DE S IGN CENTRE


based on originality and craftsmanship; they trust what they like and are not afraid to challenge and educate clients. On display at Artefact was a bold orange piece constructed from wood and forged and welded steel by Simon Gaiger, weaving by Dalia James, who uses simple geometric forms to explore how colours interact with each other, and Edmond Byrne’s ‘Ensemble XVI’, the latest in a series of objects made from off-cut fragments of glass. It resembles a trophy or totem, but one that is joyful in its approach, with clashing colour and form. The


display at of collectible craft


imagination, diversity and techniques on the exhibition attested to the relevance today, with artisans engaging in


different media from paper and upcycled materials to stalwart craft disciplines such as porcelain, metalwork, glass, sculpture, textiles and ceramics. This year saw an upbeat vibe, not least, an explosion of colour which glowed brightly against the white-walled space of the Design Avenue. JGM Gallery collaborated with Toad Gallery to exhibit Australian indigenous art, alongside the work of contemporary British and international artists. Eric (Mungi) Barney uses strong colours in his powerful work depicting the remote lands in aerial perspectives, and ‘Ngura (Country)’ had an integrity that captured the essence of the majestic desert country. 55 Golborne


has been supporting emerging


contemporary art projects that reflect on Africa’s vibrant role in global culture. ‘Gifting’, a lush tableau with a textile quality by Sanaa Gateja, caught attention of Artefact


visitors. The Uganda-based


mixed-media artist and jewellery designer is widely known for incorporating recycled waste materials in his practice, particularly fashioning beads from paper reclaimed from newspapers, magazines and books. Hundreds of paper beads are stitched one by one on to bark cloth to stunning effect. Seeds presented characteristically idiosyncratic work


by James Shaw, including a table lamp with a visceral, free-form base


resembling a particularly generous


dollop of mustard, while Cube Gallery offered ‘Colour Rays’ by Peter Monaghan, made from rainbow shards of hand painted card. “Simple forms and colours are used in repetition to engage the viewer,” he says of his work. “It is a dialogue between light, colour and movement and illusion.” On the Made in Britaly stand, Bottega Vignoli


offered Mediterranean majolica vessels inspired by Byzantine, Roman and Islamic themes. Baking with a full-fire reduction technique ensured distinctive shimmering colours and iridescence. A standout piece on Katie Jones’ stand was a tin-plated copper vessel


the


with a striking verdigris finish by Japanese silversmith Toru Kaneko. Further colour could be


each rectangle


found at


Jaggedart: Lucas Ferreira makes small, flat rectangles of ceramic, which are stacked and layered to create three-dimensional forms. Because


is subtly different, it lends his pieces a beautifully imperfect quality, while his instinct for colour brings a unique rhythm, with the components receding and advancing according to their saturation. Throughout the week, a curated programme brought


contemporary craft to life with maker trails and gallery tours. Specialist


craft techniques underpin many


products found at the Design Centre’s 120 showrooms, but


the skills involved in mastering these are often


taken for granted. In the Schumacher showroom, a demonstration by A Rum Fellow revealed the secrets to their artisan brocades made on a back-strap loom. In the North Dome, makers from QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) demonstrated their artisan skills. Taking centre was ‘Dahlia Cuore’, a vibrant piece by QEST scholar Helen Brough, made from 10 layers of Perspex laser cut and hung in layers to form a flower. 2022 is the United Nations Year of Glass, so it seemed


fitting that glass had a strong presence at Artefact. Glass has an extraordinary depth which offers unlimited opportunities to combine opacities and translucencies with colouration. The medium is fiendishly difficult to master. Glass works like 2,000-degree toffee that loves shattering. Its molten luminosity is both impressive to look at and incredibly hot to handle. The weight of it, particularly since it must be manoeuvred, adds to the laborious intensity of the craft, and is a testament to the teamwork between designers and makers. It is not surprising that so many glass artisans surrender to the beauty of their material. “It never stands still, it provides me with answers


and challenges every day,” said renowned glassmaker Louis Thompson at a Conversations in Craft


talk


chaired by writer and Material Matters podcaster Grant Gibson. Hot glass is his visual language, and he looks to place innovative ideas with the material in different public arenas. Lena Bergström, who was on the same panel discussion, described her chosen medium of glass as “sensual, magical, beautiful”. With a background in textile design, her pieces often have the fluidity of fabric, including objects from her Anemone series, which sit a sculpted glass top on a hand-blown base, each one in an inviting saturated colour, which were on display at Vessel Gallery. The beauty of a handcrafted piece is universal, and


no wonder interior design is placing great value on craft. We are talking about potential heirlooms, after all.


OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: New work on show at Cavaliero Finn included colourful welded and forged metal


sculptures by Simon Gaiger. Caroline Lindsell and Dylan O’Shea of A Rum Fellow demonstrate textiles created with a back-strap loom in the Schumacher showroom. QEST scholar Helen Brough’s ‘Dahlia Cuore’, laser cut and hung in layers, formed a striking flower. Work by Sanaa Gateja, made from recycled-paper beads stitched one by one on to barkcloth, caught Artefact visitors’ attention at 55 Golborne


-58 -


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76