Why the Gifford Jackson exhibition is so important

Little is known about Gifford Jackson, and given that he is one of NZ’s leading industrial designers with a career that spans 75 years, it indicates a general lack of recognition of industrial design, even though its products permeate our everyday living. Visitors to the Depot Artspace have been truly amazed by the extent and variety of work Gifford has undertaken. Shower mixers, baths, radios, petrol petrol pumps are among the many objects featured here and all of them are imbued with a design aesthetic that elevate them above the simply functional. Michael Smythe’s book “Gifford Jackson: NZ Industrial Design Pathfinder” is an excellent history Gifford’s life in design. It ‘exemplifies design process with all its ingredients of desire, curiosity, purpose, analysis calculation, intuition and serendipity.’ Michael Smythe