Submissions Open for Worldwide Inclusive Exhibition

Sharefolder Fantasy is a new exhibition by Australian designer Dale Hardiman and American artist and designer Mark Dineen. This project will be presented at Australia’s largest design fair, Melbourne Design Week. They are asking anyone and everyone worldwide to participate by simply making a vase and sharing a photo of it with them.

Exhibition dates: 17-27 March, 2022 Submissions close: 1 March, 2022

The instructions are as simple as below:

– Step 1: Make a vase

– Step 2: Upload a picture of your vase through our website, and tell us who you are, how we contact you, and where you are

– Step 3: All submissions will be presented digitally on www.sharefolderfantasy.com from March 17th, while some vases will go on display in Melbourne for Melbourne Design week 2022

What is a vase?

We are defining vases as any object that can hold or present another material, this includes car exhausts, letter boxes, an open book, or even a glass of water. Conceptual Intent With this project we are fighting the impulse to create defined, material objects in the well-trodden fashion of artists and designers.

Instead we are soliciting participants to build uncurated work on their own terms. At the heart of the project is a what Dale and Mark envision as a global scale manufacturing centre composed of, and controlled by, of all the participants in the project. This manufacturing centre is both instantaneously materialised and totally decentralised.

It is one that is obedient to the individual instead of the inverse. It also almost entirely eliminates the need for geographical square footage by prioritising digital communication to connect its stakeholders and distribute its products. In this way, the project’s broadest reach explores the implications of technology, labor, and de-structured hierarchies on domestic expressions of self.

Underpinning the exhibition is a humanistic outlook on the state of the world, in spite of the worst consequences of global marketplaces. Consequences which we have witnessed, but also readily accepted, in the pursuit of more. More stuff, more space, more people, more power, more everything.

This project rejects the production standards and instant availability of consumer culture in order to invite expression and radical inclusivity. We hope to provide both participants and audiences an opportunity to engage work from around the world and observe the inflections of local materials, cultures, and customs on that work.

FAQ

Why a vase? You can make a vase from many household objects without adding anything to it. You can also make a vase as complex as you’d like. Vases are fascinating objects when you really think about it and they’re found in almost every corner of the world. Seems like a pretty good place to start.

What if I can’t find materials to make a vase? Materials can be found anywhere, from the grass in a park, to the cardboard packaging most items are delivered in. We want your vase to represent who you are and where you live. Your objects only needs to exist for the time duration of a photo being taken (on an iPhone 8, thats around 1/8000th of a second), so it doesn’t need to be made from durable materials. SO GO WILD! For example, at 24°C/ 75°F it will take 45-60 minutes for a 1 inch block of ice to melt, which is long enough to take a photo. Could my vase be wrong? No. So long as you have created it and read the instructions, it is correct.

Why be involved? Not only will your work feature in an exhibition for Melbourne Design Week, but you might actually enjoy yourself.

Can I ask your opinion on what I’ve made? Of course! Please send an email to [email protected] or use the contact form at the bottom of this page.

How will the work be exhibited? We’d like to think that the main exhibition will take place online at www.sharefolderfantasy.com where we will create a gallery and upload everyone’s submissions. We’re also excited about #sharefolderfantasy and hope that will create its own presence in the social media cyberspace. Back here in meatspace, we will also be presenting a physical version of the work in an exhibition at RMIT Design Hub in Melbourne, Australia. The show will remain up from 17–27 March and will be included as a part of Melbourne Design Week.

So what’s with the hashtag? We’re asking everyone to upload the photos of their work to social media on March 17 with the hashtag #sharefolderfantasy as a virtual exhibition to take place alongside the physical one. Our prefered platform is Instagram, but we recognize not everyone uses or has access to IG, so you do you. We feel this virtual exhibition is (maybe) the most interesting aspect of the project and we ask that you please add it to your calendars or whatever you need to be sure to participate.

Can I share what I’ve made before 17th March? We would prefer you share the work on or after 17th March, but we can’t stop you from sharing it, so do what you like. March 18 is Mark’s birthday, so if you want to send him an early birthday gift instead that might help hold you over.

My vase is a vase, but it doesn’t look like a vase. How will people know it’s a vase? You could name the piece “Vase” and hope people make the connection…? We really aren’t worried about this technicality as we are most concerned with how you might choose to express yourself through this project. Also, it’s a vase show, so if they don’t know what your object is then maybe you shouldn’t care what they think.

Can I sell the actual object before, during, or after the exhibition? Of course! We’ll do you one better: if we are able to do so, we’d like to connect participants to collectors and media outlets which may or may not result in sales of actual work. Either way, we are not interested in a cut of the money. We’re just here for a good time.

How long should I work on this project? You can take one minute or one month. It’s your choice.

What happens to the images of my work? Your work will be included in a document that may have a number of lifetimes after this show. Right now our focus is on finding an appropriate academic or goverment archive to donate the work to in a digital or printed format. We’re also talking with some of our friends about making an art book with the submissions that could then be auctioned for charity. We’ll definitely keep everyone updated if there are any developments.

Mark Dineen Mark Dineen is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture in the Department of Art and Art History at Colorado State University. His studio practice explores the plural nature of our material vernacular and its cross sections with craft, manufacturing, and domesticity.

Dale Hardiman Melbourne based designer Dale Hardiman is the co-founder of furniture and object brand Dowel Jones and collaborative project Friends & Associates. He also explores the social, ecological and political life of materials and the systems through which they are made and supplied under his own name. This exhibition is part of Melbourne Design Week 2022 presented by NGV in partnership with Creative Victoria.

sharefolderfantasy.com