THE JOURNAL
MEET THE MAKERS
A new breed of artist-designer-makers is emerging. Their practices are grounded in craft traditions but defined by contemporary innovation and a connection to the natural world. Corinne Julius finds out more
Contemporary craft has been having a moment, the outdated view that craft is brown pots and corn dollies is finally over. As a writer and commentator across the visual arts, contemporary craft has for some time for me, been more rewarding than fine art. Contemporary makers combine the 3Hs, head, heart and hand - in other words intellectual rigour, interesting narratives and the pushing of materials in new and unusual ways. Whilst there are wonderful craftspeople working with
materials like clay and glass in conventional ways, over the last decade newer makers have investigated humble, unvalued materials and with new self-developed processes, created unexpected, intriguing objects. There’s an emphasis on playing with materials and exploring new techniques, with many makers adopting the creative approach of thinking through making, using their materials to help them develop their work. For an increasing number those materials have a
connection to the natural world based on an ecological philosophy. A case in point is Fernando Laposse who encourages farmers in a Mexican village to return to growing old varieties of corn that require less fertiliser and are kinder to the environment, so that he can
employ the villagers to use the husks to make screens and decorative surfaces. Similarly he has worked with other villagers to produce loofahs that he turns into screens and sisal that is the basis of a series of stools and tables that have the form of Dougal from the The Magic Roundabout. “I specialise in transforming humble natural materials into refined design pieces,” he explains. As does Marcin Rusak, who uses the leftover flowers
from florists combined with resin to create a range of objects and furniture. “Flowers for me have a lot of different meanings: they can be a medium to talk about consumption; material to create work, part of history or source of inspiration.” Marlène Huissoud who creates furniture from the cocoons of silk worms and bee bio-resin also uses natural materials to raise ecological awareness. “I integrate insects with my work to help us to be more aware of other species: we are not alone on the planet.” She is currently concentrating on creating sculptural insect hotels that are finding their way into the gardens of museums around the world. All three makers are represented by the Sarah Myerscough Gallery, which specialises in natural materials. That emphasis on the natural also involves using
traditional materials in new ways. For example Frances Pinnock uses natural oak bark tanned leather from the last such tannery in the UK and works with saddle stitching techniques to create sculptural vessels that sit in any interior. “I’m very mindful of how precious my material is, of all the elements that had to come together and the layers of time required to produce it. For me it resonates with or retains something of the animal, the trees and the people that make it and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. I handle it with care and respect.” Such works are extremely tactile and attractive.
Contemporary craft offers the unusual, provides talking points for interiors, be they contemporary or historical, but is attractively priced, providing more bangs for the buck than much fine art. Creativity, talking points, uniqueness, eco-friendly and functional, what more could interior designers ask for? Indeed most have now recognised the impact that such contemporary craft has in interiors, using it to amplify their own creative stories. Designers were able to discover a whole raft of such wonderful work last year at Artefact, the contemporary craft fair at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour and are looking forward to the next edition in May 2022.
Frances Pinnock, photographed in her studio, is an artist whose practice explores the possibilities of oak bark tanned leather as a medium for sculpture and object making
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Photo: Alun Callender
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