ANU Furniture workshop lecturer Niklavs Rubenis and alumnus Henry Wilson, Head of ANU Gold & Silversmithing Workshop, Rohan Nicol and Head of ANU Glass Workshop, Richard Whiteley, are all part of Object Therapy, a research and design project based around the idea of repairing and transforming discarded and broken objects.

Part of Hotel Hotel’s Fix and Make program, the event is calling for the public to submit their damaged personal objects to be repaired by a contemporary designer. It is led by Guy Keulemans, a multi-disciplinary designer and researcher who is exploring consumption, waste and attitudes towards broken objects and repair.

Participants will be interviewed by design researchers about their object, their relationship with the object, and how they feel about waste and repair. The object will then be given to a selected designer who will repair the object, and in the process, transform its appearance and functionality. Designers collaborating on the project include Naomi Taplin, Trent Jansen, Dale Hardiman, Andy Marks, Kyoko Hashimoto, Liam Mugavin and Andrea Bandoni.

The project is calling for sentimental objects of low or no monetary value, consumer objects of varying monetary value, homewares, furniture, textiles and fashion items, and functional objects such as small appliances and home electronics.

An exhibition of the repaired objects will open on September 29th at Hotel Hotel.

Closing date for object submissions is June 5th. To submit an object and for more information, click here.