QUT student blok
Blok Furniture is bridging the gap between the free-thinking student domain and the commercial reality of the design industry. A collaborative project between Blok and QUT Interior Design 3rd year students is to be launched at Brisbane In Design at the impressive Light St Exhibition space.
Blok recognised the need to develop sustainable relationships with emerging designers, and wants to support graduates as they commence their journey into the ‘real world’.
“We wanted to actively assist students by sponsoring a design competition where they have the opportunity to develop a viable prototype that could be manufactured and marketed to the wider design community”, says Richard Park, director of Blok. “Some competitions have a prize, but no actual long-term benefit for the participant. Thanks to InDesign, this project has been given a professional stage where the students can exhibit, network with potential employers and future colleagues, collaborate with a manufacturer, and if successful, gain financial benefit from their ingenuity.”
QUT Student groups have had the experience of designing and making a piece of furniture from recycled material in the first semester of 2008, and this collaborative competition gives them the opportunity to develop these experimental concepts into two dimensional sketches of a commercially viable product. Both the initial prototypes and developed sketches will be exhibited for judging by Brisbane InDesign attendees in a ‘Peoples Choice’ vote, to be combined with input from selected industry members. The winning groups’ piece will be developed by Blok into a viable 3D prototype and included in the their range, with the students receiving a commission on orders.
For BiD attendees, “QUT Student Blok” provides a rare insight into minds uncluttered by commercial constraints, displayed in an exciting new space that is sure to become a Brisbane landmark in the near future. There will be a distinctly ‘beergarden’ flavour to the refreshments to quench thirsts and ease hunger pangs, ensuring this exibit is on the BiD ‘not to missed’ list.
“Blok sees this event as part of an ongoing commitment to fostering new design talent in Brisbane,” says Richard. “We look forward to further collaborations with QUT students in the years to come
