( A ) Presented by Dutoit
Here & There
Here & There is a solo exhibition by Dutoit, showcasing new furniture, lighting, and homeware collections designed and crafted in Australia. Framed by supporting contributions from Australian-based collaborators, the exhibition explores how local design emerges from ‘here’, while also being quietly shaped by international ideas and references from ‘there’.
This exhibition feature has been structured around two interwoven types of content:
Sections A - D: Editorial Framework
These short essays provide curatorial insight and thematic context - framing the exhibition’s core ideas and guiding the experience.
Sections 1 - 7: Creative Content
These sections explore individual works, collaborations, and material processes - each offering a closer view into the objects and contributors behind Here & There.
Alongside Dutoit’s collections - including a new sculptural table lamp, limited edition pieces crafted from recycled materials, and new homeware objects cast with a local foundry - Here & There incorporates commissioned and curated works across photography, scent, textiles, and animation. Each element adds sensory and material depth to the space, creating a layered reflection on how Australian design is grounded in place while remaining open to broader influences.
Founded by Dirk du Toit, Dutoit is a Melbourne-based studio dedicated to creating refined, enduring objects that balance material integrity with thoughtful form. Here & There offers an insight into the studio’s evolving practice and its quiet commitment to local making and global conversation.
Photography by Adrian Grasso
( 1/7 ) MASS
MASS is a sculptural table lamp for ambient illumination - defined by bold, monolithic form and material presence. Grounded yet atmospheric, MASS is both an object and a source of light, anchoring space through volume and function.
Each piece is made from either sustainably sourced walnut or CNC-cut layers of 100% locally sourced recycled plastic, stacked and fixed to form a unified, stratified composition. Whether expressed in warm timber or recycled material, MASS holds a quiet power: a luminous volume that shapes its surroundings both physically and perceptually.
Presented in two distinct material iterations for Here & There, MASS reflects Dutoit’s interest in exploring form through the lens of sustainability, texture, and permanence.
( 2/7 ) Signature Scented Candle
Created exclusively for Dutoit, Scent ONE is the first release in a bespoke home scent collection, developed in collaboration with Sydney-based perfumer Ainslie Walker. Designed in Melbourne and hand-blended and poured in Sydney, Scent ONE extends Dutoit’s material and spatial language into a sensory experience. Presented as a double-wick, 400g candle, Scent ONE offers a substantial and lasting presence.
Fragrance Profile: Lively and uplifting with green and citric qualities of vetiver, grapefruit and bergamot under an additional hook of alluring woody notes including sandalwood and black spruce.
Developed intuitively from a library of premium materials, Scent ONE is designed to enhance a sense of place - whether at home or in the workplace. In the context of Here & There, the fragrance forms a quiet bridge between material, memory, and environment, offering visitors a deeper, more immersive connection to the exhibition’s exploration of locality, resonance, and influence.
www.ainsliewalker.com
@ainslie_walker
( B ) Expanded Exhibiton Overview
Here & There brings together a curated series of new works by Dutoit, alongside contributions from Australian-based collaborators. Across furniture, lighting, homeware, photography, scent, textiles, and animation, the exhibition offers a layered experience of material, process, and place.
A new sculptural table lamp - presented in sustainably sourced walnut and 100% recycled plastic - sits alongside homeware objects cast in collaboration with a local foundry. These physical works are framed by sensory and visual narratives: a photographic series captured on the island of Pantelleria, a custom scent featured as a signature candle developed and poured in Sydney, an animated furniture assembly sequence, and a new colourway of a locally manufactured wool textile.
Through the interplay of material, scent, image, and form, Here & There invites visitors to move through a quiet landscape of references - grounded in Australian making, yet open to influence from elsewhere.
( 3/7 ) Pantelleria
Set adrift between Sicily and Tunisia, Pantelleria is a rugged volcanic island shaped by millennia of wind, sea, and sun. Across its 84 square kilometres, generations have learned to tame the harsh landscape, cultivating olives, grapes, and capers with quiet resilience. Home to just over 7,000 residents, the island’s population swells with summer visitors - but in early May, before the crowds arrive, Pantelleria breathes at its own slow, timeless rhythm.
Captured during this fleeting moment of calm, Adrian’s photographs reveal an island suspended between seasons: a place where life feels beautifully unhurried, deeply connected to land and sea. In a world that moves ever faster, Pantelleria’s stillness offers a gentle reminder of what truly matters.
www.adriangrasso.com
@adrian_grasso
( 4/7 ) Profile Illustration - Centrefold
The profile illustration showcases the BUOY Low Stool with backrest, highlighting its harmonious blend of form and function. Crafted from solid timber, BUOY features buoyant, interconnected components that seamlessly merge structure and lightness. The distinctive shadow line detail between the seat and base enhances this interplay, creating a visually light appearance while evoking a sense of quality and cheerful optimism.
The stool’s compact proportions and minimal visual footprint make it suitable for residential, hospitality, and commercial settings. The angled backrest offers support without compromising the stool’s streamlined silhouette.
Like other pieces in the Here & There exhibition, BUOY reflects Dutoit’s commitment to crafting objects that quietly hold space - anchored by material integrity and resolved form. The stool presented here is made from sustainably sourced oak, finished to highlight the natural grain and tonal warmth of the wood.
BUOY is built to endure and intended to sit gently within its surroundings - bringing form, warmth, and quiet character to everyday spaces.
( C ) About The Tabloid
A newspaper-style tabloid was been created to accompany Here & There for Melbourne Design Week. The centrefold includeded two detachable posters designed as takeaways:
- A profile illustration of the BUOY Low Stool with backrest
- Two photographic works captured by Adrian Grasso on the island of Pantelleria
These posters are intended as quiet extensions of the exhibition - a way to carry forward some of the ideas, materials, and atmospheres explored within the space.
( 5/7 ) A Locally Manufactured Wool Textile
From farm to fabric, Chunky weaves a story of elegance, durability and sustainability. The highly tactile textile boasts a beautiful hand-woven aesthetic with a highly exaggerated texture. Chunky’s oversized weave combined with a boucle yarn, is the perfect vessel for the latest nature-inspired palette of burnt terracottas, mossy greens and warm neutrals.
A long-standing staple of Instyle’s LIFE Textiles collection, Chunky’s wool rich composition and weave structure creates a natural luxury, while ensuring superior durability and performance.
Chunky is locally made with New Zealand wool, a natural, resilient and rapidly renewable fibre. This makes Chunky a sustainable choice, suitable for heavy-duty commercial upholstery in almost any interior.
Chunky is low VOC, fire resistant, designed for longevity and recyclable through Instyle’s REVIVE program. Celebrating 20 years of LIFE Textiles, where beauty meets sustainability.
www.instyle.com.au
@instyle_au
( 6/7 ) Forms in Motion
As part of Here & There, Dutoit developed an animated assembly sequence in collaboration with Sydney-based design studio Chalk Company. Founded by Miles and Hannah Hellyer, Chalk specialises in 3D imagery and motion, working closely with a small number of clients to create highly considered visual narratives.
The animation developed for Here & There focuses on the assembly of the BUOY Counter Stool with backrest, revealing the sculptural logic behind the design. Moving slowly and deliberately, the sequence captures the transition from individual parts to a coherent whole - emphasising the precision, balance, and quiet intelligence embedded in the objects themselves.
Chalk’s process is exploration heavy - spending much of each project testing, refining, and seeking a form that feels intuitive and true. This approach resonates strongly with Dutoit’s own focus on form, material, and refinement.
www.chalkco.com
@chalkcompany
( 7/7 ) CUSP
Defined by a simple shift in geometry, CUSP is a series of wall and bag hooks that balance concave and convex forms. Each profile - one with an acute angle, the other with an obtuse - is resolved with a small cusp at the tip, creating the subtle scoop that forms the hook.
Cast locally in aluminium or silicone bronze, each piece undergoes a rock-tumbling and polishing process, producing a subtly textured finish that softens the solidity of the form. The result is an object that feels both robust and tactile - resolute in presence, but gentle to the touch.
Designed to sit easily in residential, commercial, or hospitality spaces, CUSP extends Dutoit’s exploration of materiality and geometry into a smaller, everyday scale. Like all Dutoit works, the hooks are grounded in simplicity, process, and enduring material character.
( D ) Closing Notes
Here & There brings together a body of work shaped by ongoing explorations in form, material, and meaning. While the core collections are designed and made in Melbourne, the exhibition acknowledges the many ways that design is shaped by influence - through movement, memory, and the quiet accumulation of ideas gathered from elsewhere.
Exhibition Tabloid
For a closer look at the original printed tabloid, you can download the full document via the link below. While the content above has been adapted for online reading, the original PDF preserves the layout, imagery, and design as it was created for Melbourne Design Week.
Exhibition Gallery
The works presented reflect both a solo practice and a collaborative spirit - whether through the casting of new homeware objects, the development of scent, or the visual conversations sparked through photography and animation. Together, these elements offer a layered insight into Dutoit’s evolving design language.
This is not a conclusive statement, but a moment in time - open, quiet, and responsive. Here & There is an invitation to pause, observe, and consider how design can both respond to its context and reach beyond it.
Thank you for being part of this conversation.