Alice Springs designer Elliat Rich is showcasing a collection of new design pieces at Canberra Glassworks from now until December.

Her solo exhibition at the ACT arts centre, titled ‘Mythica Ignota: Artefacts of the Oscillocene and the Warawana Mythologies’, is a rare chance to be immersed in the vision of the award-winning multidisciplinary designer – whose work spans furniture, lighting and bespoke objects – before her showcase at Melbourne Design Week in 2025.

From one territory to another

Rich has spent the last two decades in Central Australia with her family. In January this year, she and her shoe-maker partner James B. Young packed up their home and studios for a year in the nation’s capital to spend time with extended family and broaden their creative pursuits in new spaces with new audiences. 

The “jewel” of Rich’s east coast opportunities has been a residency at Canberra Glassworks. This program invites artists who have achieved significant recognition for their technical and artistic work to immerse themselves in the facility, focusing on creating new works or researching techniques using glass.

The result is an exhibition that explores how mythologies can “guide us out of the mess of modernity”.

“Living in Central Australia you are at the raw, overlapping edges of some pretty impactful factors: climate change, colonisation [and] capitalism,” Rich says. 

“I wanted to understand how we got here and maybe how I could channel design to get somewhere else.”

Mythica Ignota exhibition

Mythica Ignota uses mythology as a framework for Rich’s artefact and narrative explorations.

Canberra Glassworks artistic director Aimee Frodsham, who collaborated with Rich on Powerhouse Museum’s 2020 exhibition ‘Hybrid: Objects for Future Homes’, says she felt the need to “continue this creative journey” with Rich.

“Elliat’s ability to blend glass techniques with other mediums, while stepping beyond the established ‘rules’ of glassmaking, sets her apart,” Frodsham says. 

“She challenges the norms that have shaped glass-making traditions for millennia, pushing boundaries and opening new possibilities for the future of glass.”

Mythica Ignota: Artefacts of the Oscillocene and the Warawana Mythologies is showing at  Canberra Glassworks from now until 15 December 2024.

All images: Solo show by Elliat Rich Mythica Ignota: Artefacts of the Oscillocene and the Warawana Mythologies installed at Canberra Glassworks 3 Oct to 15 Dec 2024.

Lead image: 2024 Designer in Residence, Elliat Rich with collection objects.