Plating up with Ilona Topolcsanyi: Production pottery

Plating up with Ilona Topolcsanyi: Production pottery

Author: Australian Design Centre November 9, 2022 Duration: 25:36

Ilona Topolcsanyi makes bespoke tableware for some of Australia's most notable chefs. She’s even made plates that world leaders have eaten from, like Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and Xi JinPing.

Hear how Ilona designs and makes by hand large orders of beautiful, hard-wearing and functional tableware. 

Learn how she works with chefs as a problem-solver, figuring out how to make bowls where the sauce sits perfectly.

Ilona and her partner Colin Hopkins run their business Cone 11 in Naam, Melbourne. Their tableware has subtle surfaces that range from shimmering pearly whites to rich encrusted terracottas. 

Some of the restaurants Ilona has created work for include: 

  • Dan Hunter: Brae, Birregurra Victoria
  • Joel Bickford: Aria, Sydney NSW 
  • Josh Lopez: The Wolfe East Brisbane QLD
  • Seth James: Wills Domain, Margaret River WA

Guests


Full Show Notes

Read the highlights and takeaways, and see photos of Ilona's work with Josh Lopez and Dan Hunter on the Show Notes page for this episode on the Australian Design Centre website.

Credits

Object is hosted by Lisa Cahill, with production by Jane Curtis and sound engineering by John Jacobs. It's made with support from Visions of Australia regional touring program.


There’s a story held within every object shaped by human hands, and Object: stories of design and craft from the Australian Design Centre is where those narratives unfold. This isn't a lecture series, but a series of conversations that pull up a chair beside the makers themselves. You’ll hear the subtle sounds of the studio and the thoughtful pauses as artists and designers explain not just how they work, but why. The focus is firmly on contemporary Australian practice, moving from broad explorations to deep dives into specific disciplines. For instance, one season is dedicated entirely to the world of ceramics, tracing the journey from raw material to finished piece. The most recent season offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the 2023 MAKE Award, a major national prize for innovation. Through this podcast, you’ll meet the winner, Vipoo Srivilasa, alongside finalists like the collective High Tea with Mrs Woo and artists Julie Blyfield, Csongvay Blackwood, and Johannes Kuhnen. The perspectives of award judges, including Jason Smith, Hyeyoung Cho, and Brian Parkes, add another layer to the understanding of what drives contemporary craft forward. Each episode is a quiet immersion into the material, intellectual, and personal processes that define today's most compelling creative work.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 24

Object: stories of design and craft
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