Helen Britton is a multidisciplinary Australian artist based in Munich, Germany.

Her practice includes jewellery, sculpture, drawings, stencils and installations, and is informed by popular culture, threatened traditions, environmental destruction and human anxiety.

The Australian Design Centre honoured Helen as a Living Treasure in 2025.

Julie Ewington is a writer and a curator and sometimes a broadcaster living on Gadigal land in Sydney.

Childhood in Newcastle [00:05]

Growing up in working-class Newcastle exposed Helen to industrial processes that became foundational to her art. "We were taken as tiny children to the BHP and we watched them pour tonnes of molten steel... Watching this steel for making ships being poured... It was fairly impressive." These early experiences with molten materials and manufacturing processes sparked her lifelong fascination with material transformation.

Creative making was everyday life [5:00]

Helen's mother encouraged constant making. "You'd spend your weekend, doing stuff making things, gluing things together, sewing things, not necessarily always practical things." Her grandfather was a blacksmith who even shod horses for the Australian Olympic team, embedding craft traditions deeply in family life.

Making material connections[6:00]

Helen was drawn to understanding material processes from start to finish. "Thinking about the connection between the grass and the cow, and the milk and the butter and the ice cream that was made. This was really important to me as a child. I loved making those connections in my mind."

Helen's Godmother's house [7:00]

At her godmother Kath Carr's house on Yaegl Country near Yamba, Helen painted porcelain, pressed flowers, and made jewelry with polished stones. "There was never any hierarchy of what you did, it flowed from one activity to the other. And I think that was incredibly formative for me as an artist."

Comprehensive art education foundation [10:00]

Helen completed 12 years of university education across Newcastle, Sydney, and Perth. At Edith Cowan University, she did "13 hours a week for three years" of life drawing, plus printmaking, textiles, painting, photography, and cultural studies - building a thorough technical foundation.

Julie Ewington's discovery moment [11:00]

Curator Julie Ewington describes receiving Helen's master's degree work: "A beautiful wooden little box... with 15 or 20 objects each in their own little compartment... mostly broaches... unexpected combinations of things like pearls and plastic, silver and tin. She's no respecter of conventional value."

Research drives material choices [14:00]

Helen's material selection comes from deep historical research. "I get fascinated by certain, often objects or practices or geographical locations and their histories. And so I will then go and find out about them. I'll research them."

Glass birds led to Thuringia discovery [14:20]

A chance encounter at a Munich Christmas market with glass ornaments led to exploring the 500-year history of glassmaking in Thuringia's forests. Glass makers settled there in 1497 after being "driven from through one of the many wars out of Bohemia" because the region had "forests, sand and water" - everything needed for glassmaking.

Long-term process [17:00]

Helen's research and creative process happens over many years. Describing her work in Thuringia, "I started in 2001, researching there... And I couldn't make work about that experience until 2007. And then subsequent exhibitions around the glass animals happened in 2009, 2018, 2020...

Host Lisa Cahill chats with master metalsmith Johannes Kuhnen.

Johannes Kuhnen is one of the pioneers of anodised aluminium metalwork. In this episode, Johannes explains why he finds anodising annoying, and his design process.

Hear from judges Jason Smith, Hyeyoung Cho and Brian Parkes on his MAKE Award entry, Remnant Green.

Johannes Kuhnen is one of Australia's most well recognised silversmiths. Johannes' practice has remained at the forefront of innovation, in particular his pioneering use of anodised aluminium. A fascination with the colour options of the aluminium continue to provide inspiration for his work and have also inspired many others to explore such potential.

Guests

• Johannes Kuhnen
• Jason Smith, Director and CEO of Geelong Gallery, Victoria
• Hyeyoung CHO, Chair of the Korea Association of Art and Design, and expert panel member of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
• Brian Parkes, CEO at JamFactory, Adelaide, South Australia

Credits

Object is a podcast of the Australian Design Centre and is made on Gadigal Country in Sydney, Australia.

It's hosted by CEO and Artistic Director Lisa Cahill and produced by Jane Curtis, in collaboration with Lisa Cahill. Sound Engineering is by John Jacobs.

Host Lisa Cahill chats with partners in life and work, Csilla Csongvay and Matt Blackwood.

In this episode, Csilla and Matt share the inspirations behind their work, what it takes to enter an award, and how they made a single sculpture from 100 pieces of clay.

Hear from judges Jason Smith, Hyeyoung Cho and Brian Parkes on their work, Walk the Line Version 7.

Guests

• Csilla Csongvay
• Matt Blackwood
• Jason Smith, Director and CEO of Geelong Gallery, Victoria
• Hyeyoung CHO, Chair of the Korea Association of Art and Design, and expert panel member of the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize
• Brian Parkes, CEO at JamFactory, Adelaide, South Australia

Credits

Object is a podcast of the Australian Design Centre and is made on Gadigal Country in Sydney, Australia.

It's hosted by CEO and Artistic Director Lisa Cahill and produced by Jane Curtis, in collaboration with Lisa Cahill. Sound Engineering is by John Jacobs.