Working in collaboration with Art Pharmacy, Axolotl recently completed this stunning artwork by artist Chris Yee. Situated in Hay Street in Chinatown, Sydney, the artwork celebrates the Tumbalong site, exploring the rich industrial and cultural heritage of the area. The artwork comprises of eight glass panels printed with the colourful graphic on the internal faces, and Graphite inlay on the front.
Check out the video below of the artist explaining more about the artwork and his process.
Image Jodie Barker
Image Jodie Barker
Complementing this artwork is the nearby Chinatown kiosk by artist Pamela See in collaboration with Frost*. Featuring lantern-like curved glass panels produced by Axolotl in 2010 using similar technology, Axolotl artworks now bookend the Chinatown district.
Head down to Chinatown, Sydney to join in the Lunar New Year festivities from 25th January, and while you’re there be sure to check out these striking installations in person (hot tip: see them after dark).
As the year draws to a close we would like to take the opportunity to thank our clients, staff and friends for your continued support and wish you all the best for the festive season and the New Year!
2019 has been a positive and busy year at Axolotl with the launch of Lustre Spectrum and the completion of a number of exciting projects such as the Easel Project where we got to work with some of Australia’s finest artists and designers.
This year we also celebrated the 20th anniversary of employment for one of our valued team members. Simon joined Axolotl in 1999 through a work placement facilitated by Job Support, Australia’s leading employment service for people with a moderate intellectual disability. Axolotl and Simon both received awards from Job Support in recognition of this milestone.
To top it all off this year Axolotl was also awarded CV Magazines Most Innovative Architecture & Design Solutions Provider and both Lustre Spectrum and Axolotl Terrazzo received a platinum award for design excellence from the ADEX awards.
We are already working on new projects and products that will be debuted in 2020 as we continue our commitment to being ‘The Future of Surface’. Axolotl will be closed for the Christmas break from December 20 - January 6 2020.
This beautiful image was taken by the talented David Marriott of Lucy Barker’s sculpture ‘Eclipse’ which was recently exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2019.
This year we provided material sponsorship and artisan support to a further three artists - Joel Adler, Lucy Barker and Sallie Portnoy. Each selected based on the quality of their concepts and our capabilities to assist with their diverse aesthetics ranging from mirrored glass to marble coated foam. It has been an exciting and challenging process supporting each artist to realise their vision, and reinforces our own commitment and passion to support the arts.
The 23rd annual exhibition can be enjoyed on the stunning coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama from the 24th October through to the 10th November. It is the world's largest free public exhibition and transforms the coast into a 2km long outdoor gallery, featuring over 100 sculptures by Australian and international artists.
Image: Sallie Portnoy, ‘Sea Garden’, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2019. Photo: Clyde Yee
In addition to the works sponsored by Axolotl, we were engaged by another talented exhibiting artist, Giuliana De Felice, to help create her sculpture titled Rock. Paper. Scissors. Manufactured by Axolotl from travertine, solid cypress and Axolotl Brass applied onto galvanised steel, these touchstones celebrate the rhythm between childhood play and memory.
In other exciting news, Axolotl has committed to supporting Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe starting in 2020 through to 2023.
If you are an artist looking for an experienced and passionate partner to facilitate your art projects, Axolotl, through our specialist AAP division can offer a range of services. We have experience designing and fabricating in an extensive range of construction materials as well as offer a range of unique, proprietary surfaces.
The Axolotl team have worked with many talented architects and interior designers over the years creating arguably some of the most original and creative kitchens seen to date. Utilising our wide range of customisable and durable surfaces, which includes semi-precious metals, concrete, and stone, there is no limit to how you can incorporate your desired Axolotl surface into your kitchen.
We have loved seeing kitchen designs become bolder and designers unafraid to incorporate strong metallics, patterns and stone in unconventional ways, through joinery, splash-backs and even appliances. Here we showcase how some of Australia’s most talented have embraced Axolotl surfaces in kitchen design.
Industrial designer Adam Cornish and graphic designer Marcus Piper have come together to create the Easel Project. Eight leading creatives were invited to create an original work of art, to push outside of their comfort zone and challenge the typical palette of materials utilised within their practice.
The list of internationally acclaimed artists draws from a diverse range of creative disciplines including painters, industrial designers, collage artists and graphic designers. The line up for the Easel Project Collection One includes Jaime Hayon, Adam Cornish, Adam Goodrum, Belynda Henry, Ham Darroch, Louise Olsen, Marcus Piper and Rachel Derum.
Each creative worked with surface specialists Axolotl to develop their concept. The range of materials and processes experimented with was extremely diverse – from fused plate glass, marble with brass inlay, etching, 3D printing, printed marble to heat tempered stainless steel.
“As an Industrial designer we are often asked to create using industrial processes and materials, this restriction often makes for the most surprising results. Each artist or designer has chosen a material / process aiming to discombobulate their normal process and encourage experimentation.” says co-founder, Adam Cornish.
The finished artworks, available in a limited edition of eight, rest on a timber easel which displays the work and can be rotated creating a functional coffee table surface. The Easel table design is intended to celebrate the diversity of the practitioners with the traditional Easel representing artists throughout history, and the transformation into a table representing the functional aspect of the design discipline. The Easel base, designed by Adam Cornish, was proudly manufactured by Forest Furniture and the tops were manufactured by Axolotl with a percentage of each sale going to the Authentic Design Alliance.
Easel Collection One will be shown for the first time in the central walkway of DENFAIR, Melbourne, 20-23 June – highlighting the events commitment to independent, Australian design at an international level.
The Easel Project is an independent project championing authentic design that has been initiated by Adam Cornish and Marcus Piper. Adam is well known as a multidisciplinary designer designing for the likes of Alessi and Marcus as a self proclaimed digital craftsperson working across varied creative disciplines.
The pair have curated works by eight internationally recognised creatives who were briefed to push the boundaries of their craft. Each concept was then translated into a physical object in collaboration with Axolotl, who offered up their extensive palette of processes and materials, as well as their expertise in art creation. As part of the process – Axolotl tested its own boundaries, working with the artists to test processes and produce samples prior to production – these samples can be seen below.
Each Easel will be available in a limited edition of eight and come signed by the artist with a certificate of authenticity. A percentage of sales will be donated to the Authentic Design Alliance to foster the ongoing development of innovation and leadership within the Australian design community.
The Easel Project will launch its first functional artwork collection in Melbourne at DENFAIR, 20-22 June 2019, and include a speaker series with the artists and Axolotl’s very own Design Director, Emmaline Cox – moderated by Marcus Piper.
To see the complete set of artworks and to discuss the methods behind the process we’d be delighted to show you personally at Denfair in late June.
For updates and more information on the Easel project click here.
A stunning new range of glass surfaces with unlimited permutations that are unique to the Axolotl portfolio.
The Spectrum process refers to Axolotl’s unique ability to custom colour the surface of a material. Previously only available as Spectrum sheet metal, we have now extended our technology to work over glass surfaces as well!
Lustre Spectrum is a single presentation, semi reflective opaque glass surface which is treated with the Spectrum process, enabling us to colour the glass with a single colour, or custom colour gradients. The final effect is a glass that delivers a perceptual depth beyond its 6mm thickness. We’re then able to extend this beauty even further through 3D printing the top surface of the glass to emboss designs in a clear or coloured texture.
Lustre Spectrum is typically available as 6mm thick annealed glass. As the backing is solid is generally adhered to surfaces and used as a wall, signage or counter front treatment.
Spectrum Glass has the same bespoke surface effects, however it is applied onto a translucent glass surface allowing you to see the colour and pattern from both sides of the glass. Spectrum Glass is available in any glass float, thickness or treatment making it the versatile choice for joinery doors and internal screening.
Spectrum glass panels can be created in sizes are up to 2400 x 1600mm, and are suitable for internal applications only.
As always with Axolotl, there is unlimited potential for design, colour, and graphic effects allowing you to create something truly unique for your next project.
We have made some updates to our website to help make designing with and specifying our products easier than ever. You can now view our range of applied metals in a comprehensive range of textures, ageing and surface effects. We also feature designs that have been created through carving, routing and 3D printing processes. When you click on the tile a larger view will appear with all the specification details, it’s as simple as dragging and dropping the image into your schedule! And to help for custom pieces we have also included a specification guide for all our surfaces on our new Technical page. Of course, the website can't feature every way our surfaces can be used and as always get in touch if you would like to work together to create your own unique surface design.
For those who haven’t visited our website for a while, the site has been updated with a Media page which includes Q + A’s with a number of magazines providing insights into our business and design thinking. We have also added the Our Team page featuring the designers and other key people behind the scenes so that you can get to know us better!
Of course, we wouldn’t miss the chance to also update the photos in our Gallery with the latest and best of Axolotl. We hope you enjoy having a browse.
As the year draws to a close we would like to take the opportunity to thank our clients, staff and friends for your continued support and wish you all the best for the festive season and the New Year!
2018 has been a positive and busy year at Axolotl with two new products launched, Cement Paint and our new Terrazzo surface - a world first at only 0.5mm thick.
Some of our highlights of the year include the completion of a number of exciting projects such as:
- The Banksia fire-pit artwork for Barangaroo’s Naidoc week celebration with artist Bibi Barba.
- Marcus Piper ‘Fracture’ artworks for the New York Affordable Art Show.
Axolotl also sponsored a number of events this year including the IDEA awards for the ninth year, the Good Design awards, Habitus House of The Year, and GZ Design Week in Hong Kong.
We were a Supporting Partner of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi for a second year sponsoring four exhibiting artists, we sponsored Matthew Sheargold’s exhibition ‘Hyperkulturemia’ where Axolotl Paint was used in every artwork, the UTS DAB graduation showcase, and UTS fashion honours student Agnes Choi’s ‘Triumph in the Skies’ piece from her honours collection which was also the winner of the Swarovski crystal sponsorship.
To top it all off this year Axolotl was also awarded the Leading Architectural Product Supplier by Apac Insider, the most Innovative Multi-disciplinary Australian Design Firm from Lux Life and both Spectrum and Axolotl Paints were a finalist in the ADEX awards.
We are already working on new projects and products that will be debuted in 2019 as we continue our commitment to being ‘The Future of Surface’.
'Hyperkulturemia' is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art. ‘Hyperkulturemia’ is also the title of the sold out exhibition of sculptural paintings by Matthew Sheargold exploring memory and experience through colour, lighting, and geometric studies.
Sheargold is an award winning designer who draws on over 20 years experience working as an interior, furniture and product designer to inform his artwork. Fighting a constant battle to loosen up, his work is structured and restrained, using shapes, forms and symbols as efficiently as possible to tell a story. Drawing from fond memories and random moments, Matt's work seeks to explore the essence of the journeys we take and just how much detail our mind needs to remember them.
Sheargold says, “Metta has a beautiful matt texture which worked brilliantly as the base for my works. Combined with different sheen levels of the Chroma range, Axolotl Paints were the ideal medium”.
Whilst your next design project may be a simpler expression than Matthew’s paintings, the superior pigmentation and depth of colour of Axolotl Paint will elevate it to be a work of art in itself.
You can find more images of the ‘Hyperkulturemia' exhibition here.
