Over the weekend the studio participated in the AGDA Design Fete at the Design Made Trade exhibition, held at the Royal Melbourne Exhibition Centre, which is part of the 2010 State of Design programme. One has to say there was nothing like it – while being surrounded by a somewhat austere group of trade exhibitors, with lighting, furniture, product and other design wears and services on offer, a cluster of designers tempted visitors, to rope a horse, watch screen print in action, see the wonders of home science experiments, part take in taro painted tattoos or bob for apples all in the name of design.

The business of design has become a serious one of late, and while the business case for design and the values of the profession are projected to the community and the industry, the discovery, the playfulness and the pleasure of participating in the process of making is being passed over.

We projected that there would be 5,000 to 6,000 visitors and we catered with 600 apples, six boxes of apples. It is sad to report that only a 150 apples where used on the day. And one must be thankful to the children who fell over themselves to breakout out of the “standing back and research mode” and take a little risk and be rewarded with an apple, tattoo, science, a hand made card, a small victory, or a smile.

Follows are our fellow fete crew:

Thanks again to our fellow fete crew for your wit and whim, Simon Mundy for pushing it through under a raft of issues and the bobbers.

Support our terrific apple guy Justin Flowers from Mercatus for providing the A grade apples, visit Mercatus here

We also have a fine Bobbing tea towel on offer, printed in process cyan, magenta and yellow for only $25 or two for $40, plus postage and handing. Email idea ( at ) peoplethings (dot ) com

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