To celebrate International Women’s Day, we are profiling the cool women who are making it at Space Tank. From traditional woodworking to technology to art therapy, these creative entrepreneurs are rolling their sleeves up and turning their creative passion into creative business!
Dani Storm is an Industrial Designer and Founder of Design by Storm producing sculptural and technologically enhanced / augmented furniture. Dani earned a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she was awarded the Bel Geddes Innovation Award for PYXO, an autonomous robotic table. Dani worked with Yeadon Space Agency to create the world’s first photo-luminescent biodegradable public furniture. Dani continues to explore the potential of smart furniture applications at Space Tank Studio.
Makiko Ryujin draws heavily on her heritage to merge two Japanese traditions of hair and make-up with sculptural wooden vessels to explore inner and outer states of the human condition. Ryujin creates fantastical worlds, characters and sculptural contexts for women’s beauty and personality to exist in and stand out. Makiko wishes to incorporate 3D scanning, digital modelling and CNC milling into her creative repertoire to develop deeper interpretations of human and material forms.
Emily D’Cruz is an art therapist in the making creating puppets and theatre stages that enable psychologically and socially challenged children to explore and understand their unique and emotionally isolating circumstances. Puppets include a range of diverse cultural backgrounds and emotional states that allow therapeutic exploration between the person and carer. Emily believes that creative aids help people to circumnavigate communication obstacles and can open up avenues of therapeutic healing. Her designs will be manufactured using a multidisciplinary approach from hand made to advanced manufacturing methodologies.
Libby Letcher is a multidisciplinary artist practicing and exhibiting regularly in Melbourne for over 15 years. In 2004 a finalist for the Blake Prize and 2014 completing an Illustration degree at Melbourne Polytechnic. Working with drawing, painting, technology, printmaking, and sculpture, Libby has developed a strong visual language that explores personal and cultural meanings surrounding nature, myth and philosophy. At Space Tank Studio, Libby has transformed her images into laser cut jewellery and sculpture and envisions large outdoor and public sculptures as vertical gardens.
Isabel Avendano is a sculptural furniture maker and weaver concentrating on merging organic hand crafted forms with woven textile elements. Isabel’s practice is deeply rooted in traditional processes but to remain relevant and competitive her future projects will marry her deep knowledge of materials and craft with new technologies. Isabel utilises innovative manufacturing techniques to achieve quicker methods of production and repetition, specifically in making large scale public works. By adopting advanced manufacturing techniques into her practice, Avendano can economically scale her artistic practice to capture a broader audience.
Comments