creativity and social responsibility. The idea was to explore and find new purposes and posibilities for E-Waste.
I feel that it is societies responsibility to find answers to the problem and rather then dumping, burning and burying the products of OUR consumerist behaviour I would like to see solutions found and believe that design may some good ideas that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Whose work inspires you?

Firstly my own work, because if it doesn’t interest me then I can’t see it being interesting to others. But I am also inspired by Korean designer Kwangho Lee whose innovative, woven work with cable keeps me interested in the possibility of the material. I am inspired by Jeweller Mari Funaki’s sculptural forms and work she has done in the Contemporary Australian jewellery scene. Finally, I am inspired by artists who are capable of interacting with the environment and creating outdoor installations.

How do you want other people to respond to your art?

I want to create awareness through my work….but I also want people to respond to the work and not just the politics.

Will twitter be the death of society?

I heard it was going to be global warming.

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Tags: Design NSW Travelling Scholarship Winner, E-Waste, Kwangho Lee, Liesl Hazelton, Mari Funaki