As designers, Danielle Brustman and Edward Linacre are powerful forces in their own domains. However, as they join forces in their recent exhibition METEORITE V at Useful Objects Gallery in Collingwood, the result is design that is innovative, original and simply fabulous.
Interior designer Brustman and Linacre, an industrial designer, have been collaborating since 2021. While each is in high demand as an individual practitioner, their collaboration finds a common ground of play, realised as objects with theatricality, clean forms and nuanced spectra of colour.
“Ed and I come from different design disciplines but share a genuine curiosity and interest in materiality, experimentation and collaboration. Sometimes the most interesting work comes when you allow an idea to bend. We do a lot of talking and bouncing of ideas. We learn from each project that we work on together and lean into our respective strengths. I think a part of the success of our collaboration is that we truly respect and listen to each other’s perspectives.” says Brustman.
Brustman’s interior and object design has been described as joyful in her bold use of block colour, while Linacre is renowned for his otherworldly, luminous creations and the development of progressive biodegradable and recycled materials. Together, they have conceived a form for METEORITE V that takes the best of both design worlds in replicated motif to create extraordinary statement lighting.
Related: 2026 INDE.Awards Gala in Melbourne
Their first collaboration METEORITE in 2022 explored the form, cultural connotations and movement of the meteorite, as an object moving from celestial travel and transforming on its way to earth.
With the METEORITE V collection, the cone forms of the objects reflect the idea of matter passing through earth’s atmospheric layers as the forces of gravity and velocity exert pressure on the celestial bodies. The seemingly effortless balancing of cone upon cone invites curiosity and delight as each object, either standing on the ground or hanging from the ceiling, becomes the centre of focus as a work of art.
Linacre comments: “Engineering the structure for the first 4.2-metre version was an extensive prototyping and testing process to ensure strength, rigidity, wiring throughout to power the LED modules at each cone, and the ability to disassemble/repair and maintain the hardware. As we reduced the size for this collection, achieving all these critical elements became even harder! We wanted absolute minimal interference in the concept and the form, which we both really connect with. So, hiding all fixtures — having just form and light — was paramount, especially with this latest collection, as light plays such a visual role with the reflecting optical illusion.”
The collection comprises stainless steel furniture and lighting with two floor lamps, one of domestic scale the other grander, a large suspended pendant light, as well as side tables/stools that can be placed either side up.
The colours of the METEORITE V range are bold — red, blue and olive — and, paired with the silver mirrored surface, the materiality creates singular furnishing accoutrements.
“The colours in this collection are shinier, deeper and darker than in previous versions,” reflects Brustman. “The surfaces of the materials intricately play around with reflection and light. We have used high gloss powder coat and polished stainless steel cones in ways that bounce the light and reflection across the surface of the objects in interesting ways. We have discovered that using the deeper colours combined with a gloss finish amplifies the reflections of light which we find very exciting.”
The METEORITE V exhibition opened 18th July and is to close 22nd August, 2026. However, these extraordinary lighting pieces can be made to order and purchased through the gallery, Useful Objects.
This is not your ‘usual’ exhibition; the forms of the lighting and furniture are very different, as they defy gravity and invite wonder. For anyone wanting to see excellent design, expert detailing and resolution and something a little out of this world, then METEORITE V is an exhibition not to be missed.
Danielle Brustman was a member of the 2026 INDE.Awards jury.