June 3 2011
Simon Ancher has established a considerable reputation as one of Tasmania’s most exciting early career designers. His participation in numerous group shows, including Young Designers Month 2004 and 2005 and Design Island (Object touring show, 2006) have won acclaim. His Plied Rocker won the Premier’s Prize for Best in Show at DeFT 2006 Biennial and was acquired for the Design Forum Tasmania. He recently received international accolades in the digital magazine DesignBoom for his new SCW: Stool, Crate, Wood stool. Simon’s design style is also shaping a new generation of Tasmanian designers through his current role as Director of the UTAS Australian School of Fine Furniture.
For his first solo exhibition, Simon will create a research body of work investigating digital manufacture of furniture, specifically examining ways of generating bespoke - type shaping through the use of CNC routers, and encompassing the way in which this technology can influence the design of junctions and intersection points in solid timber whilst maintaining structural strength. The body of work will also focus on the production efficiencies that can be achieved through the use of digital technologies without losing the ‘handmade’ look and feel of the object.
