Pastello – Draw Act

Design Commission 2014
As part of the National Gallery of Victoria’s commitment to design and children’s programming, Italian design duo Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli of Mathery Studio have designed a new immersive kids space that broadens our appreciation of the simple act of drawing.

Pastello – Draw Act re-imagines traditional drawing tools and processes.

Children are invited to use their bodies to draw with their heads, feet and of course hands using crayon spheres and other unusual tools. They can be vigorous or considered to make their unique  mark. Don’t expect the usual, do expect an experience that is fun,  encourages experimentation and delights in  gesture and expands understanding of the drawing process.

Space and architectural surfaces are part of the physical and creative fun. Pastello – Draw Act embraces  interior architecture, graphic design, product design, furnishing and film – representing the breath of their creative capability as a talented multi-disciplinary studio.

Non-tradition, and the reinterpretation of the everyday underpin much of Mathery’s creative development. The studio illustrates a unique functional and aesthetic approach rich with humour, pragmatism and a hint of the absurd.

Mathery Studio
Erika and Matteo met in 2009 while both studying a Bachelor of Product Design at NABA in Milan. Their first successful project together was a blog they began in 2010. The concept was simple: to create an object a day for 100 days. The 100 objects could be something simple, or an unusual mix of materials that the designers gave new functions. The results are a wonderful array of rapid prototypes, ideas and novel inventions that demonstrate lateral thinking, adaptability of thought and quickness to action.

After graduating the duo launched their design studio, Mathery, in Milan and began running a weekly DIY design / problem solving column for ING Direct bank, collaborated with the Milan/NY-based studio Accurat, and designed an eyewear collection.

After working in Milan for a year, this pair wanted to put themselves in a completely different situation and step outside their comfort zones. They set sail for Asia and then Australia.

Based temporarily in Melbourne, Mathery demonstrate significant emerging talent and possess a unique aesthetic and theoretical design process.

The young duo has been invited ‘in-house’ to work collaboratively with the NGV curatorial and design team.

Pastello – Draw Act will be their first large-scale spatial project.

The NGV wishes to acknowledge Connie and Craig Kimberley for their generous support of Pastello – Draw Act.

The NGV for KIDS program is supported by the Truby and Florence Williams Charitable Trust.

The NGV would also like to thank sound artist Alex Albrecht, Crumpler, Robert Griffiths of AndyCraft, and Dulux for their contributions.