Brodie Neill | Resonance

In this retrospective exhibition, Brodie Neill returns home to present Resonance, an exhibition that celebrates two decades of his career-defining milestones for one of Tasmania’s most innovative and inspiring designers. Through materials like mirror-polished stainless steel, sand-cast recycled aluminium, bent plywood, charred and salvaged timbers, coiled Hydrowood veneers, and terrazzo made from ocean plastic, Neill’s works reimagine raw or discarded sources into mesmerising and sophisticated forms that echo the beauty of his island home. Known for his layered concepts, material mastery, and fearless ability to blend organic form with digital processes, these works speak to the creative ingenuity that has led Neill to become one of Australia’s most influential designers.

Resonance presents eleven works, beginning with Neill’s 2002 graduate project from the University of Tasmania, and spanning through to representing Australia on the world stage in the present. Design Tasmania is honoured to welcome internationally acclaimed Neill from London for his first homecoming exhibition, in reflection and celebration of our commitment to further design in Tasmania.

This exhibition features significant works held in Tasmanian collections, including the celebrated ReCoil, a centrepiece table of meticulously coiled Tasmanian reclaimed timber, inspired by the rugged beauty of the Pieman River Valley. A partnership with Hydrowood, the table is the first successful outcome of a series of projects with Design Tasmania that explore opportunities and partnerships between design, manufacturing, and Tasmanian-based materials.

The exhibition also features the critically acclaimed Gyro table, made from ‘ocean terrazzo’ Neill’s ingenuous recycled ocean plastic composite. Conceived for the London Design Biennale representing Australia in 2016, the table offers an environmental call to action told through refined aesthetic beauty. By pioneering contemporary design as a powerful medium for important global issues, this work led Neill to become an interdisciplinary voice for design as a force for positive change, presenting at the European Union and United Nations Ocean Conference, amongst others.

Other innovations on display include the Cowrie chair and Alpha chair from the Design Tasmania Wood Collection; the award-winning Supernova; the @Chair and E-Turn, both featured in Time Magazines Design 100; and the now iconic Remix chaise longue, Curve and Wishbone.