It was launched by Turner Prize-winning architecture and art collective Assemble and Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art, which had already opened a music studio in the city. Staffed by craftspeople from around the world, including Mardi Gras Indian Big Chief Demond Melancon and fashion designers Faustine Steinmetz and Kenneth Ize, it aims to foster nascent talent and launch careers by offering free access to materials and teaching.
This video gives a glimpse of the students at work and an insight into what the Material Institute could mean for the city.