If you’re a regular at Designer Happy Hour you know that we are coming up on our annual ADDRESS Opening night party. This is a do-not-miss-under-any-circumstance event, so mark your calendars for Thursday May 5th! This part-gallery, part-pop-up shop, part-showroom is an annual event launched in 2014 by Vancouver-based furniture designer/maker Kate Duncan (you may remember her from our Designer Desk Series). Each year ADDRESS shines a light on local designers, makers, and artist dedicated to their craft and producing exceptional work.
This year, perhaps because of my constant nosiness and unsolicited recommendations of participants (or maybe in spite of it?) Kate has asked me to curate the show. Excited is an understatement. I’m taking Kate’s lead (who has single-handedly organized and curated the show for the last two years) working with the participants that she has carefully selected to take part. As curator, I help each designer/maker/artist select the pieces to be showcased, coordinate how everything will work together for a cohesive show, and orchestrate the set up. It’s as if I wrote the job description myself.
Kate can often be heard saying that she ‘makes sawdust for a living’ and you would never catch her using pretentious design jargon to describe her work. She’s loud, she’s cheeky, her laugh is the epitome of contagious, and she’s fucking talented. That’s what I love about her; she’s completely uncompromising when it comes to quality in her work but she isn’t precious about it.
She also puts her money where her mouth is. Literally. Kate founded ADDRESS after participating in larger design shows only to feel that she was lost in the crowd. She realized that her furniture, as well as the work of colleagues and competitors excelling in their craft, may be better served in a smaller, more curated environment. So she created one from scratch. Now in it’s third year, ADDRESS has become a must-see event in Vancouver.
This year Audi Downtown Vancouver, Salari Fine Carpet Collections, and Vanglo Sustainable Construction Group have joined as Partners of ADDRESS Assembly to support the event as it grows, while media partners Western Living Magazine and Archello will be spreading the good word. Community partnerships are an important part of this grass-roots event, with IDSwest, The Edit, Designer Happy Hour (woot!), Red Truck Beer, Odd Society Spirits, Bright Photography, and Fable Kitchen all supporting the cause.
This year also has an incredible line up of participants that I have the pinch-me-level pleasure of working with. Eighteen trailblazers in their craft, many of whom will be launching brand-new work at the show, Kate herself included. Among them are returning favourites; Zoe Luyendijk Studio (in collaboration with Salari Fine Carpet Collections), Propellor Design, Fabulous Furnishings & Upholstery, Nicholas Purcell Furniture + Design, Stephanie Dueck, and Green With Envy. New to the show in the furniture category are Steven Pollock, SHIPWAY Living Design, Ox + Monkey, and WoodReform; with gorgeous art and accessories by Ana Isabel Textiles, Russell Hackney Ceramics, Clothstudio, Lauren Mycroft Art, Physical Attachments, Trevor Mills Woodturning, Pot Inc., and ANTIPOD Workshop. The line up is beyond impressive.
As I’m learning first-hand, coordinating all of this is no small feat. I’m always excited about Designer Happy Hour’s collaboration with ADDRESS to help the design community understand the talents that exist right in our backyard, but I’m especially pumped this year because of the group effort the show is becoming. Don’t get me wrong, Kate is still doing the lion’s share but her hard work and investments in building the show are starting to pay off. New Partners and increased community involvement lighten the load, allowing the show to be that much better. We only grow stronger as we come together; ‘I don’t shine, if you don’t shine.’ The spolight of ADDRESS is proof of that.
I’ll be showing you more from each of the participants as we lead up to the show so stay tuned, and be sure to follow @ADDRESSAssembly on Instagram for updates.
ADDRESS runs May 5th to 8th at the Waterfall Building.