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!  

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

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. 

 

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

  

Goldsmiths' Centre - British Silver week

I am helping Richard Fox on showcasing small collection of his work on the British Silver week, on the first trade exhibition held in the new Goldsmiths' Centre in Farrington. The exhibition is taking place from the 10th of July till the 14th of July 2012.

New Designers 2012

Time for New Designers 2012!

Our class was divided in two. The part 1, which I'm in, is for crafts, textile and contemporary applied arts, and part 2 will have product design etc. 

Our Graduate show came to an end last weekend, and already on Monday the 25th of June we got started setting up for New Designers. Here's few images showing the big mess it was, and how it is today after first day. 

New Designers 2012 in Business and Design Centre in Angel.

Our L-shaped space. Look at the pretty carpets...

Me painting the walls grey. We thought that it'll work well and make the space stand out when others around have white walls. 

Chaotic scene!

And here, on the opening eve. I'm pleased with my spot.

Postcard for the shows

This is the postcard Dan has designed for us all. I got printed 500 of them, and I am going to use them at New Designers external exhibition too (which is on 27th to 30th of June in Angel). 

The same typeface is used on the 3D Design sign on the wall of the exhibition and on the descriptions too. All matches!

Look how the letter E sinks in the vessel! 

Camberwell College of Arts Graduate Show 2012

So, here we are, all done! Few photos to show how the Graduate Show looked like in Camberwell this year. We as a class got lot of compliments of our space, that it had been curated well. 

We painted the walls grey, and to quote someone, about painting the walls grey, apparently we've been rather controversial! Hah! Okay then...

Also, we got vinyls printed, so we all got name tags beside our work an we also printed 3D Design sign on the wall. 

Here's some of my classmates works.

my work on the plinth. Quite a dramatic light, but I like it, it also gives warm tone on the objects.
behind the pieces you can see my postcard and a look-book I made particularly for the shows. More about them in later posts...

Aaaah, I absolutely adore Virginie's skills of making things so neat and proper! Look at the lovely display she made for her jewellery pieces! Her work is called Pieces of Mountain and it includes two rings, two necklaces and a collar piece. All  silver, some of them oxidised in greyish black colour. The images on the background are old souvenir posters from Switzerland. 

I can so clearly relate to her work and I could talk about it even in my sleep! After spending more or less five months next to her working on the final project, you may start to feel as part of the project, something that you treasure highly.  I think she knows my project pretty well through too!

Rosie's lovely tree trunks and hand turned bowls.

Selection of Rosie's wooden boards. She has made already some success with them! I think her first commission went through to a restaurant... 

Zoe's playful Weekday hangers
She also made these lovely turned wooden posts, transcontinental clock, photo frames etc... Check her work out!  

Henry, Henry, He has made for the final project these hand made chef knives. One could get his or hers own grip tailored on them. He even named one of the display ones after me, The Linna.  Unfortunately he hasn't learned to spell my name in three years, as I appear as Sanna. Never mind! :)  

And Joe, he knows how to entertain the audience! Slap It is a multi-sencory experience that makes you smile. Glowing Buttocks as he calls them!

Last minute invitation to our show

Attention everyone! 3D Design course is proudly presenting their work at Camberwell College of Arts

British Silver Week 2012

British Silver Week 2012

Launching this year at the fine art Pangolin London gallery on 12 May the BSW Festival of Silver 2012 promises to be bigger than ever.

Victoria Coleman

Collect 2012

Today, after hard day at college, me and Virginie visited in Saatchi Gallery to see private view of Crafts Council's Collect 2012. In a nice set up, with glasses filled with wine, we made our way through the art fair discussing about exhibitioners works and wondering how some of the crafted objects were made and so on. Michael Marriott's curation of Raw Craft was particularly intriguing with its hand-on approach to making and where skills and hight quality were the main message. Very delightful evening! Got plenty of inspiration and motivation for my own practise.   

Even though, I was mainly keeping my eye on metalworks, the most memorable piece must have been Antonio Spoto's ceramic works. The Belgian artist was happy to explain about his work, techniques and materials he uses. Luckily I was with Virginie, so they ware able to chit chat properly in French!