On this episode of TDF Talks I chat with a truly remarkable Australian artist, who picked up not one but TWO awards at our recent TDF Design Awards – I’m talking of course about Tyrone Wright, otherwise known at Rone. If you’re Melbourne based, there’s a high chance you would have visited his spectacular project, RONE Empire, earlier this year. It is impossible to describe the mind-boggling scale of this self-initiated and largely self-funded project.

Rone and a team of collaborators transformed the historic Burnham Beeches property in the Dandenongs into an epic multi-sensory installation across 12 enormous rooms, bringing together Rone’s haunting artwork enhanced with interior styling and decoration, botanical installations, soundscapes, bespoke scent, virtual reality, augmented reality and more. Over 22,000 people visited the project over a 2-month period.

It’s the sort of project that just doesn’t happen without a truly visionary creative to imagine it, to drive it…. and to take a whole lot of risks to make it happen.

I was so inspired by Rone’s relentless creative drive. In person he’s a pretty humble guy, but one thing is clear – Rone isn’t interested in doing anything the easy way. This is an artist who has found his niche pushing creativity and collaboration right to their limits – and proving that with enough passion, you really can make seemingly impossible things happen.

NOTES + LINKS

Visit www.r-o-n-e.com  for more info about Rone, EMPIRE and his other projects.

You should definitely also be following him on Instagram at @r_o_n_e – especially to see the MIND BLOWING (and somewhat depressing) before and after transformations he’s been sharing recently, of reinstating Burnham Beeches to its original empty state!

Next year, Rone’s work will be exhibited in a public institution for the first time, back in his hometown of Geelong!  The Geelong Gallery will be hosting a survey of Rone’s early works, along with some new installations. The show is due to open in May of 2020, but we’ll keep you posted!