Liane Rossler is an artist, designer, curator and creative advisor who has worked in creative industries for over thirty years, and has spent the last decade focused on projects that intersect art, design and the environment. Alongside her solo creative practice, she is founder of Superlocalstudio which inspires collaborative, socially engaged cultural and creative projects for diverse audiences.
Other recent work includes Here and Now, Supercyclers and Happy Talk; projects focused on clever and beautiful sustainable design practice. Liane was co-founder, former designer, and director of Dinosaur Designs for 25 years.
RECENT PROJECTS
ADVISORY
Knowledge & Innovation Hub Steering Group. Waverley Council
UNSW Art and Design. Career Mentor
Sydney Architecture Festival. Ambassador
UNSW Art and Design. Ambassador
Sydney Living Museums. Sydney Open. Ambassador
Designing Bright Futures. Australian Design Centre. Co-curator
UNSW Industrial Design. Guest lecturer
Artmoves. Judging Panel
Art & About. Judging Panel
NSW Creative Achievement Awards Judging Panel
Tamworth Textile Triennial. Selection Panel
MAAS (Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences) Design Advisory
City of Sydney. Retail Advisory Panel
Sydney Living Museums. Creative Services Advisory Board
Makerspace &Company. Advisory Board
Garland Magazine. Editorial Advisory Board
ARTAND Australia. Editorial Advisory Board
Art Month Sydney. Panel Speaker
Voiceless. Council Member
Fashion Revolution. Advisory Board.
MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Directors Working Circle.
Brand X Creative Retail Residency Program. Peer Assessor
SUPERLOCALSTUDIO. FOUNDER 2015 TO PRESENT
Superlocalstudio is a space that enables the creation of thoughtful practices.
SUPERCYCLERS. 2010 TO PRESENT
‘Founded by Liane Rossler and Sarah K in 2010, Supercyclers are an ever growing international collection of designers focused in their practices on building a sustainable future into the products they create - transforming perceptions of waste materials and the way we use things in the process.
Supercyclers ‘Plastic Fantastic’ range was launched at ‘The Other Hemisphere’ exhibition at Ventura Lambrate, Milan in 2011. The exhibition opened later in Sydney as ‘This Hemisphere’. The Plastic Fantastic range received wide international interest and publication, and was included in an international design sourcebook of new design for 2012.
Works were exhibited at the Elle D’Eco Hotel in Amsterdam, and the DIY/T! Do it yourself/together in Brussels in 2011. ‘SOS: Supercycle our Souls’ was shown at Ventura Lambrate, Milan for Design Week 2012 and in Sydney for A Month of Design. The ‘Yours To Care For’ collection was exhibited at 19 Greek Street Gallery House for the London Design Festival in 2012, and for ‘Planted’ at Mr Kitly Melbourne in 2012/3. The “Plastic fantastic Ghost Collection' works were exhibited in ‘Domestic Renewal’ at Craft ACT in 2012 and Craft Victoria in 2013. 'Plastic fantastic' works were included in PLA.I Ideas in Plastic, in Livorno, 2013. ‘Superblown’ glass works were included in ‘The Other Hemisphere’ at Ventura Lambrate, Milan and in Sydney and at the London Design Festival 2014.
CREATIVE ADVISORY. 2010 TO PRESENT
Working with business and individuals on projects including creative direction, strategy, development, commissioning, and sustainability.
OTHER PROJECTS
COMPASSIONATE VOICES. 2015
Curator 'Voiceless' at Koskela.
HERE AND NOW. 2013
Curator. ‘In 2013 Carriageworks presents HERE AND NOW, a series of three projects curated by Liane Rossler. HERE AND NOW offers new commissions and limited edition works by Australian artists and designers. The spirit of HERE AND NOW is artist-driven and experimental. Each of the projects engage a wide variety of artists, designers and materials, and are presented in the three concepts USEFUL, TOTES and LUCKY.
ART MONTH SYDNEY. 2011 TO 2014
Creative Director, Artistic Director Mentor and panel speaker 2011 to 2014.
Artistic Director Mentor 2013.
Panel speaker 2012 and 2013 and 2014.
Creative Director of The Art Month Art Adventure. 2011.
‘Running for the month of March 2011, Art Month Sydney is hosted by more than 80 participating galleries and venues throughout Sydney, and featured more than 120 exhibitions. Art Month Sydney made contemporary art a family affair with The Art Adventure: a family and children’s guide to Art Month, featuring drawing and observational activities designed by 20 leading artists’.
HAPPY TALK. 2011
‘The Happy Talk project was launched by Liane Rossler and Heidi Dokulil at Art & About, Sydney. Happy Talk is an initiative to open up conversations between the creative industry and the wider community in Australia and beyond. Through exhibitions, workshops, talks, publishing and small, collaborative, grass roots projects, Happy Talk is about bringing people and ideas together to create a platform for inspiring, resourceful, ecological, self-sufficient and transformative design’.
During the Happy Talk project for Art & About, a pavilion was built in Hyde Park, made from local and recycled materials. Workshops and talks were held over the month, inspired by resourcefulness and Pacific Island traditional techniques with contemporary materials and uses.
In 2014, the Happy Talk commissioned work made by the Goroka Bilum Weavers was exhibited at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
GREENUPS. 2009 TO 2013
Co-founder and organizer.
‘GreenUps is an informal monthly drinks night that helps support the creative, inspired and lively community of people who are already immersed in or curious about sustainability. ‘Our aim is to help take sustainability to the mainstream by providing a free, fun and informal space for ideas, connections and inspiration. Green drinking for inspired green thinking’. Themes have included film, design, art, cycling, food, travel, and business. GreenUps is part of Green Drinks International, which happens in more than 45 countries and 448 cities around the world’.
KNITTY GRITTY LOOPY. 2009 TO 2011
Co-founder and collaborator.
‘We art and craft...knit, crochet, weave, felt and make all sorts of things to try and help make the world a nicer place’.
Knitty Gritty Loopy meet up regularly to share knitting/weaving/crafting skills, working on different art projects as they pop up. Projects include the Knitta Please Project at The National Gallery of Canberra, where the facade of the building was covered in knitting. To highlight the possibility and recycling of plastic, they started making ‘plarn’ (plastic yarn) baskets from plastic bags for the 350 International Day of Climate Action in Sydney. A series of workshops for the public ensued, and people came along to plarn, knit, weave and crochet recycled containers for an exhibition held at The Sydney Opera House’.
WE CRAFT THIS CITY. OBJECT GALLERY. 2010
Exhibition of works with Knitty Gritty & Loopy and a week of workshops. “Object Gallery will become a live workshop and making space occupied by creative individuals and collectives. We Craft This City is a celebration of DIY culture, weaving together craft process and social commentary’.
CRAFTERNOON
With Object Gallery and Art and About Sydney, a Knitty Gritty Loopy Crafternoon in Hyde Park.
Sydney Design: Transformation exhibition and workshops.
‘Knitty Gritty Loopy presents a series of workshops that use design to transform everyday waste items into by-products of love. Instead of ending up as landfill, ‘unwanted’ material is re-invented as a giant fabric mandala, fans, jewellery and baskets. If you can imagine it, then Knitty Gritty Loopy can probably show you how to make it. The workshops also function as an ongoing installation to encourage waste awareness by telling the story of where things come from and where they go. Discover what’s involved in the creation of everyday items such as paper, magazines, eggshells, plastic containers and bags. Then find out what happens to them when they are discarded as waste. By inspiring and educating while instilling positivity through action, Knitty Gritty Loopy increase your fun levels by reducing your carbon footprint. The series of workshops will eventuate into an exhibition at the Hill Street Precinct where a large woven cane house will be used as the central storytelling feature of the project’.
CARRIAGEWORKS CRAFTERNOON
Knitty Gritty Loopy workshop at Carriageworks, teaching and skill sharing.
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 350. 2009
Series of public workshops and exhibition at the Sydney Opera House for 350.
DESIGN EMERGENCY. VIVID AND OBJECT GALLERY 2012
Designer. ‘Presented at Vivid Ideas Exchange at Vivid Sydney, Design Emergency is a learning program developed by Object: Australian Centre for Design that connects designers with students and teachers, and uses ‘design thinking’ to generate opportunities for positive change. Design is not only about making things: it can change the way people behave. By approaching situations in their world through design thinking, students learn to identify issues and take action towards solving them and in doing so, create visions for a better future.’
THE CLIMATE PROJECT. 2007 TO PRESENT
‘Originally trained by Al Gore in 2007 and again at the Climate Project Asia Pacific Summit in 2009. Liane has been a Climate Project Ambassador specializing in giving talks to the art, design and architecture community, informing people about climate change and what they can do to make a difference. The Climate Project is an Al Gore and Australian Conservation Foundation initiative’.
DINOSAUR DESIGNS. 1985 TO 2010
Co-founder of the company in 1985, and designer and director for 25 years. Established stand alone stores in Sydney, Melbourne and New York and sold through stores worldwide. Works exhibited in numerous galleries and museums throughout Australia and internationally.
AWARDS
GOOD DESIGN AUSTRALIA. WOMEN IN DESIGN AWARD: FINALIST. 2019 Australia’s Good Design Awards unveils the five finalists for the inaugural Women in Design Award. The award attracted more than 60 nominations, with the five finalists chosen by a selection committee of Australian and international leaders in the design and creative industries. Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO, Good Design Australia says, “Our inaugural Women in Design Award was established this year to recognise and celebrate women who have made significant contributions to the industry and specifically in response to the significant gender imbalance within leadership roles in the design and creative industries.” Commenting on the finalists, Rachel Wye, General Manager of Good Design Australia says, “We had an incredible response to the award and we hope it will encourage a more diverse and equal representation within the industry and leadership roles in particular within the design and creative industries. Each finalist is an exceptional leader in their respective fields of design and has made significant contributions to the design industry.”
AUSTRALIAN DESIGN HONOURS. 2015
’The Australian Design Centre is proud to present the Australian Design Honours – a little black book of leading Australian designers, thinkers and innovators, and a growing resource dedicated to promoting and advocating for Australian design on the world stage. Saluting 50 years of outstanding Australian design, and selected with an aim to capture Australia’s most influential talent, the Australian Design Honours program will showcase designers work both online, and in collective physical exhibitions running at the Australian Design Centre throughout 2015. As exceptional and pioneering creative activists, digital engagers, spatial thinkers, and object makers, the two hundred Australian Design Honours inaugural honourees will become founding members of this unique community, and will nominate inspiring emerging designers of their own as a means to expand and ensure the exciting future of Australian design.’
AUSTRALIA’S 100 MOST INSPIRING WOMEN MADISON MAGAZINE 2013
INSTYLE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR DESIGN 2012
’The Awards aim to award Australia's "most inspirational and innovative women across a range of categories”.’
UNSW ALUMNI AWARD 2009
‘The UNSW Alumni Awards for Achievement are given in recognition of alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to the community, who have stimulated new ideas and services and who have exhibited exceptional dedication, creativity or leadership’.
CREATIVE CATALYST FOR CREATIVE SYDNEY 2009
‘Creative Sydney’s Creative Catalysts list includes 100 inspirational and innovative Sydneysiders who have made a unique contribution to the city’s creative culture. The Creative Catalyst list aims to honor the people who make interesting things happen in this city, and who have initiated something new and original from within their creative field. From filmmakers to bloggers, Creative Catalysts exposes Sydney’s most talented and inspiring individuals’.
MARIE CLAIRE PRIX DE EXCELLENCE AWARD 2007
BOARDS, PANELS & AMBASSADOR
SYDNEY LIVING MUSEUMS CREATIVE SERVICES ADVISORY. 2012 TO PRESENT
‘Sydney Living Museums, the public-facing name of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW, cares for 12 of the State’s most important historic houses, museums and their collections. We bring our museums to life through a dynamic program of exhibitions, events such as walks, talks and tours. Each year, nearly a million visitors enjoy our exhibitions or public programs, visit our sites, or book our fantastic venues, whilst around 60,000 young people each year learn about the past through our great education programs’.
MAKERSPACE &COMPANY ADVISORY BOARD. 2013 TO 2018
‘A design company made up of emerging designers and their products. &company collaborates with creative talents to bring new, inspired products to market. &company is a broker of creative opportunity, bringing together emerging designers, the creative community, makers, classes, workshop spaces, exhibitions and events. &company celebrates innovation, excellence, craftsmanship, entrepreneurialism and the shared knowledge and skill that comes from building a creative community’.
ARTAND AUSTRALIA EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD 2013 TO 2015
‘Art & Australia is an international contemporary art magazine from Sydney, Australia. It features exhibition and book reviews, tributes, commissioned artist's projects, essays, in-depth interviews, and analyses of contemporary art issues.’
CITY OF SYDNEY RETAIL ADVISORY PANEL. 2010 TO PRESENT
Panel member. ‘The Panel brings together the retail industry, the NSW Government and Council to work together on issues of common interest; provide strategic advice that would help shape the future of retailing in Sydney and identify and create opportunities for retailing to capitalize on the expansion of major events and tourism campaigns through better integration with Events NSW, Tourism NSW and Business Events Sydney’.
DRESSING SYDNEY PUBLIC PROGRAMS PANEL 2012 TO 2013
GARAGE SALE TRAIL AMBASSADOR. 2011 TO 2014
‘The Garage Sale Trail is about sustainability, community and fun. By getting people together to turn their old stuff into someone else's new stuff, the day not only proves that second hand items can still have value, it keeps rubbish off the street, removes clutter from cupboards, stops a bunch of new things being brought into the world (along with the environmental impact that creates) and gives everyone good reason to meet the neighbours and have a good natter at the same time.’ The first year saw more than 1,600 garage sales for the event.
1 MILLION WOMEN AMBASSADOR. 2009 TO PRESENT
VOICELESS COUNCIL MEMBER. 2009 TO PRESENT
Supporter since 2004 and designer of the Voiceless Awards trophies, which support and recognize community and media.‘Voiceless envisions a world in which animals are treated with respect and compassion. Voiceless will bring the institutionalized suffering of animals to the forefront of Australia’s agenda; ensuring that animal protection is the next great social justice movement’.
CREATIVE SYDNEY. 2010
A curator of the 10 x 10 project. ’10 creative leaders each nominate 10 creative businesses or practitioners, introducing the local creatives who inspire them’.
Speaker at ‘Creative for a Cause’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art. ‘At the Creative Sydney Festival, Artistic Director Jess Scully led a panel titled "Creative for a Cause", inviting eco designers, independent and charitable literary publishers, and other community-aware creatives, to share their ethos, and their industry story’.
DIRECTORS CIRCLE. MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART. 2000 TO 2016
The MCA Director’s Working Circle is a group committed to and proud, of the dynamic place that is the MCA. It is a group that is active in its support of meeting the Museums’ objectives and purpose to broaden the reach of the MCA in order to increase involvement in the MCA experience.
SELECTED TALKS & WORKSHOPS
UNSWBE. Guest tutor for the Centre for Nature. 2019 and 2020
SHAPE Symposium Powerhouse Museum. Speaker. 2020.
Cultivator Network x Superlocalstudio.
Co-Curator. Superlocalstudio. 2019.
Level Up. Sydney Design Festival. Superlocalstudio 2019
Happy Talk x SCCI Workshop. SCCI Architecture Hub 2018
Speaker. Shape Symposium. Powerhouse Museum. MAAS 2018
Good Natured. Sydney Design Festival. Superlocalstudio 2018
Atelier Workshop. Jurassic Plastic. Workshop artist. Sydney Festival 2018
Soul safari. Speaker. 2017
Plant Planet workshops with Mundane Matters Powerhouse Museum 2016
Plant Planet workshops with Mundane Matters. SCAF and Purpose 2016
Craft Cubed Conference. Speaker. Craft Victoria 2016
Architecture Workshop. Architects of Tomorrow. Sydney Architecture Festival 2015
Panel Speaker. Sydney Design. Gold Series. Object Gallery 2015
Panel Speaker. Art Month Sydney 2015
Speaker. Idea Bombing: The Gallery Edition. Object Gallery. Sydney Design 2014
Speaker. Designer Collections: Australian Designers on Art & Influence. Art Month Sydney 2014
Speaker. ReThink Design. Sydney Design. CoFA 2013
SCAF. Fugitive Structures Architecture and Design workshop. 2013
Speaker, &Company. Design Your Day Job. Vivid Sydney. MCA 2013
Panel speaker. Tomorrow’s Thinkers. Artmonth. Object Gallery 2013
Speaker. By Design. ABC Radio 2013
Panel speaker. Finding The Line between Art & Design. Artmonth. Object Gallery 2012
Panel Speaker. SCAF Ecology Forum. 2012
SPACE. Architecture and Design workshop 2012
Plastastic workshop. 1 Million Women 2012
Plastastic workshop. Object Gallery 2012
Speaker. Pecha Kucha. Happy Talk 2011
Panel speaker. Creative for a Cause for Creative Sydney, MCA 2010
Panel speaker. CIIC Creative Industries, Powerhouse Museum 2010
Speaker. Museum of Contemporary Art. Climate Project and Art 2010.
Speaker. Manly Art Gallery. Climate Project and Art 2010.
Speaker. Climate Project. Blake Dawson 2010
Speaker. Eat Green Design. Powerhouse Museum. Sydney Design 2009
Speaker. ACCA Melbourne. Climate Project and Art 2009
Speaker. News Limited. Climate Project and Design talk 2009
Speaker. CoFA Climate Project. Art and Design 2008
Speaker. SJB. Climate Project and Built Environment 2008
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
ELASTICITY. 2019
Artist. Alt Material Collective. Melbourne
WELCOME TO WASTELAND. 2019
Artist. Friends & Associates. NGV Melbourne Design
FOR GARDENING. 2018
Artist. Mr Kitly. Melbourne.
INSIDE. OUTSIDE. UPSIDEDOWN. 2018
Artist. Annette Larkin Gallery. Sydney.
PLASTICITY. 2018
Artist. Alt Material Collective. Melbourne.
CERAMIC REVISIONS. 2017
Artist. Group exhibition at Mayspace.
RAINBOW'S END. 2017
Artist. Group exhibition at Hotel Hotel.
FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES. 2017
Artist. An exhibition of 26 designers exploring 'design value' for Melbourne Design Week.
SWEET NATURE. 2016
Artist. An exhibition of ceramics at Annette Larkin Fine Art.
AT HOME. 2016
Artist. An exhibition of contemporary Australian design at Old Government House.
AT THE JUNCTION OF TWO RIVERS. 2016
Artist. An group exhibition and residency in Wellington. Artists include Asher Milgate, Karla Dickens, Raquel Ormella,The Ronalds, Liane Rossler, Simon Yates.
HAPPYNESS. 2015.
Artist. Sweet Nature. A group exhibition at Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery.
1-OK CLUB. 2015
Artist. A group exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.
SHELFIE. 2015
Artist. An exhibition of recent ceramics at Annette Larkin Fine Art.
REDFERN BIENNALE 2014
Artist. A group exhibition with Damien Minton Gallery which profiles the provoking and unintentional beauty in Redfern’s streets.
CREATIVE CITIES 2013/2014
Artist. Taipei.
ETERNITY. 2013
Artist. A group exhibition at Damien Minton Gallery commemorating the iconic Sydney symbol Eternity.
INTERPRETATIONS IIII. 2013
Artist. Works from stone at Object Gallery. ‘Interpretations is a biennial event where Sydney designers work together & share ideas'. Artists include Tasman Munro, Andrew Simpson, Guy Keulemans, Henry Wilson, Oliver Smith, Charles Wilson and Liane Rossler.
FIVE BELLS: A VISUAL ODE TO SYDNEY. 2012
Artist. Damien Minton Gallery. ‘Inspired by Delia Falconer's re-examination of Slessor's seminal poem in her book 'Sydney', Damien Minton Gallery invited 40 artists to respond to the perennial discussion of what the city of Sydney IS, and what lies beneath’.
INTERPRETATIONS III. 2011
Artist. ‘Interpretations is a biennial event where Sydney designers work together and share ideas. With a particular theme or manufacturing process for each event, Interpretations 3 explores sand casting where designers cast their own moulds at a foundry and the results are exhibited here. This is an event by designers for designers which fosters creative collaboration’. Exhibited at Damien Minton Gallery, as part of Sydney Design, designers included were Andrew Simpson, Henry Wilson, Liane Rossler, Oliver Smith, Hugh Worthington, and Trent Jansen’.
ANACHRONISM, GARDENISM. 2011
Artist. ‘Anachronism, Gardenism, an exhibition curated by Bronia Iwanczak was staged in Sydney's Centennial Park. The project called for an artist book response to the parkland setting’.
SYDNEY STATUES PROJECT! 2010
Artist. Headdress for Queen Victoria outside the QVB for Art & About Sydney, with Michelle McCosker & The Occasional Collective.
‘Re-awakening our statues for a contemporary audience. Inspired by the colourful art clothing scene of the 70s and 80s it brings textile artists and designers together spanning three decades of bold, flamboyant fashion to create clothing and accessories for eight statues in Sydney’s CBD. The costumes are rich with references not only to Australia’s most colourful era in fashion, but also to historical symbols around which we can learn more about the social, cultural and political history drawn from the stories of these statues’.
POP UP ALPHABET CO-OP AT OBJECT GALLERY. 2010
Artist. ‘The Pop Up Alphabet Co Op curated by Sarah K is a temporary type-o-centric shop/installation where every letter, number, word or phrase exhibited is available to own. Every piece included is a limited edition. The works are made by graphic, furniture, product and jewellery designers, craftspeople and artists from across Australia and Asia’.
DESIGNER SUSHI AT METLAB GALLERY. 2010
Artist. 'As part of Sydney Design Designer Sushi, in collaboration with mmmh! Germany, showcases works developed by creative’s across a range of fields, including architects, designers, writers, bloggers and chefs. Each creative is provided a ‘sushi box’ composed of bits and bites found in everyday life. These objects are removed from their familiar environment and become the starting point for the design process –a hose clamp meets a plastic crocodile, a chocolate cigarette box comes together with a raku-fired brooch, and an old appliance plug suddenly appears in an entirely new light’.
MAKE IT! CREATIVE INNOVATION AT THE POWERHOUSE MUSEUM. 2010
Artist. ‘Launched by the Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC), the MAKE IT! Project was designed to showcase Australia’s creative industries. By exhibiting a selection of the pieces at the Powerhouse Museum, Creative Innovation promotes the value and innovation of Australia’s creative industries to the community and our decision-makers’.