The Nature of an Island by Dale Hardiman & James Lemon

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Bench Yellowtrace 11

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Tall Table Yellowtrace 09

James Makin Gallery in Collingwood welcomes visitors for this year’s Melbourne Design Week with ‘The Nature Of An Island’ – a solo exhibition of brand new works by designer Dale Hardiman and ceramic artist James Lemon.

Explored through a collection of objects, The Nature Of An Island was the first formal collaboration between Hardiman and Lemon, but with a twist – the two creatives were not allowed to communicate during the process.

Responding to this year’s premise for Melbourne Design Week, ‘Design the World You Want’, Hardiman and Lemon conceived the Nature of an Island as a motif of a future of chaos led by individuality. Hardiman explains that he took a reproductive approach to the collaboration, giving birth to new forms from post-construction materials. In contrast, Lemon drew a cannibalistic symmetry between cult-like behaviours and behaviours of consumption, transforming objects into wry statements about their prior life as construction materials.

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The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Portrait Melbourne Design Week 2021 Yellowtrace 01

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Melbourne Design Week 2021 Yellowtrace 02

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Brick Chair Yellowtrace 03

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Brick Chair Yellowtrace 04

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Green Chair Yellowtrace 05

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Green Chair Yellowtrace 06

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon 2 Leg Table Yellowtrace 07

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon 2 Leg Table Yellowtrace 08

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Tall Table Yellowtrace 09

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Tall Table Yellowtrace 10

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Bench Yellowtrace 11

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Bench Yellowtrace 12

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon 2 Leg Table Yellowtrace 13

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon 2 Leg Table Yellowtrace 14

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Deep Fake Chair Yellowtrace 15

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Deep Fake Chair Yellowtrace 16

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Coffee Table Yellowtrace 17

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Person Chair Yellowtrace 18

The Nature Of An Island Dale Hardiman James Lemon Person Chair Yellowtrace 19

James Lemon is an Aotearoa (New Zealand) born artist working from Northcote. His body of artworks is composed of stoneware ceramic ‘vessels’ and sculptures with highly gestural surface abstraction. These upscaled and warped traditional forms challenge notions of ‘functionality’ inherent to these objects and expose the material as the agent. His work is represented in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.

Melbourne based designer Dale Hardiman is the co-founder of furniture and object brand Dowel Jones and collaborative project Friends & Associates. Hardiman has also previously worked as 1-OK CLUB and LAB DE STU.⁠ Hardiman’s theoretical enquiry into design explores the localisation of the production of objects and is manifested in his chosen materials and overall practice. His work is also held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria.⁠

For more information, visit James Makin Gallery, Dale Hardiman & James Lemon.