Design of the times:

Design Junkies is a new local reality series, hosted by artist Shane Hansen (above), which showcases the creativity of a group of talented New Zealanders. Sarah Nealon reports.

A new local reality series showcases the creativity of Kiwis.

“It’s nice to see people who are doing something creative. It’s not so often a TV (series) showcases the arts.” – Shane Hansen

Could you fashion a coffee table from salvagable materials? Could you make an appealing piece of art using old car parts?

These are some of the questions asked of the six designer contestants who are putting their skills on the line for Design Junkies, a new local reality competition series.

Every week contestants have two days to design and create an artwork which is then presented to judges Tim Webber, a furniture designer, and Emma Eagle, who co-owns a vintage design store.

Points are awarded to contestants who also have the chance to earn bonus points during the competition.

By the series’ end, the contestant who has accumulated the most points wins a trip to the Milan Furniture Fair.

Those taking part in the show include Leilani Krans-Tunnage, a Wellington product and furniture designer who served in the airforce and trained to be a helicopter pilot.

Design Junkies is hosted by New Zealand artist Shane Hansen, who had his own clothing label as a teenager and was the head designer for the uniform worn by the New Zealand team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Hansen, who lives in Northland with his wife and their two children, is of M ori, Scottish, Chinese and Danish descent. He is a cousin of TV director and ex-Shortland Street actor Kiel McNaughton.

Hansen spent 15 years working in the commercial side of the fashion industry which included running his own marketing and design business.

He began seriously pursuing his art following a breakdown after the birth of his eldest son 10 years ago.

“I was working 80 hours a week and not feeling that great,” says Hansen. “The moment he was born I realised something not that great was going on with me and I wasn’t really ready to be a father.

“At that point I hit rock bottom and got depression. I had to stop working for three months. I had to walk away from the business and refocus on getting my head straight.

“It gave me the wake-up call that I needed. I wanted to be a good dad and be present.

“At that point I started doing art. I’d always loved drawing, painting and illustrating but I’d gone down the commerical path because I thought that was what I needed to do in order to be happy and make money.

“But in order to get out of the place I was in I started getting back to painting and feeling good.

“I needed something to lift me up emotionally and mentally and I started creating art works.”

Hansen, who is in his mid-40s, now works in a variety of mediums and while he has done television interviews, this is the first time he has hosted a TV show.

“I had this philosophy when I got myself well again that if something sounds interesting, say yes and then find a way to make it work,” he says.

“Too many people that I know find a reason not to do something.

“The worst thing is to walk away from something because you’re too scared or you don’t know enough about it and then to think, ‘Oh I should have just done that’.”

He hopes people tune into Design Junkies to watch the contestants in action.

“They are a great bunch of characters,” he says. “It’s nice to see people who are doing something creative. It’s not so often a TV (series) showcases the arts.”