What motivates craft artists and designers to innovate? The answers to this question formed the underlying theme of 'Future Factor- Stretching object realities'. Curated by Susan Ostling, the exhibition investigated the links between science and art or, in this case, craft. This 'hot topic' has been tackled with various degrees of success in recent years, most notably in the recent Adelaide Biennial exhibition 'ConVerge'. Such exhibitions often hint at the unequal relationship that has historica lly existed between these two-art as handmaiden to science or vice versa- with the result that often both art and science come off worse for the engagement. Future Factor took a slightly different angle by suggesting that 'innovation is at the point where art and science intersect', neatly sidestepping a direct confrontation and moving into the abstract area of ideas.1 Future Factor was a smartly designed and engaging exhibition. A little reminiscent of trade shows, where the latest gizmos are displayed cheek by jowl under their individual banners, works in Future Factor were likewise displayed in front of fabulous, floor-to-ceiling didactic screens. These served simultaneously to separate the spaces, anchor each work and provide a soft wall in marked contrast to the often geometric, high-tech designs of the objects themselves.
This reversal of position (craft is often seen as 'soft', architecture as 'hard') immediately shifted viewers' perceptions of the works on display. A certain 'toughness' or solidity became apparent, even with the most diaphanous materials, such as Pea Rasmussen's nylon and wire filament garments, or Gilbert Riedelbauch's extremely delicate, mathematically formulated objects made of composite nylon and glass. Several of the artists' works were well known, or had been exhibited in different contexts