Sine Surf wooden surfboard on display in the National Museum of Australia
In late 2022, Lyndon Anderson, Swayne Senior Fellow of Australian Design, got in touch. He wanted one of our wooden surfboards to be part of a new National Museum of Australia exhibition called 'Material World'.
Getting the right board to Canberra
We first sent one of our mid-length boards down to the museum in Canberra, but because of a communication mix-up it turned out to be slightly too tall for the display case. That threw a spanner in the works. We had already promised the smaller fish board we had on hand to Professor Marc in het Panhuis at the UOW Surf Flex Lab for testing. Emile and I fully expected it to be broken and had written it off, but it held up against the worst his custom-made torsional flex machine could throw at it. So off it went to the museum.
About the exhibition
Material World is supported by the Swayne Gallery of Australian Design. The museum describes it like this:
'Material World is an evocative exhibition that shines a light on design and designers. Featuring everyday objects, medical technology and new materials, it will challenge you to consider the meaning of good design.'
You can find more information, including some videos about the exhibition, on the National Museum of Australia website and in the media release.
We were honoured to have our board displayed alongside fantastic examples of historical and contemporary design by First Nations peoples, early settlers, scientists, engineers, designers, artists, and architects.
Where to find it
Our board was part of the display close to the main entrance of the museum, in the Gandel Atrium. The exhibition ran until the middle of April 2024.
If you saw our board on display, we'd love to hear from you.