Third Drawer Down
Words Amy Richardson

Abigail Crompton has been one busy lady of late. The self declared 'teatowelologist' has her hands full with a variety of projects, including collating the latest range of the eccentric but very special "limited edition domestic artworks" for her company, Third Drawer Down.

Launched four years ago, the Melbourne based outfit is about much more than putting pretty pictures on modest pieces of cloth. "It's playing upon and questioning the whole basis of what makes art and taking it away from it being 'high art' into the everyday and affordable," explains Crompton.

With a product range that includes limited editions of tea towels, 'artkerchiefs', 'artprons', 'bubkins' and 'lapkins' that are beautifully screen printed with the designs of artists handpicked from around the world, Crompton is enthusiastic about encouraging people to deepen their aesthetic sensibilities.

One of the ways the project promotes this exploration is through interaction with the pieces at the Third Drawer Down Gallery in St Kilda.

"For all the artists that we work with in Third Drawer Down, we then have their works on paper available in portfolio, just in a filing system," Crompton says.

"We make them accessible by them being priced affordably, and we encourage people to look at process. For example, someone might come in and they may like a teatowel by Edwina White, so we can show them the originals. So it's showing the technique and the history of the screenprinting, as well as the process we work with to create."

She is adamant that injecting art into such a humble everyday object as a teatowel doesn't devalue it.

"It allows people to decide whether they want to see it as a piece of art or if they want to see it just a beautiful aesthetic object. It's still important but if you feel like drying the dishes with it you can."

Speaking to Crompton, it's obvious that this is a fiercely passionate and determined lady who lives and breathes art. With a wealth of projects under way, which include producing merchandise for avante garde artist Louise Borgois's exhibition at the Tate Modern, managing fashion and textiles for femme rock outfit Chicks on Speed, and collating the recently launched Art is Art project, she has plenty of creative outlets at hand.

The Art is Art project for example, sees Crompton and her team celebrating the ideas and achievements of famous artists over the "past one hundred years" through the creation of a conceptually based souvenir range.

"For instance, we've taken on celebrating Andy Warhol and his concept of fifteen minutes of fame," says Crompton.

"So for that, we're creating temporary tattoo wristwatches, where the watches are fifteen minutes, and it reminds you of your fame."

As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Crompton is also developing The Third Drawer Down gallery as a venue for touring art shows. Currently, the space is hosting an exhibition from US art space Cinders Gallery.

"Cinders Gallery is a really beautiful gallery based in Brooklyn where they only deal with works on paper," says Crompton.

"It's very much about accessing the local community and promoting and supporting local Brooklyn artists. It's roughly the same vibe as we have here. I felt that we had a type of kindred-ness in the way that we dealt with things."

Crompton chooses the artists that lend their creativity to Third Drawer Down in a similar fashion.

"It's purely self indulgent," she laughs. "It's a feeling that I get when I see someone's work. It plays upon an emotional sensibility, and that's my only criteria that I really respond with."

She's promising a few surprises for the soon to be released range.

"It has another discourse in it," Crompton says. "There are three very eccentric works that I've chosen for it that takes it out of a comfortable domain in a visual sense and we have kind of pushed a few boundaries in what is regarded as a normal graphic that you would find."

All in all, Crompton is ecstatic with the ways things are progressing.

"We are going through quite an incredible kind of revolution at the moment. Not only is 3rd drawer down growing as a project and we're reaching a greater audience around the world, it has also really opened doors into now developing products for artists," she says.

"I have this wish list of artists that I want to work with in my lifetime, and I'm now in a position now to be able to work with incredible institutions like the Tate modern and artists like Louise Borgois."

"It's all about creating discourses - it's an adventure really."