At Manchester Craft and Design Centre

So, I travelled to Manchester and made my way to Manchester Craft and Design Centre to Exhibit my Streamline vessels. It was lovely to get to know Ella, who runs the This Is Pewter studio in the Centre. It was all about sharing some industry knowledge and ideas. Her Pewter pieces were selling well, visitors being amused by the beautiful colour and the shininess of pewter. Her pewter products are contemporary and competitive and nothing like the old style pewter tankards and tableware. 

It was pretty cold day for March in Manchester, but that didn't stop people visiting the centre and come to have a chat with the makers in their studios. There was live instrumental music, some cocktails and a good vibe over all! Joseph Hartley's exhibition started successfully at the main area in the Centre, he was demonstrating traditional bread making with using his Makery collection. 

Lets see what kind of feedback and interest I will be receiving from Manchester. I may need to start to consider producing the vessels...

Exhibition running now until closer to summer!

Ella

Joseph Hartley's Exhibition

Visiting Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. Here on an old Locomotive!  

Manchester is certainly an old industrial city!  

Pewter Project from 2011

As I was just on the previous post explaining about my exhibition opportunity together with pewterer Ella McIntosh, I though of my old project during the second year studies in Camberwell College of Arts. 

It was all about Pewter. I ended up sand casting the malleable metal. As a result I produced three little cups, and the inspiration came from broken domestic china. Here's a little description of the Folly:

When an object brakes, it is often rejected or ignored. Folly pewter bowls celebrates the deliberate defects, cracks on its surface, elevating what might normally be perceived as a negative attribute, into something beautiful. 

Exhibiting at Manchester Craft and Design Centre

I am taking a part on an recent graduate exhibition in Manchester starting on the 23rd of March in Manchester Craft and Design Centre. The centre has studios of 35 artists, designers and craftspeople, who are producing and selling their work for the public. 
I am going to be exhibiting my Streamline Collection in Studio 20a, This Is Pewter, that belongs to Ella McIntosh. She wanted to showcase my work on the window of her studio, along with her lovely pewter work. It'll be captivating contrast between Pewter and Copper, Great! I thought this is a good opportunity to promote my work and do some valuable networking, in Manchester for change! 
The centre is running a main exhibition Every Step: The Design Process of Joseph Hartley in the main area. I saw his award winning Makery collection at the New Designers 2012 show. I am looking forward to see what he's been up to.
So if anyone is around in Manchester, please do come to say hello to Ella and me and check out the Craft and Design Centre's wonderful handmade products. 

Ella Mcintosh - Fruit Bowl

Ella Mcintosh - Textured Bottles with cork stopper

Joseph Hartley - Makery

Publication in February's Deko magazine

Just wanted to share this in the blog. Interior editor from Finnish design magazine Deko contacted me about my graduation work. Here's what she wrote about me!

Second hand shopping

I try to visit charity and second hand shops whenever I see one. Recently I found one really good one near my home in Forest Hill. The stuff in the shop is pretty random, but you may end up finding something that you aren't even looking for! 

Normally my eye catches things for the kitchen; ramekins, containers, jars etc. This time it was all glass. I also picked up couple of books. One was illustrated pocket-size cooking book, titled: Scandinavian and German cooking. It was published in early 60's, Classic! I also grabbed gardening and house plant book, which is a bit 90's style, but gives good tips on how to sow and look after your green stuff.  

Two big jars about 30cm height, old pharmacy style brown glass - definitely for biscuits!
French clear bowl - heavy, thick walled, my ideal salad serving bowl
Two grey bowls - quite old, could tell from the quality of the press moulding; sharp edges and few air bubbles in the glass...love the defects!

Hanging paper decoration

I made these paper structure decorations for Christmas, but have ended up having them up still in February. I think they look lovely on our windows, as there's no curtains or anything decorative really (well the garden is there on the background, but this time of the year it isn't at its prime).

I may keep them up until I get bored off them. Green and red is so last year thou... Perhaps I could make new ones, different colours for different season. That's an idea!    

LOGO experiment

So, I was at work and doing some cold enamelling (resin) on one of them F1 trophies, and thought about my logo. So with help of work colleague, I machine engraved the logo on to a little copper coin, which I then filled with black coloured resin. I quite like it. Perhaps I could try another colour, something that would compliment the colour of copper better.

I guess the next step would be to start using these badges once again. Need to brainstorm... do some sketches and start making again! Yalla yalla Saana!

Rain Room

During the Christmas break Virginie and I went to Barbican Centre's Curve Hall to experience Random International's Rain Room. It has been very popular, and even we got there an hour before opening, we ended up queuing for two hours. 

Basically, you enter the space, and it rains. As soon as you are under the rain, it stops around you, how amazing is that!?! Rain is something so natural, yet, in this case, controlled and unnatural. You can hear and see the rain, even feel the humidity in the room, but the rain drops just won't get you! What made the experience more dramatic, was one huge spot light on the corner of the space, making everything very black, grey and white. People's silhouette's got projected on  walls, and all this created quite a peculiar ambiance. 

 

Trip to Windsor

Needed to get out of town, so we girls paid a visit to Windsor, where the Queen lives in her magnificent castle and where about three million aeroplanes every minute fly over to land in Heathrow!

The Long Walk 

Graduation Ceremony 2012

Here we are girls all dressed up and confidently looking ready for the future!

The ceremony took a place in Royal Festival Hall. I must say it was quite a memorable experience. Obviously after the ceremony we all gathered together outside and took some group pictures! 

FUN FUN!

  

Zoe, me, Virginie and Rosie

On background Dan and Henry

Regent Park, Queen Elisabeth's Garden, London

I visited in Queen Elisabeth's Garden in early spring with my auntie Anu. She was in London with her friends to see musicals and theatre. Unfortunately it was so early (March it was I think), that there were not that many plant and flowers yet blossoming. It was little disappointing.

So, I went back in there one rainy/sunny/rainy Sunday in June, to take some inspirational photographs that I could give to her. She is a garden lover, spending most of her free time digging in her big garden in Vaasa, in North Finland. Hope she will like the images and find them useful for new ideas! Here's few.

Festival of Silver at Goldsmiths' Centre

The new Goldsmiths' Centre is Beautiful! As you can see from the pictures the exhibition space is very light and airy, complimenting gracefully the silver pieces on display. Gordon Hamme is the Chairman of Festival of Silver with special guest Thalen & Thalen, Dutch father and son duo who work from Belgium. Renowned silversmith for over 20 years, Brett Payne, is the director of Festival of Silver. Here is few of my favourites.

The Exhibition space at the new Goldsmiths' Centre

Richard Fox table shared with Martin Keane.

Riviera Jug family by Richard Fox. The initial inspiration for the pitchers came from folded paper sheet. On the right, Aqua Beaker that has been made by utilising electroforming technique. All sterling silver and gild. 

Martin Keane's jug.
He has amazing raising skills. I have been observing his work from very close for the last three days, and for some reason most of his pieces reminds me of birds. Some kind of exotic one, as puffin. His wine carafe most definitely reminds me of a skull of an antelope that has died in the desert. Just the horns are missing!  

Thalen & Thalen 
As one can only imagine, Dutch design is always playful, even when it is made of silver! Loving their work, with its quirkiness and use of different materials such as chunky frosted perspex. When looking at their work, it really makes you want to have their silver tea ceremony set.

Thalen & Thalen

Coffee set with interlocking perspex components. Thalen & Thalen

Brett Payne's silver sauce pans! Behind his well-known hand-forged silver spoons and ladles in various sizes.

Kate Earlam
Talented young lady! I recommend to keep an eye on her crafting...

Kate Earlam