Bio
Sam is a nationally-awarded industrial designer and educator. His professional and research practice centres on the possibilities of technology as tools to address the contemporary challenges of waste and over-consumption while exploring new object typologies. His current research investigates additive manufacturing paradigms, second life materials, and harvesting waste stream recycling via localised manufacturing strategies.
Awards / Exhibtions
International
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2024 - Best Awards – New Zealand Institute of Design – Gold Award Winner (“Re.Pete”)
https://bestawards.co.nz/product/furniture/mpavilion/re-pete-chair/
2023 – Design Educates – (DEAwards) – Silver Medal Winner
https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/media/newsroom/2022/august/uc-team-win-coveted-international-design-award
National
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2024 - Good Design Award - Award Winner - "SUPER.FLAX" Tomkins, Maxwell
https://good-design.org/projects/super-flax/
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2024 - Australian Furniture Design Award - Finalist - "SUPER.FLAX" Tomkins, Maxwell.
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2023 - Good Design Award – Gold Award Winner - (“Re.Pete”) Tomkins, Maxwell, Ennis Butler
https://good-design.org/projects/re-pete-chair/
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2023 – Design Institute of Australia (DIA) - Design Excellence Award – Award of Merit Winner - (“Re.Pete”)
https://www.awards.design.org.au/award-of-merit-2023-1/canberra-design-lab-for-re-pete-chair
2023 – National Museum of Australia – “Vitrous Knit” – Commission
2022 – MPavilion Chair Design Competition – Naomi Milgrom Foundation – Winner - (“Re.Pete”)
https://mpavilion.org/mpavilion-2022-chair-repete/
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Exhibtions
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2024 - ​Austral
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2024 - Bangkok Design Week (International) – “Re.Pete” – Tomkins, Maxwell, Ennis Butler
https://www.bangkokdesignweek.com/en/bkkdw2024/program/67524
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2023 – Uncharted Territories – Second Space - “Robotic Zen” – Tomkins, Maxwell
https://unchartedterritory.com.au/etn/robotic-zen/
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2023 – Upending Mending - Belconnen Art Center – “Empathetic Plasticity” – Tomkins, Maxwell.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/251951533?keyword=UPENDING%20%7C%20MENDING
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2023 – Material World – National Museum of Australia – “Vitreous Knit” - Tomkins, Maxwell
https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/material-world
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2022(3) – MPavilion – “Re.Pete” – Tomkins, Maxwell, Ennis-Butler
https://www.canberra.edu.au/about-uc/media/newsroom/2022/august/uc-team-win-coveted-international-design-award
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2022 - The Chair – Craft Victoria – “Re.Pete Prototype” – Tomkins, Maxwell, Ennis-Butler.
https://craft.org.au/whats-on/all-events/thechair/
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2020 - MATERIAL SUBJECTS - Tomkins, Norton
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7051345/uc-students-create-adytum-exhibition/
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2020 – Dickson Living Rooms – Design Canberra Festival
https://canberradesignlab.com/Dickson-Living-Rooms
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2019 – Dark Crafts Pavilion. – Design Canberra Festival – M. Maxwell, S. Tomkins, E. Hinton,
https://canberradesignlab.com/Dark-Crafts-Pavilion
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2021 – A World We Don’t Want - Melbourne Design Week / National Gallery Victoria – “4.95” - Tomkins, Licastro.
https://www.dale-hardiman.com/A-World-We-Don-t-Want
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2019 – Welcome to Wasteland – Design Canberra Festival – “Wintermute” – Tomkins
https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/welcome-to-wasteland/