The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 53 No 3 November 2014
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Focus: Co llabora t ion<br />
A Recipe For Success<br />
Ilona Topolcsanyi works 'from paddock to plate'<br />
When Josh Lopez, head chef <strong>of</strong> Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery <strong>of</strong> Modern Art (QAGOMA), approached<br />
me two years ago to create a bespoke tableware range for the gallery's restaurant, I had no idea it<br />
would lead to a string <strong>of</strong> opportunities to work closely with some <strong>of</strong> Australia's finest chefs.<br />
With each new commission I take a considerable amount <strong>of</strong> time to absorb and understand exactly<br />
what each chef is trying to achieve, what makes their menu unique, and how I can celebrate and<br />
enhance this through ceramics. In turn I seek to give an appreciation <strong>of</strong> the ceramic process so that<br />
together we optimise both the functionality and beauty <strong>of</strong> the finished pieces.<br />
In this way the range that ultimately appears on the restaurant table is the result <strong>of</strong> a direct<br />
collaboration in which the food and the personality <strong>of</strong> the chef not only influences the tableware, but<br />
the ceramic forms and surfaces developed frequently give rise to new plating and menu formats. It has<br />
been a fascinating journey learning how very subtle changes in form and surface can alter the degree to<br />
which a sauce will pool on a plate, for example, and how critical this can be to the overall success <strong>of</strong> the<br />
dining experience.<br />
My most recent commission came from Dan Hunter who has created his highly acclaimed restaurant<br />
'B rae' at Birregurra in southern Victoria. <strong>The</strong> cuisine there celebrates Dan's intimate connection with the<br />
property with many <strong>of</strong> the menu's ingredients being grown on site. I will be developing and enhancing<br />
this idea by employing local clays and minerals, and ash collected from their woodfired oven, to create a<br />
regional range <strong>of</strong> surfaces directly linked to Dan, his food and the property.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re is a richness that arises from these collaborations that I always look forward to - especially<br />
when it results in being treated to an exquisitely prepared three course meal, on the house<br />
Ilona Topolcsanyi + Colin Hopkins = Cone 11 <strong>Ceramics</strong>; www.cone11 .com.au<br />
From Harvest: Art, Food and Film, <strong>2014</strong>. Gallery <strong>of</strong> Modern Art, Brisbane © QAGOMA. photographer Shane Holzberger<br />
and stylist Jaime Reyes; photo: Brenda Fawdon
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