D/zine Issue 10 - The Anniversary Edition. by The Dub Designers

D/zine

ISSUE 10

Throughout this Zine you will find A heartfelt reflection of the mind. Tales that we express through art are colourful iterations from our heart We all dance, cry, laugh, sing and ache But no one really talks about what’s at stake In our busy lives it’s easy to forget Whose expectations are there to be met? The boss’s? The teacher’s? Your mum’s? Or yours? It’s hard to stay focused, who’s keeping score? No one knows you better than you do So trust that you will be okay, too. Stop, listen, learn, reflect. Not one soul was, or is, perfect. We hope you enjoy our little zine We’ve hit 10 issues so we want to scream! It’s been 5 years now so consider us young, Designed and worded, to roll off your tongue. Thanks for the love, thank you for reading, We’ll see you at the launch party – with a silent auction for bidding! 2

EDITOR Kate Hemsley-Hackett GRAPHIC COORDINATORS Rani Shanks Gabrielle Slater Kate Hemsley-Hackett PRINTING Cornerstone Press SPONSORS Cornerstone Press Eco Star Ball & Doggett QUT SCAPS COVER PHOTOGRAPH Harry Pullar

CONTENTS 06 TRANSITION – Daniel Sherington 10 NATURAL CHAOS – Hannah Depper 16 REFLECTION – Natalie Liu 18 NUDE TWINS – Gabrielle Slater 24 DISCONNECTED – Dr. Janice Rieger & Kasey Wilson 34 THIS MONKEY’S GONE TO HEAVEN – Harry Pullar 42 CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION- Caitlin Collins

THE EDITORS’ EDITION

THE DUB – Hunter Eccleston

BAMBUILD – Steve Szell

SHAHMEN SUKU – Issues 1, 2 & 3

ERIN DAWSON – Issue 4

TOM EMMETT - Issues 5, 6, & 7

MIRANDA RIELLY - Issue 8

104

LEXI ILLUK - Issue 9

REFLECTION The artwork throughout this issue of D/zine comes from artists, photographers, architects, fashion, interior, graphic, industrial, and interactive and visual designers, and the way they interpreted “reflection”. All artists and writers have been able to articulate vulnerability of self and the fragility of peace; most importantly, however, they have captured its power. Its power to define us. Modern life can be a haze of confusion and it’s easy to fall into a pattern that doesn’t completely represent you. But somewhere in there, is peace. The peace that makes you draw, design, write, think, sing, play, jump, yell, laugh, cry, wheeze, smile, breathe. The peace of mind needs to be nurtured. With the fast pace of change, nothing is more prevalent than time – time to reflect on who you are, where you stand and where you’re going. This issue of D/zine marks the 10th anniversary and to make a moment of it, it’s a big one! We’ve collated the best articles from the previous 9 issues and indulged in memories. This year at The Dub we welcomed new president, Hunter Eccleston. Hunter’s years with The Dub have given him the ability to reflect on what works, what doesn’t and what the people want! We have flourished under his guidance by delivering the largest ever School of Design Ball (#NightontheNile) and the first ever collaboration with Brisbane Powerhouse; in which student-designed installations are apart of the 2017 Wonderland Festival. We hope you have enjoyed this year and hope to continue bringing fun and engaging opportunities to the design cohort. Thanks for celebrating 10 editions with us! Enjoy, Kate

Transition Daniel Sherington 8

Are we designing & creating for any reason other than passion, joy & communication? Are you ever dissatisfied with your final product? Daniel Sherington reflects on his processes and why he sometimes is.

‘Transition’ is a body of work which highlights the growing conflicts within my artistic practice; represented through my sister performing transitioning movements in ballet. Ballet, as an art form, is often defined by set movements with their own titles and names. Plié, tendu, port de bras, posé, pirouette, and arabesque are words of finality and completion - describing that the movement begins and ends in one motion. The Dancer and The Artist can defy such strict definitions as there is not a way to articulate the work done during the stages of movement that transition the individual from beginning to end. Each phase is a moment of duality between freedom and discipline, where artistic freedom of expression dilutes the tension generated by concentration and discipline.

Through reflection, I have realised that my level of satisfaction with each pieces’ aesthetics ends when the artwork nears completion. Although, friends and family might be awe inspired by the amount of skill involved, the real beauty of the work exists in the moments of creation – where the drawing remains open ended, endless and yet to be anything it wants to be. It instills a sense of tranquility within me and is when I am most impassioned to create. In this series I project onto the reader my own perspective and inner psyche as to what is beautiful and complete in being an artist.

The series decontextualizes my sister from her surroundings by floating her in negative space. She surreally exists just within the moment of transition: the beginning – the focus; middle – the freedom; and end – the grace, the total the free fall. My fascination with moments of transition is a greater reflection of my art practice, and myself as an artist as a whole, existing within the tension of freedom and discipline. Throughout my years of drawing, it’s taken me time to realise that I possess a level of dissatisfaction for the final product of my work. 9

Illustrations by Daniel Sherington 11

Natural Chaos HANNAH DEPPER

This photo series shines a refreshing light over the issues of waste and the concept of natural chaos. It reflects how ‘normal’ the ‘abnormal’ is within our world and challenges the viewer to look at what elements of their daily lives are manipulating nature, causing chaos or creating unnatural waste. Do you see the order, the harmony, the cohesion of fruit hung on trees then tightly packed into tin cans as natural? Or chaotic?

The natural chaos elements are represented by fruit as it is not controlled by man, or society. The fact that it is completely natural and uncontrolled by man was why I used it to represent chaos. Because when combined with the manmade environment, chaos results. By incorporating reflective surfaces, a new perspective otherwise perceived mundane objects is created. Reflections enabled me to incorporate a unique and interpretive element to the piece and make it thought provoking, inspiring different understandings from each individual viewer.

mandarin tin This piece depicts natural chaos due to mansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; manipulation. Squish what you can for mass consumption into a tin, throw the rest awayâ&#x20AC;Ś waste. 13

Fruity Cubes The stacked cubed fruit is another example of the organising of natural chaos. Waste is represented by the imperfect cubed fruits. Even though these cubed bits are completely fine, they are wasted 14

because of their aesthetics. Reflection is used here to help create a look of infinite order.

Reflected Dolls Society: Responsible for the waste and confinement and order of natural chaos. The dolls in this image have been piled on top of each other as to symbolise a pile of waste. The mirror in this image is particularly important because it is used as a tool for society to reflection on themselves and their actions regarding this issue of waste and unnecessary order.

Reflection NATALIE LIU

I see... No one. A silhouette. A shadow, perhaps. But it is not me. Or, maybe it is, for I do not actually know what I look like. Like a pond, that is not glassy. For a drop has marred its placid surface, and the ripples only grow. All I see is a motley of colours. I look closer. It is like staring into frosted glass. I see nothing; I touch it. I cannot make sense of it.

It is like peering into a kaleidoscope. People say it is beauty defined. All I see are colours and patterns clashing. Nothing makes sense. I try to find the beauty in it. I try. I sit back on my heels, I wonder. If I ever got to see my reflection, if I ever really saw myself... Would I like... Me?

Photograpahy by Kate Hemsley-Hackett 19

NUDE TWINS GABRIELLE SLATER

Our physical reflection is the immediate, visceral and tactile exposure to self. It’s where we can point out wrongs, rights, it’s where we shape the image of ourselves in the light of others eyes. But we know that this image is only projected so far. Underneath the layer of skin is the heart: emotional, raw and complex, and the brain: malleable yet strong, and changing. The self is constantly being redefined and self perception is like putting glasses on, taking them off, changing the frames, adjusting the lenses– It’s never stagnant. But what if our environment was? Gabrielle depicts change, growth and discovery in her Nude Twins.

I wanted to create a series of images that illustrate both our physical reflection and the idea of reflecting on or imagining different versions of ourselves. The same figure is replicated in this series, moving between life as she understands it and a different reality that she is discovering. I wanted the images to appear dreamlike, where the figure looks like she has been frozen in time while imagining different adaptations of herself or her world.

Illustrations by Gabrielle Slater. Look at more of Gabyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work on instagram: @gabrielle_slater @nude.twins 25

DISCONNECTED

Why do we absorb our time thinking over wants and desires, checking to-do lists and boxing our lives into a predesigned pattern of life?

Kasey Wilson pours imagination into the steely streets of Brisbane by enlivening the space and reconnecting the self to mindful experience through her project, Disconnect.

When was the last time you looked up from the pavement (or your phone) to notice the colours in the trees, the mindful architecture and the chaotic domain of modern, western society?

QUT Interior design lecturer, Dr. Janice Rieger, explores Kasey’s motivations and inspirations: J: So, Kasey how has your understanding of interior design changed since studying the senses, multisensoriality and embodiment this semester in design? K: I think I’ve really had to think about design less in a visual sense and consider the whole journey on a much broader scale. I think it’s about painting a much bigger picture in my mind about how people experience spaces and how we can really effect people on a psychological level. It’s about so much more than the architecture of bricks and mortar and what materials you’re putting into the space. There’s a limitless array of sensorial facets that you can draw upon to engage people’s awareness of space. Through my design Disconnect, I tried to consider using the breath to inspire the multivalent spaces that I created through slowly moving sand and fluid filled walls. The idea was to encapsulate the way oxygen flows through your body. It’s a powerful ingredient to life that can help us slow down and experience the moment and really savour life.

J: Can you share something specifically about slowness, slow design or slow movements? K: In Disconnect, I was thinking about inhabiting the spaces of transit, rather than just going from point A to point B. I called the vertical circulation the Whipbird walk which was inspired by a reading by Tim Ingold entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Against Space: Place, movement, knowledgeâ&#x20AC;?. Tim talks about really inhabiting your experience, or the line you walk, marking a trail on earth rather than getting on a train and putting your head in a book, or in social media. With todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast paced modes of transport, we often find ourselves in a kind of holding pattern until we get to our destination. So, with my vertical circulation I wanted people to really slow down and consider that vertical transition as a space, not as a journey but as a place to be in, to inhabit. I designed a mud wall that had little crevices in it and little footholds that you could climb up to and peer inside and discover something which were these sounds of the Australian wildlife and birdlife. The whipbird for example, which was a way of stopping people from rushing from the bottom to the top or from the top to the bottom or from getting here to there, to just slow down and experience what there was on offer there: the smells, the sounds and the beauty that was surrounding them.

AXONOMETRIC SECTION

TOP FLOOR - TIME TOTEMS

This reimagined space demonstrates a slow multivalent performance that provides a quality opportunity for rich sensory consumption, reflection and connection in an historic brick warehouse building in the heart of the Brisbane Central Business District, as an antidote for the fast life of the city worker.

GROUND FLOOR -

THE MOMENT MACHINE

J: Can you relate slowness to embodiment and interior design knowledge and how sustainability then comes through? K: Well the criteria/brief in the design was about design activism and I took this more from a social sustainability approach. I started thinking about real world connections and modern social media platforms. I mean it’s out of control today and we’re addicted to it, I’m addicted to it. When I started looking at the research for this it was alarming, we think its harmless but its degrading our sense of wellness and our sense of connection to society. You can have hundreds or even thousands of connections on these platforms, yet not one sort of meaningful relationship. I started to think about how we could create better connections in society through this idea of totemism which has a profoundly ancient background. A lot of cultures from around the world had some form of animalistic totemism in their past. We used totemism to have an animal or some part of the earth that in our mind we connected to. We had an animalistic imagination. We had a bio-spheric kind of existence where we thought of ourselves as not just placed upon this earth but as part of it. That’s where this animalistic totemism is powerful because it helped us to think and strengthen that connection in our 34

minds. The social sustainability idea for the space is about people committing to creating these totems and remembering them over the course of one to five years, so it’s a long time. They had to come together in a real-world space and contribute in a slow way, with lots of slow craft like wood carving and glass fusing. As a way of combating perceived obsolescence, they would use objects from their life that are now thought useless and learn (through craft workshops) how to make them beautiful again.

Illustrations and plans by Kasey Wilson 35

THIS MONKEY’S GONE TO HEAVEN HARRY PULLAR

Where do you find the most peace? More importantly, how do you find it? Harry looks beyond contemporary musings about self actualisation… in a world of chaos you are your own anchor.

Illustrations by Harry Pullar

I think acute self reflection is the only way we can possibly progress as a society and as a species. Having consciousness (being aware of one self) is an incredible factor of being a human being. Most other life forms on the planet have not yet progressed this far in evolution. Consciousness is what gives human beings our ability to think, analyse, invent and create and without it we would be no different to any other wild animal. Without consciousness there would certainly be no Sydney Opera House, no surfing, no flat-whites, no jazz, no such thing as fashion, no aeroplanes... you get the point. However, it is also one of the most debilitating aspects of being human. Our consciousness is what makes humans a hell of a lot more stressed than any other species on this planet. We overthink, over-analyse, get anxious about unnecessary things, get depressed over our past and constantly work our self into frenzies. Unfortunately, this is all the dirty work of our conscious mind. Do you think your dog or cat ever suffers from overthinking? So, in my opinion, this is where self reflection steps in. True, relentless and honest self reflection is our key to mastering and controlling our consciousness. Through personal experience, I have found that meditation on oneself is the only answer to liberation. And what do I specifically mean by this? Well, the concept itself is fairly simple, but it is the execution that is challenging. It is simply studying oneself. Studying our behaviours, studying our thought processes and thought loops, studying our reactions and our emotions. By studying ourselves deeply, we become aware of the root of our habits and patterns that may be causing us pain, and we go far enough, we can find that there is

no real need for them. At the start of my discovery of this simple process, I was literally writing things down having conversations with myself to get to the bottom of why I truly did things. This related to every aspect of my life, from my studies, to my relationships and to my hobbies. What I found, was that some of the things that were happening in my life were a direct manifestation of fear that I hadn’t truly looked at. Fear of what? I dunno, it could be that fact that 23 years ago I emerged out of a dark infinite abyss and was born onto a giant floating rock screaming through an endless black space at 30km per second. As the great Jim Morrison very famously sung, “...Into this house we’re born, Into this world we’re thrown, Like a dog without a bone, an actor out on loan, riders on the storm...” (arguably the greatest track ever made). We wake up one day, get taught all of these things and are told by some “smart” people what the right way to live us, go ahead and start living them, but do we ever stop to think why? I think it is essential that we decide for ourselves what is valid and what is not. I realised that there is no right way, and unless I started making decisions for myself formed by a deep personal understanding, I would endlessly be tossed around like a pinball.

I could write for a lot longer on my experience with self reflection but I won’t. Instead I’ll end with a quote from one of the most life changing books I ever read – The Impossible Question by Jiddu Krishnamurti. “...one’s brain functions in old habits, like a gramophone record playing the same tune over and over again. While the noise of that tune, of that habit is going on, one is not capable of listening to anything new... For most of us the difficulty lies in being free of the old habits of thought: ‘I am something’, ‘I want to fulfil myself’, ‘I want to become’, ‘I believe in my opinions’, ‘This is the way’, ‘I belong to this particular sect’. The moment you take a stand you have separated yourself and have therefore become incapable of looking at the total process. Do listen with full attention, so that in the very act of listening the old memories, the old habits, the accumulated tradition, will...

all be wiped away.”

Look at more of Harry’s work on Instagram: @twin.scissors 41

Conscious Consumption Caitlin Collins

Caitlin is a QUT student studying entertainment and fashion. Alongside uni, she manages her own business selling pre-loved clothes as well as writing a fashion blog. Caitlin is an active advocate for ethical fashion. In her article below, she reflects on our role as consumers and explores the tensions of conscious consumer decisions in our role as humans to define the future of the fashion industry and the future of our environment.

The first step to becoming a more sustainable fashion consumer, is becoming educated. No, don’t worry, I’m not asking you to do anything crazy like read 10,000 books or complete a research paper, it’s more about being consciously aware of what is going on in the world around you, and understanding the process by which this item of clothing got to your closet. As well as that, it’s important to know what you’re paying for when you’re buying clothing. Fashion companies have many overheads to pay: rent, electricity and wages in their retail stores, marketing, distribution, and wages in their head office. All of this has to come from the price of the clothing you buy, as well as obviously a profit for the company and the cost of the materials and manufacturing of the garments. The fashion industry made a huge shift towards the end of the 20th century when consumption began to rise. Suddenly we wanted more, we were constantly wanting something new and fresh and we wanted it now. Mainstream consumers started demanding high end fashion at affordable prices. And so, fast fashion was born and these brands found that off-shoring their manufacturing to developing countries (especially in Asia) and buying in bulk was proving to be much cheaper than paying the wages of the Western World. For most countries, these garment factories are made up of thousands of low-skilled workers (about 80-90% women) who are working in a production line format, sewing the exact same piece over and over again every day with little chance to move around the factory. These women are forced to work on short term contracts, for 16 hour days and sometimes 6 or

7 days a week, for wages of anywhere between 80c and $2/3 a DAY, all this whilst enduring what we would consider slave-like working conditions. There is a common misconception that companies having to pay more to manufacture clothing means that retail prices will go up. This is frankly, false. For a company to pay garment workers what is considered a fair or ‘living wage’, is the difference between paying 50c or 80c to make a tshirt. Unfortunately this might mean that the C.E.O’s may just have to drop some of their million dollar bonuses each year. This is the reason why buying second-hand is so affordable – not because it’s ‘worn’, ‘used’, or ‘old’; but simply because all you are paying for is the actual value of the physical garment, instead of paying all the extra overheads and profits associated with running a fashion business. Global clothing production has more than doubled since the year 2000, and unfortunately our mass consumption of clothing is also having negative effects on the environment: in Australia we discard about 6000 tonnes of clothing every ten minutes. Cotton and polyester are the two most used fibres. The production of a single cotton T-shirt uses more than 2500L of water. Clothing made from polyester, like any man-made fibre, will live on this earth 4 times as long as you will. With all of this information in mind, it might seem as though these issues are too far removed from us as consumers to actually do anything of value to help. Obviously, we can’t change laws of foreign countries, we can’t dictate ... cont. 45

Stitch is an ethical fashion copmany producing hand made linen tableware. Designed by Aussie sisters Blair & Bromley Moore in NYC. @stitchnewyork 46

procedures in garment factories, we can’t force brands to use better cotton. But what we have to do is work with the organisations who are already working with third world governments to improve factory conditions, as well as working with brands to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable practices. There are heaps of apps and websites such as ShopEthical and Rate a Brand, who can give you a quick overview of major brands and their efforts towards sustainable practices. Another way to consume fashion more sustainably (while still consuming as much as you want) is to buy pre-loved and second-hand garments. A lot of Op Shops are far more organised and fashionable than they used to be, and with people discarding outfits after only one use, you can often find pieces in an op shop that are currently selling in a retail store, only at less than a third of the price. There are also sooo many Facebook groups for pre-loved clothing, as well as Instagram stores dedicated to giving used clothing a second chance at life. We must demand transparency from brands, we must ask questions: is my favourite brand sourcing cotton from Uzbekistan where the government runs a forced labour program using children to grow their cotton? If so, why? Does my favourite brand know the policies of the factories they are buying from, and

whether they are being enforced? Are they using factories that pay a living wage? Can I even access information about where their clothing is made? If not, why? And these are questions that you can literally ask, either by going into a retail store or emailing the main office. And if you are choosing to boycott a brand, don’t do it silently. Let the brand know that you don’t agree with something they are or are not doing, and let other people know it as well. Consumers are the most important part of the fashion industry: we have to make our choices count. We each have the power to make conscious decisions in the way we consume, creating a ripple effect that will set in motion the change required to finally overhaul the fashion industry. Make sure you follow Caitlin’s business on Instagram: @CJ_collection_

LETTER FROM this editor The anniversary edition reflects on the evolution eyes of their parents, the Editors. The Zine began grown significant legs since! Each edition has had ative and intelligent content that was grounded by

of D/Zine through the back in 2012 and has great, interesting, crean important concept.

Issue one exposed student work, issue two looked into urban lifestyle and design, three focused on the intimacy of design and four explored ‘the design narrative’. Issue five shifted the tone of the zine – it became more serious, more focused and the concepts began to relate more to our place within humanity and the world. Issue five scrutinized the concept of materiality, six uncovered the concept of place making, seven looked at culture, eight spoke truths about sustainability, and nine went ‘back to the future’. This grand anniversary issue fittingly speaks of reflection. We might not all be raised the same, we might not all have the same experiences, but looking at situations through different glasses can brighten our holistic perspective. It creates diversity of opinion, of action and helps us have a better understanding of self, and our environment, in turn, developing a better, more cohesive society. As designers, we need to be broad thinkers but hold integrity to self – this is how we hone our ‘style’. We take inspiration from all that surrounds us and question everything. We need to reflect inwards and gaze outwards to learn and grow and design with purpose. We look at the Editors – Then & Now – (so that we hopeful creatives can see there’s light at the end of the tunnel!) and uncover the motivations behind their selected pieces. This zine combines the most poignant articles and pieces produced over the past five years. We hope you enjoy falling down the rabbit hole and reliving the past. If you want to go for a deeper exploration, you kind find all issues of D/zine online at Issuu.com/thedubdesigners. Enjoy, Kate

E D I T O R Sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; EDITION

A WORD FROM OUR PRESIDENT: the dub “The Dub”. What does it mean you ask? Well, that’s the same question I found myself asking for the whole of first year… This cool club building bamboo structures with their “Bambuild” competition, making magazines, hosting balls, industry talks and putting the letter ‘D’ in front of everything. Yeah, that’s a pretty cool club alright.

Ball is now one of QUT’s largest balls, hosting over 700 people in 2016. The D/zine magazine – a tradition started with the Dub’s inception - is now in its 10th edition. The social presence of the Dub is becoming more and more known by younger members of the school, with an intent on providing constructive and engaging social events.

My time with the Dub started in my first year as volunteer for both Bambuild events in 2015. The small community of like-minded design students who were (and still are!) passionate about making a difference, being proactive, experimenting with a sustainable building material, and working through the design solution had me from the first weave of bamboo.

To add to the engaging, rendezvous nature of the Dub, is the poignant graphical representation that key members have been able to manifest and implement during their time. The Bambuild series is now onto its 6th iteration, this year being approached and fully funded by the Brisbane Powerhouse’s “Wonderland Festival”. To me, the Dub is more than a Design Club... the Dub is a creative platform for people to express themselves, create inter-disciplinary connections, and gain real life experience. So, for those still asking what “The Dub” means and stands for… hopefully this paints a clearer picture.

My understanding of the Dub grew, the voice I had within the club, grew (not that one is really needed), and the friendships I have formed continue to grow. The welcoming and collaborative nature of the club is something I keenly experienced, and now, as the president, endeavour to develop during the short time I have at university. During the past three years, I have seen the Dub’s presence grow; not only within the School of Design, but the wider university and local community. The Design 52

– Hunter Eccleston

This year, (for the sixth time!) The Dub is proud to run Bambuild. The installation series bringing student designs to life by showcasing the work throughout Brisbane City. This year, The Dub is collaborating with Brisbane Powerhouse as part of the 2017 Wonderland Festival! It’s been a long journey to make Bambuild what it is today. Every year it grows and it has been a wonderful learning curve throwing ourselves into the deep end. The process of considered design and construction allows us, as designers, to grow and push ourselves to produce work at a higher grade each time. In such a digital age, it is easy to get lost in programs that can automate this design process for you. With respect to being a conscious designer, our aim was to bring the physical aspect of modelling and prototyping structural forms back into the student design culture. The Bambuild series gives students a chance to apply simple construction methods to a single material and produce an evocative structure by providing a clean model, and clear documented construction methods.. It is through careful consideration of form and structure and by physically modelling the design that we are then able to understand fully how we would actually build a structure. Of course, every design is unique. This is why we feel it is important to take them from the hypothetical realm into the physical as an experimental structure. In actualising the work, we are able to develop a deeper knowledge about how to design effectively, which can then be applied to future work in a more meaningful way – the essence and purpose of design! I hope you enjoy this looking back at some of our favourite projects which we’ve poured a little bit more of ourselves into each time we’ve come back to it. 53 – Steve Szell, Former Dub President and Co-Founder

Illustrations by Thomas Oram

Gabrielle

Slater 57

and

SHAHMEN SUKU EDITOR OF D/ZINE 1, 2 & 3

Towards the end of my first year of Interior Design 2011 at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kristen Mather and I hit upon the idea to form a student body to bring together all the design disciplines at the school. We gathered our friends from the different design courses to create various platforms under the umbrella of ‘The Dub’. One of our major platforms was D/zine. Almost three years after my graduation, it’s wonderful to be asked to contribute to the special, 10th issue of D/zine and have a chance to look back. I wanted to get as much as I could out of my time at QUT, and through The Dub I was able to learn so much. I learned to write about design, how to stage large social events for the School, and how to create platforms for discussions about the different disciplines in design. For these, I invited speakers not only from the design industry, but also from the larger creative community in Brisbane. I chose three of my articles to be included in this issue. The first, ‘Lane-Way to go’, is based on an interview with architecture student and developer Arthur Apostolos about his plans to develop laneways in Fortitude Valley. It is interesting to note, five years later, that the two laneways we talked about are now fully functioning spaces. It has been incredible to observe an empty laneway transform from an idea of a fellow University peer into a realised environment that has now, together with the James Street precinct, put Fortitude Valley on the map as

FAVOURITE ARTICLES Issue 1: Laneway to Go Issue 2: Concrete Jungle - Verticle Gardens Issue 3: Negotiating Architecture the place to go for rich urban experiences. The second article, titled ‘Concrete Jungle - Vertical Gardens’, received a lot of attention and was even presented in lectures in QUT as an example of urban living – with gardens an integral part of their fabric. The third article, ‘Negotiating Architecture’, describes my first visit to Venice, where I was wowed by the vernacular architecture of each country’s pavilion. My time at QUT and with The Dub opened up an array of opportunities and avenues I could follow. I have since moved to Sydney, where I work in several vocations. I am a freelance exhibition designer working on art exhibitions, and am also a performance and installation artist, using food and storytelling to explore collective family history, gender boundaries, culture, race, religion, migration and displacement. I have been awarded residencies at the Delfina Foundation, London and the Bundanon Trust, NSW, and participated in exhibitions nationally and internationally. My work has been presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art , Artspace and more. 59

LANEWAY TO GO Article By Shahmen Suku Photography By Nicholas Threapleton

Arthur Apostolos is currently a student at QUT studying Architecture. He is also a business and accounting graduate and a practicing accountant. Arthur also runs his family business and is the landlord of the infamous Winn Lane. The Dub met to talk to him about the beginnings of Winn Lane and what is to come in the near future for the laneways of Fortitude Valley. During our conversation, Arthur filled us in a little on the history of Fortitude Valley. “From the 1950s – 1970s, it was a busier shopping district than the city. There was a Myer store, the TC Beirne store and Waltons. Over time the city and shops in the suburbs grew and the Valley’s focus changed to a night economy. Arthur hopes to return this daytime economy to the Valley and Winn Lane’s success has triggered other interesting outcomes”. “From what used to be car parks at the back of The Zoo, Winn Lane’s early beginning was very organic”, says Arthur. “It grew from demand, starting with The Outpost 6 years ago, followed by the Alibi junior which was then taken over by Flamingo Café - who will expand to include a bar. They inserted stalls into the original heritage listed buildings’ fabric and put shop fronts between the pillars. They later noticed a demand for small 60

and affordable spaces by young entrepreneurs and so expanded Winn Lane”. The design of Winn Lane was a collaboration between Arthur, the builder and the tenants and this would also carry forth into these new lanes. When asked about the future of retailing and retail design in Brisbane, Arthur had this to say; “Retailing is going through a huge transformation. The way people are shopping and spending their money is very different and some people will adapt and some will not and I think landlords will have to adapt too. Looking at David Jones and Myers they will all be downscaling and moving partly online. They have this saying – ‘brick and click’ - so that is going to be the model for a lot of retailers: having an online presence while still having a physical presence that would be significantly smaller. From a property owner point of view, that will affect how people will shop and how we will design and that is what Winn Lane is all about, some people want large spaces but not everyone needs it”. The future of Fortitude Valley’s laneways points towards the Bakery Lane and California Lane project. Bakery Lane which is located between Laruche and Fabrik hair salon has been designed by Kevin

Hayes architects to include an incubator residence with workshops enabling tenants to live, work and sell from. “Young business venturers cannot really afford to pay three rents, one for sleeping, one for their workshop and one for a retail space”, says Arthur, “being in the valley heart they would already be part of the shopping precinct”. “California Lane, located behind New York Slice and stretching out to The Beat, will included two levels of retail, bars and cafes designed by Guymer Bailey, which would see an addition of 17 new stores made using shipping containers and pallets to push the theme of a recycled lane. Neither laneway would target big chains like James Street or the Emporium, as the focus would be on catering to young designers and people who want to make a start, thus creating a creative hub”. “These three laneways will enhance each other rather than compete. The location of these three would form a golden triangle that would essentially benefit other stores located in the precinct, making it a whole day experience filled with opportunities for living, shopping, eating, drinking and designing. This will hopefully bring people back to the original Valley where people did shop and spend their days there”. We are looking forward to the construction of these two laneways and the energy and opportunities they will provide and wish the Apostolos family all the best in this exciting new project. 61

CONCRETE JUNGLE VERTICAL GARDENS Article by Shahmen Suku Photography by Horst Kiechle

Widely known as the ‘Garden City’, Singapore has gained a reputation for its clean, green, manicured landscape. Being a tropical island – almost on the Equator – plants thrive here, and they provide shelter from the relentless Singaporean heat. They are also important in Asian cultures, as they are said to bring health and prosperity. Singapore has also been closely studied for its successful public housing campaign. Public housing was first introduced in the 1920s during the British occupation of Singapore, due to the chronic housing conditions many people were living in. Housing was then concentrated in the city centre, along the Singapore River, consisting mainly of terraced shop houses, while housing in suburban areas was in the form of traditional Malay villages (kampongs), also known as attap houses. World War II further exacerbated Singapore’s housing problems: in 1947, the British Housing Committee reported that Singapore had one of the worst slums in the world. Public housing only really gained momentum, however, after the People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Lee Kuan Yew gained power in 1959. One of the major factors in this push was the Bukit Ho Swee Fires in May 62

1961. These broke out in a cramped squatter settlement, and made thousands of Singaporeans homeless. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) was set up that year in a bid to resettle them. The HDB acquired the land and built the first five blocks of 768 flats in just nine months, and during the next four years, built over 8,000 flats. This was seen as the beginnings of the public housing boom in Singapore and has since changed the landscape of Singapore. Plants were highly valued by the Singapore government. When it acquired land from the landowners, monetary compensation was given for every tree they had on their land. Plants also had domestic uses in the new form of apartment living, in which common corridors were shared by about 10 flats. These communal areas of no real boundaries gave birth to the use of potted plants in marking one’s territory, blurring the lines between public and private space. This claiming of space often led to neighbourly disputes when it was seen to spill over. In true Singapore style, competition between neighbours arose, and corridor gardens were the pride of many high rise

apartment dwellers. Corridor gardens are sometimes frowned upon when they take over walkways blocking off fire escapes, and incidents when pot plants fell off balconies has led to restrictions, with regular inspections by authorities. This corridor planting can be seen as an evolution from kampong living, where one would have a garden which would be an area to interact with one’s neighbours. High rise planting could be seen as the beginnings of a trend toward vertical gardens in Singapore’s built environment. Among its many green policies, Singapore has placed an importance on including plants in every aspect of a building project. Recent projects include the School of the Arts, major shopping centres and the ‘Gardens by the Bay’ in Marina Bay. New HDB projects feature specific areas for potted plants in their design. Planting is also encouraged through various neighbourhood competitions. The approach to plants in highly urbanised Singapore could give us something to learn from: the harshness of this concrete jungle has been subdued with the help of greenery. 63

NEGOTIATING ARCHITECTURE Article By Shahmen Suku

Photography By Lara Almarcegui “Spanish Pavilion” & Simryn Gill “Australian Pavilion” My virgin trip to Europe began with a sprint to the Australian Pavilion at the Giardini (Garden) in Venice before the gates closed for the day. Every two years, Venice plays host to the largest contemporary art event in the world, the Venice Biennale. Famous for being one of the worlds’ most beautiful cities, Venice is transformed into a land of art, with exhibitions located throughout its villas and palazzos, its historic Arsenale, and, most romantically, its Giardini. 64

There was a lot to take in for a first timer. Established in 1895, the Biennale is enormous, and national pavilions litter the landscape of the Giardini. Many are designed by renowned architects: Carlo Scarpa’s Venezuelan pavilion (1953), William Adams Delano and Chester Holmes Aldrich’s American pavilion (1930), Alvar Aalto’s Finnish pavilion (1956), and Léon Sneyers’ 1907 pavilion for Belgium, the first to be built by a foreign country. These small permanent structures are

rendered rather semi-permanent, evolving and changing with each Biennale in response to contemporary artists. A famous example is Hans Haacke’s work in the German pavilion for the 1993 Biennale. Haacke uprooted and smashed the marble floor slabs that were installed for the pavilion’s redesign in 1938 by Hitler, drawing attention to the dark nationalist history of the building. In 2009, Scandinavian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset responded to the modernist architecture of the Nordic and Danish Pavilions by transforming them into a stylish domestic setting, their contents suggesting the life of the fictional characters who used to live there. Simryn Gill’s exhibition ‘Here art grows on trees’ represented Australia this year, housed in the Australian pavilion built in 1988 by Philip Cox. This was the secondlast national pavilion to be built in the Giardini, and Cox offered to place this ‘temporary’ structure, funded by himself and other sources. Mostly prefabricated, this building has since remained in Venice.

This truly Australian vernacular representation of a shed, made with a tin roof and timber, will soon however be replaced by Denton Corker Marshall’s big black modernist box. This new design appears to lack the personality and narrative of the existing building and the surrounding pavilions which tell the stories of each country. With few local references besides using South Australian black granite to encase a white cube, it seems to leave very little space for conversations to be had with the building or its surroundings. The Giardini demonstrates the complex process of interaction between artists and architects, art and design, and people and buildings that we may lose with the new pavilion. But knowing artists, it will just prove to be another challenge to be overcome.

Gill’s work is a great example of how an artist interacts with the building they exhibit in. She removed elements of the roof, opening up the space to provide a view to the sky and trees above, to let in the sounds of birds, and to allow the weather to impact upon the works on display, which become a part of the pavilion and the environment around it.

ERIN DAWSON EDITOR

OF D/ZINE 4

Unfortunately, we were unable to catch Erin to find out what she’s up to these days but we’re confident that she’s brimming with enthusiasm and big ideas! Issue four uncovered ‘the design narrative’. This process, just like any story, begins with a time and place. The following course it takes is shaped by numerous groups and individuals that are woven into the story; all influencing, to varying degrees, its outcome. At the Dub we recognize that, as students, our design narrative is just beginning and we should take every opportunity we can to learn from others. From issue four, we again bring you the story of Jaala: An architect-turned-photographer. Jaala’s story touches us all as we remind ourselves that we are constantly evolving.

Illustration by Angus Shaw

JAALA Emerging photographer Jaala Alex talks about her journey from architecture to photography

You began your studies in Architecture at QUT and are now undertaking a Bachelor of Photography at the Queensland College of Art. When did you first develop an interest in photography and what led you to make the move to QCA? I have always been driven to make art since I was very young and my interest in photography really sparked in high school through Visual Art. Studying architecture was how I sought to make 68

art, play with light and create feeling in space. I think these interests have followed through with my photographic art practice; architecture was just not the right means for me to create, which drove me to pursue photography at QCA. The course at QUT did, however, open my eyes to the crossover between art and the built environments and continues to inspire me in my photography. What themes do you seek to explore through your practice?

While my practice can be quite vast, I often explore melancholic moments in life that are inherently beautiful. I tend to work within the genres of still life and landscape, though my colour palette and tone vary, and reflect what I am interested in at the time. I am into sickly pastels and stark whites at the moment. The photographs featured in this article and the front cover of DUB are from your Espied series that you worked on whilst on a Photography and Fine Art Trip in Peru last year. What was your experience of South America? I had an immensely enriching experience in Peru. I found that the country was very different to what I had perceived before the trip. The land is so sparse and barren; it truly feels like being on Mars. Some towns are so vibrant, both in the colour of the streets and soul of the people, whereas the large cities like Lima are so dense, grey and cold. In Espied I attempted to juxtapose the beauty of the natural landscape with the bizarre nature of Peru’s urban environments. Did you have a project idea in mind prior to your travels or did you find it was more of an intuitive response? I didn’t have any idea what my project would eventuate to before we left for the trip. I wanted to be really open to experience and shoot with my intuition. I think that after practicing photography for a while you develop a strong methodology that is subconsciously built into your practice. I just shot things I loved the look of, things I was amused by, and unexpected urban spaces. There is one particular stretch of road we followed

that was full of empty billboards. Apparently when the import/export season is booming and lots of truckers are on the road, the billboards are filled with advertisements. However, when it is off-season they are completely bare; some are merely skeletal. It’s really strange! What projects/plans are you working on this year? In September this year I am going on another Griffith University short term study tour to New York, which I am ecstatic to be involved in. I feel like some really exciting experiences and projects will grow from the people we meet, and connections we create. Besides looking forward to that, I’m focusing on creating a body of work for the end of year exhibition held for the photography graduates of our year. In 2015 I will most likely pursue post- graduate studies at QCA, or perhaps elsewhere. Lastly, have any particular photographic artists or texts been of influence to you and your work lately?

Michael Wolf is someone I have been really interested in and inspired by lately. His work revolves around life in megacities, and I think after having visited a few major cities in the last few years (such as Mumbai, Lima and Hanoi) it’s something that I have a curious fascination with as well. My work in New York will mostly likely reflect my intrigue in his work.

To see more of Jaala’s work, please visit her website: www.jaalaalex.com 69

Words by Lynette Letic Photography by Jaala Alex 75

TOM EMMETT EDITOR

OF D/ZINE 5, 6 & 7

Issue 5 of D/zine was such an exciting time, we were all mid-way through our degrees and had the chance to take the magazine to new places. Reading through the issue again it’s obvious we were passionate. We worked hard to ensure that the themer, materiality, permeated throughout all of the elements; from layout to article choice and artistic direction. We laid the foundation for the following issues with a substantial overhaul of font, layout, spacing and artistic direction. In issue 5, I particularly liked was “5 Who DIY”. It was my article and the inspiration behind the concept was purely to showcase the talented friends and people I studied with! Issue 5 was a test model in many ways, we were branching out from our secure grounds of architecture and design and into fashion, art and other fields. Issue 6 really cemented what we had initiated with design and layout and was more polished. Placemaking was the theme and we strove for each article to derive from this theme which created a new found cohesiveness. The slightly larger budget for this issue allowed us to have an embossed title on the cover. The tactility and feel of this

FAVOURITE ARTICLES Issue 5: 5 Who DIY Issue 6: 19 James St Issue 7: The Suburbs was incredibly important allowed us to reach more of the five senses with the final object. Issue 7 was my last shot at directing the D/zine and it came down to the wire to complete it! We had some great photography from Mez Macleod and Yaseera Moosa in the issue. The launch parties for each of the issues doubled as end of semester parties for the design cohorts, with each getting bigger and bigger as the Dub became more well known. The launch for Issue 7 was held at Bakery Lane, kindly lent to us for the evening by Arthur Apostolos, and we had a turnout of over 300 people! Looking back on my time as editor, and at the Dub, the thing that stands out for me are all the wonderful people I met and worked with. How lucky we were to have such great people studying with us and willing to work towards a common goal. 77

5 WHO DIY 5 Who DIY chronicles the thoughts and opinions of design students who are making an impact within different creative mediums to their study. These honest interviews show insight where none normally exists because of the naĂŻve, unfiltered and raw perception on design that students have. 78

Words by Tom Emmet Photography by Jordan Lovenitti Artwork by Giselle Penny

RUAIRI Ruairi Roberts mixes studying architecture and running a fashion label while DJ-ing on the Brisbane night club scene.

Men’s sartorial options are fairly limited in Brisbane, did this spur you on to create Habitude? I’d say there was a lack of creativity, the fact that I can walk into a fabric store and imagine something as a garment rather than looking at the city and seeing a lack of something, it was more just a thought process that I have. Saying that though, Brisbane is getting better, it was pretty bad. I wouldn’t say that it inspired me, but now that I have an eye for it, I can see where it needs improvement.

More recently you’ve started making full body print outfits after only focusing on bow-ties and pocket squares, tell me about that? They just cool. I’m definitely the sort of guy who wouldn’t give two cents to anyone’s opinion on me. Though if I make enemies on what I wear, it’s not a big deal. It’s more just a way of expressing my personality through clothes. The all over print and the extravagance of it says that ‘I don’t care what you have to say about me’. But it also says that I’m fun and I definitely like to party (laughing). 79

Do you feel Habitude is more creative or commercial? Definitely creative. If I was commercial I would be on a plane to Vietnam or Thailand right now to get truckloads of stuff made so I could market it to the masses. Through study etc., it’s an outlet for me to create something real rather than just hypothesising about things. I would call it ‘filling a void’, but ‘achieving something really cool’ at the same time. Studying architecture, what do you see the role of a designer or architect in 2014? It’s ever evolving; isn’t it? Some architects are going from architecture and moving into fashion. The role of an architect is not necessarily design buildings, but to to give design advice in all facets of design seeing as it is so mistakable to design flaws – I think the theory of architecture applies to all things in the creative world. So the role of an architect can’t really be defined… I guess it’s up to the architect himself or herself to find out what they’re about. But in 2014 I think the role of an architect is continuing to be blurred into all facets of design. Obviously there is always the need for an architect to be an architect, but many of theses people are delving into other niches. Do you think architects are going to have more of an influence of society in the future? This is a complicated on e because architecture is a language and architects speak it. And that’s an issue because, for example, when you see public spaces that get designed they have a really big mixed reaction. It’s because the public 80

doesn’t understand what it’s about, they just see something that looks pretty. They don’t understand the purpose of it. It’s one of those things where you have to accept the 50/50 opinion and not worry what people think. Because it’s up to you to know that what you’ve designed serves he purpose that it needs to serve. That’s a good point, the public not understanding architecture… It’s not just that; it’s the fact that their opinion is too quick. It’s all based on ta picture or a façade. Whereas they don’t put any thought into how the building actually function. It’s quite a hot topic in architecture circles.

Do you think tools such as Instagram are changing architecture? I don’t believe that people design to take photos for aesthetics. It’s a good point but usually the people who design for photos haven’t got a degree. It’s probably a bit of a harsh thing to say, but no matter what the building is, a building serves a purpose. There was a brief and it needs to meet that brief. The aesthetic that comes out of that is a form that has followed the function. If it ends up being beautiful, that’s great – it’s definitely great publicity. But at the end of the day, if you don’t meet the brief, the building’s not going to have a great response. You’re a DJ on the Brisbane nightclub scene, was this a progression from what you were doing at Habitude? Yes and no. I’d say it’s more just the fact that I love music. I’ve always expressed myself through creative means. I guess I started out with the fashion and then I sought to find other means of expressing myself. So yeah, you could call it an extension of me previous creative endeavours. It’s definitely, first and foremost, based on fun. I love it. What does materiality mean to you? Touch. When I think of materiality, we live in a material world so everything that you see, touch or interact with. And in a way it’s also the things you don’t see, the things that are hidden. You might look at a wall, and it’s a material, but what’s under it is really the material that makes up the wall. The services, ducts, wires and pipes are all hidden. I say we only see two dimensions of materiality, and the thirds dimension is always hidden; rightly so.

Instagram: @habitudeclothing

GISELLE AND MARILENA Giselle Penny and Marilena Hewitt are both architect students who create stop-motion film on the side. You both study architecture, how did you arrive at Stop-Motion? M: Well this semester we had to make a film and we always wanted to do animation. G: We wanted to incorporate that idea of lots of buildings overtaking the sky and that feeling of old fashioned film, ripping. It was something we wanted to do and then we did it! M: And Giselle is the creative genius behind it really. G: nah, I just take lots of photos. M: I’m more the editor. G: And I’m more the cutter upper.

The concept of the short focusses on the Old State Library, why did you chose to work in such a conceptual manner? G I guess it really brings the building to life. And taking it apart, you could do that with this form of animation. And that makes you really understand the building in a new light. M: I didn’t think anything of that building until… there’s heaps of character to it. G: there are so many parts, and when you move them about you really see them in a different way, and the way you frame them, different colours and textures, you can really feel when you bring sound into it as well.

M: Yeah, loads of fun. G: Too much fun.

it off, but if also needed the analogue cut outs at the same time.

It’s quite surrealist, are there any artists or film makers that you admire or that have influenced you? G: Tame Impala, their voices are pretty cool. Monty Python. M: There’s a scene with the sun and the clouds where they’re jumping up and down (both begin laughing). G: That was a huge influence, Monty Python.

Are there any other films in store? G: For sure. We were thinking for every design that we do, we’ll make an animation for it. M: Or something artistic.

These days anyone can shoot a film on their phone, did this influence your decision to work in a very analogue way? G: I guess we just wanted something different, because everyone would be using their iPhones and stuff, we just wanted to get away from that. M: And we were getting really excited after doing the archi film… She’s very analogue. G: I’m almost stubborn when it comes to technology. That’s something that worked in our favour. M: I’m stubborn when it comes to archi technology, but I love editing films, I’m really digital when it comes to that. So we became a team from that. G: It needed the digital editing to finish

What does materiality mean to you? G: It was really nice, in terms of stop motion, to ‘hold’ the building. I had the sense of power to change it. I found it really clumsy – the process of making it– and I thought that might make animation a certain way because it was making me feel really good just cutting up these thing, the paper. It was really lovely, and so I think even that materiality of just paper is really nice. M: It gets me excited. G: You can do so much with it (paper). I thnk it’s undervalued. And even the building, the Old State Library, there’s so much opportunity to work with so many great materials, it’s nice to appreciate them which I thin this film does nicely. And different colours and shapes.

19 JAMES STREET Ebony Flower investigates the influence of a renovation by Brisbane architects Richards and Spence at 19 James St and literal sense of ‘placemaking’.

‘It’s one of my favourite places in Brisbane’ says young entrepreneur Bianca when discussing her experience of visiting 19 James St. Sipping from a steaming mug of coffee poured by the bearded folk at Fonzie Abbotts Expresso, she remarks of her delight upon finding this hidden gem. ‘There’s a really nice energy about this place. It feels as though I’ve escaped from the city, the vines and cool materials set a relaxed tone. Yet it’s quintessentially cosmopolitan.’ Originally from Sydney, now residing in sunny Brisbane, Bianca is just one of many who frequent 19 James St. Ingrid and Aiden of Richard and Spence Architects were faced with the task of reimaging the identity of the James Street precinct through an urban renewal venture. The history of 19 James St dates back to the late 20th century, where the site once homed Coca Cola’s factory warehouse. Redesigning 19 James St required the architecture to follow a high street quality, where luxury boutiques and fine dining could revel in a lucrative, atmospheric environment. The design needed to retain a certain village feel, facilitate a heavy flow of pedestrians, and cater for the needs and the services of the building inhabitants. The existing network of streets, parking and paths which dip in and around the 84

building needed to be taken into consideration in planning, ensuring that a drive for aesthetic qualities didn’t subtract from functionality and ease of use. The surrounding suburbs, New Farm and Teneriffe, are rife with industrial heritage, notably the Woolstores along the Brisbane River. The area has witnessed a shift in the clientele due to significant redevelopment in the past 30 years, as Brisbane’s urban density continues to swell. There is a noticeable absence of superfluous design elements, which could have stemmed from consideration of the areas industrial past. Stemming from a restricting budget, the materials require little maintenance, therefore the design behind 19 James St is practical and economical. A myriad of white bricks invade the entire surface of the building’s façade, providing a sense of familiarity; the brick being a diverse material we are exposed to in many building typologies. Accompanied by concrete and black steel, the materials adhere to the precinct’s

contemporary and metropolitan spirit. As a result, 19 James holds a distinct presence over the street, evoking a sense of sophisticated and understated elegance, in touch with the area’s industrial past, and unsuspectingly responsive to the bounds of a restraining budget. Despite the apparent success of the renovations in adhering to the taste of the style savvy, has the gentrification of New Farm and Fortitude Valley been to the detriment of a more direct link with the local community? A lost opportunity to enrich the culture of James Street and introduce an even greater vibrancy to the atmosphere? The internal passage ways are indicative of the laneway concept, such as seen in Winn Lane, but don’t offer the same cultural exchange. Perhaps this tie could be strengthened by the addition of local artists ornamenting the walls with their art? Imagine transitioning from the car park to the main street only to be surprised along the way by a carved sculpture propped amongst the leaves, or an elegant light installation hanging from the wall, masterfully crafted by an ambitious young creative. Small scale designers are unlikely to afford the spaces offered by James Street whereas more established brands can afford premium real estate, resulting in an exclusion from the central market place. Should 19 James St have been a canvas, a conglomerated space in which both national and local designers could intermingle? This is perhaps a naïve notion as the development procedure is often strictly driven by time constraints and tight budgets, but should it be? It raises the question however, to what extent is it the responsibility of the architects, the designers, the creative community to push for these spaces to

be about something more meaningful. If they don’t have the power or authority to do this, then the public realm and public spaces will continue to be purely commercial endeavours that contribute to an erosion of the existing culture. Designers withhold an enormous responsibility to transform the way people perceive space, and in the case of Nineteen James, play an important role in the success of the business’s within. There always remain opportunities to add and subtract a buildings components, whilst retaining its core principles. The simple and clean design of Nineteen James provides a space which is adaptable to changes yet at its very heart there lies an innate ability to provide tranquility and refuge from the bustle of city living. It is the role of the architect to formulate a level of authenticity within a space which meets the expectations of its users. A building which speaks meaning to it’s inhabitants, a building that will age gracefully, and withstand transitional cultures and trends. In this case, Nineteen James Street exceeds these expectations, propelling one of Brisbane’s most stylish commercial hubs into a category of its own.

Words by Ebony Flower Photography By Tom Emmet 87

THE SUBURBS As populations grow and urban living becomes more desirable, is the classic ‘Australian Dream’ of living past its time and should we embrace apartment living as a ‘normal’ way of living ponders Lexi Illuk.

Words by Lexi Illuk Photography by Mez Macleaod & Lexi Illuk

What is culture? It is many things to different people, although its essence is the foundation of a national and personal identity. It’s important, but what if the culture has got it wrong. The Australian dream is exactly that, a dream, the aspiration of idyllic Australian life: the quarter-acre block, the low-set house, the backyard where you throw another snag on the barby, beer in hand. It’s a space to play, a space to grow and relax. The reality of this dream however is a little different, especially for those living in Brisbane. For those who can afford to live within a five kilometer radius of the city district, it is still probably quite idyllic. As we build our dream houses farther and farther away from the places we work and would like to play, the original dream becomes a little less satisfying. As a solution to this problem, a few ingenious ideas were thrown around like building new suburbs in remote locations, or where major shopping centres replace community based urban centres. There is enormous amount of money being spent on trying to fix the problems of our suburban lives, but perhaps it’s us, Australians, that need to fix our culture, our dream, and think a little more realistically about our collective future.

that family time is lost, and replaced by stress. By the end of the day, no one has the time or the energy to play happy family because of the hours wasted stuck in traffic. People believe they are putting their family’s first by living in the suburbs, but ultimately lose out becoming time poor and under considerable financial stress. But, everyone needs somewhere to live. The most obvious problem the sprawling suburbs have created is the reliance we all have on cars. This reliance on cars as the main mode of transport also defines the way in which our cities grow. With the high rate of car ownership, developers can and will keep creating blocks of land at the outskirts because a) most people have a car, and b) its financial more achievable.

The suburban life in Australia represents a level of personal achievement and success, and for most the ideal lifestyle. People are willing to make a lot of sacrifices for this dream, the main one being the long commute, and perhaps they don’t really mind so much. A lot of the time they sacrifice the thing which they were hoping to find in the suburbs: family time in the ideal family home. When hours are spent every day commuting to and from work or school, then 89

Money. This becomes the second driving force of the suburbs. Land is becoming more and more expensive and is thus pushing people out of prime locations. Our desire for our own house and land is contributing to this and is essentially stabbing us in the back. The significant financial costs involved in living in the suburbs put a huge strain on families. It’s not only mortgages, but the transport required to get to these locations as we pay to fuel our vehicles or pay for exorbitant public transport fees. Adding to the issue, government subsidies and first home owner’s grants also promote and encourage suburban development and the construction of new homes. Our economy relies on it too, and we cheer when the rate of new housing approvals rises. It costs us a lot of money to maintain this lifestyle, and it is ‘us’ because we are the taxpayer. The huge amount of our money spent on highways, adding lanes to roads, public transport, paths, bikeways, and every 90

other essential service could, perhaps, be spent much more effectively if we lived a little bit more densely. Resources are being spread over a large area, and a lot of the time, they are spread rather thin. And so despite these collective costs of suburban development, a lot of Australians prefer this way of life, but why don’t we ever think of the social collective cost? Apart from the economic costs of the suburban lifestyle, there are also significant cultural and social sacrifices we make, but don’t always realise. The patterns for suburban development don’t always cater to the needs of the community, which is partly the reason why need to commute every day. That commute quickly becomes the reason why everyone is so busy, too busy for family time or entertaining friends, and the reason they moved to the suburbs. The suburban life can often become quite solitary and isolated where

neighbours donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know each other, and even avoid interaction. Everyone is too busy with their own lives. While this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t something restricted only to the suburbs, living in our own big house surrounded by a fence is a very individualist approach and does make it easier to limit social interaction amongst your immediate community. This effect is further reinforced by a lack of public spaces nearby because the suburban streetscape is occupied by private lawns and driveways. Another social aspect of life in the suburbs is a lack of public spaces. If you consider what the physical markers for the centre of a suburb or area are, then you often realise that they are shopping centres. There is nothing particularly wrong with a shopping centre, especially in a well behaving capitalist society like ours, but it becomes a problem when the shopping centre replaces a real public space. People need somewhere to go

and meet up, and have fun, but since when does this equal an ugly block of chain stores, where the main point of entry is through a car park. By night, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s these same car parks that become unwanted loitering grounds due to a lack of public spaces. As we are already seeing, cities around us are changing, especially in Brisbane where the skyline is dotted with cranes. Whether we like it or not, the suburban life which we know and may or may not love will not be the same in the future. Perhaps it is time to change our thinking and see the positives of higher density living? A shift from individualistic living to community orientated living. Higher density living does not equate to soaring residential towers at twenty storeys or more, and I firmly believe they are not the answer. It is not only a question of height though, but also design.

When most Australians are accustomed to living in their family home, whether it is a brick bungalow or a weatherboard Queenslander, a sleek, glass fronted tower will never be a home. This is a real challenge for designers, and perhaps important clues can be taken from other cities in the world where high density living functions very effectively and has for a long time, with good design at heart. Homes bought and built from catalogues do not help the problem either which offer only generic options for a wide variety of sites and environments for families with unique needs. So what if higher density living could offer us something better? Higher density living is not a bad thing if done in the right way. It does not mean a loss of privacy, and it does not mean that our lifestyles will become more restricted. If loss of privacy equates to interacting with your neighbours more often, and restricted lifestyles equal going outside more and enjoying better public spaces, then it hardly seems like a bad deal. Higher density living means that better quality public services and activities can be provided to more people at the same time. Better affordability and design could create the needed shift in attitudes towards living more densely. So if the suburbs are the root of all our problems, what is it that we can do about them? Well, there is no easy answer to this one. One thing is certain though, there needs to be a discussion about what we, the public, the users of our cities want them to look like in the future. Community consultations with planners, architects and government agencies would help to establish a plan for the future of the suburbs. There are long-term plans for the city and inner 92

city precincts, but what about further out, where anything goes? We need progressive ideas, and some real changes to the structure of our cities. The goal would be to make areas of the suburbs more independent and sustainable. The densification of inner city suburbs with well-designed and beautiful buildings is another important factor in a cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success. It requires some strong leadership and restraint, especially when the better solution may not appear to have the same immediate economic returns. Social and environmental sustainability will ensure the required economic sustainability is achieved. The suburbs have long been a marker of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success and sought-after lifestyle, but the future is near and things are changing. While the suburbs will always exist is some way, their existence in the urban environment will be forced to change because of the amount of resources required to sustain them. Although, as long as developers are able to provide cheap land and housing in estates further and further away, people will buy them. After all everyone needs somewhere to live. We want beautiful places in which to live though, that enhance our lives. That is why change is needed: a change of mentality, a change in design, and a definite change in legislation to enforce a minimum standard and to ensure affordability for our higher density homes of the future.

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MIRANDA RIELLY EDITOR

OF D/ZINE 8

My journey with the D/zine and The Dub started back during the making of Issue 3 when my good friend Alex Perestrelo coerced me into helping her with the graphics for that Issue. I had a lot of fun doing it and then continued to play a part in the evolution of the graphics over the next couple of years. When Tom Emmett left as Editor I took over for Issue 8 which was a great experience and I’m still so proud of that issue. Sustainability was and is such a poignant issue in modern design (and life) and became the theme for issue 8. From Angus Shaw’s amazing cover illustration to Yaseera Moosa’s beautiful George Town photographs and the eloquent words from everyone in-between it’s really is hard to choose a favourite. Eamonn McKenna’s article about the ethics of sustainability in food production is an interesting read and is the one that sticks with me the most. Right now I’m freelancing as a graphic designer, working with mostly fashion boutiques creating digital marketing material and am in my final semester of my Interactive and Visual Design degree!

SUSTAINING HISTORY Photography by Yaseera Moosa

Pengangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital city, George Town, is a melting pot of starkly different cultures, languages and religions that have coexisted for centuries. The cityscape is defined by endless rows of traditional Chinese shophouses and scattered with mosques, temples and shrines. In 2008 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in an attempt to preserve not only the distinctive architecture of the city, but also the values that it manifests. Whilst legislation has protected much of the city from demolition, it has also contributed to a rise in tourism resulting in increased property values and commercialism. Ironically, the very values that UNESCO intended to preserve are instead being evicted. In the context of globalisation and capitalism, can culture value truly by sustained, or is gentrification and commercialisation inevitable?

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LEXI ILLUK EDITOR

OF D/ZINE 9

As editor for issue nine of the D/Zine it was my absolute pleasure and delight to work with a team of very talented designers who would constantly amaze me with new wonders they had created. The opportunity to curate the Zine however was irresistible - despite attempting to complete an infamous capstone unit - and was a wonderful way to explore issues and ideas important to us as designers. The theme for issue nine was “back to the future”; which explored the cyclical nature of history, the impact of modern life on creativity and art, and the role of design in the future. Although I have no favourite article or contribution in issue nine, for they are all worthy of appreciation, Marilena Hewitt’s “Deep Blue” was particularly thought provoking in asking us to consider our relationship with earth’s life-giving source. Deep Blue is an assemblage piece delving into the meaning of water, and in particular the ocean. The ocean and the water contained within in it, is both the gentle wave lapping at the 106

shore of a quite beach, and the wall of water growing in power and devastating everything in its path. The final line of text, ´the situation assumed dramatic proportions’; is an extract from a book telling the stories of those once shipwrecked at sea. For me, this line serves as a reminder of the complete power Mother Nature has over us. My time with The Dub was short, but very sweet, having signed up very late into my degree. Given the benefit of hindsight, I should have signed up in first year. The Dub has been a wonderful vehicle to meet new and interesting people, as well as fostering some crosspollination amongst the various design disciplines. I am currently working in practice, while completing my Master of Architecture at QUT this year. In the future, I hope to pursue my interest in the field of humanitarian architectureand how design solutions can help those most in need.

Cover artwork by Giselle Penny Illustration by Shannon Toth

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PRASHANT ASJOKA

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HORST KIECHLE

3 ALICE

GLENANE

JAALA ALEX

5 OLO ADE

OLOLADE ADENIYI

MARKOS HUGHES

YASEERA MOOSA

ANGUS SHAW

GISELLE PENNY

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contactthedub@gmail.com Instagram: thedubdesigners facebook.com/thedubdesigners issuu.com/thedubdesigners vimeo.com/thedub Printed on Ecostar paper Made with 100% recycled material

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