Archived: Lens Collection

Internationally acclaimed lighting and furniture design studio Douglas and Bec has been reborn as Snelling and is presenting its first collection, Lens, in the Heart of the City during the first two weeks of July. 

Snelling’s relaunch was compelled by a convergence of dramatic events. Working for years in the midst of the high-pressures of the design industry Bec found her personal and artistic identity compromised, and she struggled to retain her voice and the joy of creating. When she reached a crisis point in late 2019, Bec was compelled to undergo rehabilitation for 3 months; and then in an unbelievable turn which suggests fact truly is stranger than fiction, 30 days into her recovery the Douglas and Bec factory burnt to the ground. 

During the 7-week lockdown which closely followed the fire. Bec was granted the clarity that recent events were not disastrous, but serendipitous. For Bec, life, work and art have always been one, and she realised that her new way of life must occur alongside a rebuild of her business, and a rebuild of her identity as designer and artist. In order to move forward, the rose bush was cut back to the bare cane; a confronting act, as it’s accompanied by the fear that nothing will grow again. But pushing through this fear, Bec realised that for her work to bloom she must undo old methods and learn to create anew - provoking a turn back to embrace her dormant artistic practice. 

The result of this turn is Snelling’s exquisite first collection. Lens captures the new spirit of Snelling, one of experimentation and joy, in which surprising forms embody both the functional and the sublime. The sculptural objects in Lens were created with an approach and sensitivity fostered during Bec’s formative years at art school - grounded in conceptual ideals and explorative studio work, and allowed the space to utilise mistakes and chance encounters with materials. 

Visit Level 7 at 1 Albert Street to admire the collection.