In The Studio: A Series for Sydney Craft Week 2025

This year, Australian Design Centre presents In The Studio, a special video series created for the 9th annual Sydney Craft Week Festival. The series invites audiences inside the studios of local makers to explore how the Festival theme, Material Intelligence, shapes their creative practice. Each video captures an intimate portrait of a maker, their materials, and the stories that guide their work.

The series begins with Amy Tamblyn, a jewellery designer and maker whose practice is rooted in the physicality of working with metal. Inspired by vintage design, Amy uses sterling silver and gold to create timeless, wearable sculptures that reflect her respect for precious materials and their longevity.

Arun Sharma of Kaolin Studios shares his perspective as a ceramicist, artist and teacher with more than two decades of experience. His practice spans sculpture, video and pottery, all of which are tied to the discipline and dialogue of clay as a material. In the series, Arun reflects on the importance of understanding the physical and emotional qualities of clay and its role in storytelling.

Denise McDonald of DM Pottery speaks to the influence of family and place on her work. Drawing inspiration from a flannel flower motif on a windowpane in her Federation style family home, Denise embeds personal and cultural memory into her ceramics. Her functional domestic ware combines durability with decoration, demonstrating the value of everyday objects made with care.

Keiko Sato of Yamaneco Studios brings traditional Japanese ceramic techniques to her Sydney based practice. Known for inlay and sgraffito surface treatments, Keiko experiments with taking away clay to reveal texture and pattern. Her handbuilt and wheel-thrown tableware emphasises the intimate role ceramics play in daily life.

Susan Chen, founder of Object and Ceramic Design (OCD Studio), embraces the tension between control and unpredictability in her slip cast ceramics. While her pursuit of perfection informs her process, Susan highlights how the unpredictable nature of clay ultimately gives each piece its individuality and character.

The series concludes with Natasha Hasemer of Tash Tribe, who reflects on clay as a material that teaches presence, joy and letting go. Through handbuilding, Natasha celebrates the human touch, creating vessels that explore primal, sensory connections to the natural world. Her background in fashion art direction and design informs her distinctive forms and surface textures.

Together, these six stories reveal the many ways makers engage with materials to create objects that are both personal and universal. In The Studio offers audiences a deeper understanding of how craft reflects material intelligence — through respect, experimentation and creative intuition.

📺 All six videos are available to watch here or on the Sydney Craft Week Festival Instagram at @sydneycraftweek

Image top (l-r): Tash Tribe in her studio 2025., Amy Tamblyn for Sydney Craft Week 2024. Photos by Rueben Davis.
Videos by Rueben Davis and Josh Lawrence of Sixto.Studio. Produced by April Palm at Australian Design Centre.