Linda Fredheim - Red Bag, 2019

There is something special about opening a box, case, cabinet, or drawer and discovering what’s hidden inside. I am fascinated by how we use these objects to create a sense of order. The designs for these five handbags were inspired by the form and colour exercises undertaken by students in the Bauhaus introductory course. I envisaged a series of strong, geometric objects each with a minimalist and industrial feel, and chose materials not typically used for bags – Tasmanian Blackwood offcuts, rubber and colourful neoprene fabric. I started the designs at my bench using just a ruler, protractor, compass, and pencil to make a series of cardboard and paper prototypes. Slowly, through trial and error, I refined the shapes and mechanisms, balancing the need for functionality against my desire for a visually simple form

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Presenting seven women designers and makers at the forefront of contemporary woodworking. The exhibition shares the diverse perspectives and approaches to the art of woodworking across sculpture, jewellery and furniture, and highlights the profound skill and material understanding of these makers.

Alongside an intrinsic respect for timbers' materiality, each maker presents a determination to carry forward the craft of woodworking through innovative and expressive design. 

Centering women woodworkers in a discipline historically dominated by men, the exhibition also makes a statement: to make visible the work of women designers and makers and build a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive future.

Future Remains
24 July - 17 November 2021
Main Gallery

Linda Fredheim is an established furniture maker and designer based in Nipaluna/ Hobart. Working predominantly with timber, she is interested in the function, form and associations of storage and collecting, and is particularly intrigued by Japanese Tansu and European Campaign furniture. “I aim to design and make furniture pieces that have a quiet presence, objects that don’t demand attention, but invite interaction…that ask to be opened and explored.’ Fredheim graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Design in Wood) from the University of Tasmania in 1992. She has exhibited widely and undertakes both furniture commissions, collaborative projects with other artists and small production runs of bespoke packaging. Fredheim shares her studio workshop in North-Hobart with partner, Stuart Houghton.

Materials: timber, rubber, neoprene

Dimensions:  26.5 x 17 x 6.5 cm

Please note this work is part of Future Remains exhibition now showing at Craft in the Main Gallery until 17 November 2021. Purchased works will be available after this date.