Shared Material Intelligence

Strengthening Melbourne’s Design Ecosystem, Melbourne Design Week 2026

What happens when shared technique meets individual vision?

Join glass artist Ruth Allen and furniture designer Nicole Lawrence for a live glassblowing demonstration and discussion, tracing the evolution of a sculptural wall sconce from design and production to resolved luminaire.

At rage| Hot Glass Studio, molten glass will be blown directly into two separate moulds – one designed by Allen and one by Lawrence. Allen’s practice records the grain and fissures of fallen eucalypt bark, pressing molten glass into its surface to translate texture into form. In contrast, Lawrence employs a precisely engineered mould, using protrusions to articulate and direct light.

Inside the hotshop, Allen and Lawrence will unpack the structural, spatial, and aesthetic negotiations required to transform these textural glass elements into functional design. Audiences will be guided through design ideation, prototypes and problem solving, revealing the invisible labour and decision making behind product design.

Rather than designing in isolation and outsourcing production, Allen and Lawrence model collective making: a practice grounded in shared material intelligence and mutual respect for discipline-honed expertise. Two distinct design languages work in dialogue to arrive at a unique outcome.

For designers, architects, and makers invested in craft-led practice, this is an opportunity to witness design intelligence unfolding in real time. Here, process is positioned as conscious and adaptive, strengthened when Australian makers remain embedded across the full arc of production.