In some families, the parents’ DNA instructs so clearly the way their children think and work that it’s impossible to deny the familial impact. Jason Bruges is the product of just this. His dad was a software and computer engineer, and his mother a trained artist. Both influenced where and how he came to be a multidisciplinary artist and designer.

His eponymous Jason Bruges Studio is internationally renowned for creating interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the world of architecture, site specific installation art and interaction design. Considered a pioneer of this hybrid in-between space, Jason has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer-makers.

After graduating from Oxford Brookes University in London, Jason borrowed £1,000 from his dad for an airline ticket and flew to Hong Kong to meet his grandfather at the airport. He’d only met him a handful of times before. Within weeks he had a job offer from the famed architect Norman Foster. This later led to his role at the groundbreaking brand experience agency, Imagination back in London, where his work on the Millenium Dome was considered an early example of interaction design. It was soon after, in 2002, that Jason created his own studio.

Listen in as Vince and Jason discuss how being noticed by Tom Dixon helped him start his studio, the influence of Jean Nouvel’s animated façades, and designing a hotel lobby in 2002 that changed colour based on the clothes of guests passing through.

https://www.jasonbruges.com/

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In today’s economy, people are more considerate about what they’ll spend money on, retailers have to fight to hold or grow their market share. If there’s one person who knows this better than most, and will be the first to step into the ring, it’s Felicity McGahan.

McGahan is the Group CEO of STRAND, the Australian handbags and luggage retailer, where she is leading a transformational vision for growth by modernising, digitising and internationalising every aspect of the business. Backed up by 20 years at Gap, where she left as VP or North America Marketing, and key executive roles at Reebok, Sportsgirl, Esprit, Cotton On and Sussan, she’s been with amazing brands at the right time. And been mentored by best-in-class leaders, building a reputation for successfully evolving brands for growth.

Her career in retail isn’t a total surprise. Her Dad had a chain of footwear stores, and her mum was the original Sportsgirl, modelling for the iconic Australian retailer through the 70s and 80s before becoming their ever Wardrobe Consultant, “When I grew up, she was styling Kylie Minogue for Locomotion.” She was destined for it.

Listen in as Vince and Felicity discuss forging her birth certificate aged 14 to get a job, where she finds her enthusiasm and drive, and what it takes to turn a retail business around.

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What does it mean to exist professionally as an artist? Does being business minded compromise an artist’s creativity? If it’s a frank discussion on the topic you’re after, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran is the artist to have it with.

Nithiyendran is a Sri Lankan born contemporary artist whose work is often described as bold, hyperbolic, exaggerated and expressive. He’s achieved huge success in his decade-long career — his artwork has been presented in museums, festivals and the public domain, including significant presentations at the National Gallery of Australia, The Art Gallery of New South Wales, The Dhaka Art Summit and Art Basel Hong Kong.

In 2019, he received a Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship recognising his outstanding talent and exceptional professional courage, and his 368-page monograph, titled RAMESH, was published by Thames & Hudson in 2022. Heavily influenced by his upbringing as a Tamil migrant in Sydney’s west, Nithiyendran was an incredibly high achiever academically, but it wasn’t until he arrived at the University of New South Wales to begin his BA in Fine Arts that he felt he existed outside a minority. Listen in as Vince and Ramesh discuss why no one in art wants to talk about business, how growing up as a migrant in Australia shaped him and the importance of respecting other people’s work and input.

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