Update, Easter and.....lighting?!?

We break up for Easter today and you know what, I'm ready for it! It's felt a long term. There's been lots to think about and prepare for. The weather at the moment is horrible too, it's Spring, and SNOWING - what?!

All of that aside though, I felt like I've had a good few weeks. Here's what I've been up to...

latex sampling and my very cluttered workspace!

latex and lighting?

an interesting new fruit to me Eddoes

I liked the texture and the form, it worked well with some of my samples

I bought a melon too

lovely markings

that texture is just delicious!

I found half a fan cover in the freecycle space at uni - why pick it up? to latex it of course!

or use it to draw into?

texture left on latex as it was drying on a sheet of greaseproof, the crease lines are lovely!

2 part slipcasting moulds

a latex mould of the eddoes

to work as a light bulb/cover?

Over the break I have a few things planned...

I'm booked on to the symposium Marking The Line: Ceramics and Architecture, heading over to the Pitt Rivers Museum for some drawing, attending the Living In Threads exhibition and Erik Kessels: Album Beauty. I'm also booked on to a Trend Forecasting Workshop with Trend Boutique - should be a fun couple of weeks!

1, 10, 1000

With term one finishing today and a 4 week break ahead of me, it's time for some down time.  During the break however I will be thinking about the next project: 1, 10, 1000. 

I have planned a visit to London new week to do some visual research at the British Museum. The Design Museum has an interesting jewellery show on as well so I'm looking forward to seeing that too, post to follow.

So, The Brief: 1, 10, 1000 

6 Week Project 

You Must Chose to Produce finished work using one of three approaches below that you feel most suits you and your ambitions: 

Bespoke: Individual Artworks or Commissions, produced for individuals or a high end gallery/museum context.

Batch: Produced small volume of a similar object or range, produced for a high retail or craft gallery context. 

Mass Produced: object produced using manufacturing techniques that may be produced in large volumes by others people rather than yourself, aimed at a more mass market consumer/retail outlet.
All the above approaches have their pros and cons, which you will need to explore.

However all the approaches require you to undertake some exhaustive market research. The market must be explored in its widest sense, not just as an outlet but as an indicator of trends, innovation, customer motivation and future developments. Through analytical market research, you will identify a potential product for a viable commercial outlet in contemporary design.
Apart from the Market the theme of this project is entirely up to you; remember soon you will have to generate your own brief, idea and concept. So think carefully about a theme which will really get you excited. 

The Process:

You will undertake one of four specialist workshops that are designed to develop your specialist skills and assist with production of work for this project.

You will also carry out personal development of outcomes including: sampling and prototyping in appropriate workshops.

You will produce Market research that shows a consideration of outlet/market place, trend and fashion, product analysis, costing and price points and sustainability issues.

Initially, I'm drawn towards Batch and have opted for leather as my specialist workshop. I'm interested in exploring its properties and taking it outside of it's normal working methods. I'm interested in lighting, porcelain and leather combined. This feels exciting and I'm interested to see the outcome of it through experiments.

The necessity of paper in a digital age

I read an excerpt from the book Paper: An Elegy earlier and was really struck by its content. It's definitely on my radar for a purchase (alongside Illuminate: Contemporary Craft Lighting, which I managed a sneaky peak of yesterday!) I found myself pointed in the direction of Lucio Fontana during the read and realised that I'd forgotten all about him, having looked at his work during my foundation. Revisiting his work again now is magical - the sense and destruction of space is just great!

From Canvas and Thread

from Sea of Space

I'm reminded also of Rauschenberg, lovely lovely Rauschenberg! And the exhibition Paper: Pressed, Stained, Slashed, Folded which showed at MOMA in 2009. Look here for work like:

John Cage, Dramatic Fire, 1989

Howardena Pindell, Untitled (no.7), 1973

Reading the excerpt has inspired me to dig out all my old boxes of paper and start having a play again. I wonder where it might take me....?

Made In The Middle

I went along to the exhibition Made in the Middle at MAC in Birmingham last week. It was raining unfortunately so we couldn't make the most of the grounds but it was well worth the trip!

Before we even got into the exhibition there were some installations and displays in the corridors.

 I really liked this embroidery  Four Tragic Tales by Stewart Easton

This piece had been comissioned by MAC, 
50 Tiles by Sara Taylor  - I want them for my kitchen!

Jonathan Kelham had his Bookcase series on display

Clarke Gallery had this participatory piece as part of Allotment on show
There were four stacks of printed paper available to you in exchange for some words. I, like many others it seemed, did not exchange, only took this picture!

Full of midlands based crafts people this was a really great show!

There was a showcase of work by a number of young people that had taken workshops with the artists as part of Apprentiships in the Making here is work by Jennifer Collier's apprentice

some more of Jennifer's work

and I just love this!

I quite liked the composition of this piece by Stuart Ackroyd

Michelle Arieu is making paper-like porcelain pieces

that are just wonderful

Mandana Thompson is working with leather in an interesting manner

Clare Willard's pieces were simply composed

and Maggie Smith's nature inspired basketry was a delight

Having started ceramics I was really taken by the simple decoration and attentive mark making
on James and Tilla Waters range of small cylindrical forms

Karina Thompson's digital wall hangings were impressive

and Imogen Luddy's conceptual embroidery was incredible!

I finally saw Andrew Tanner's augmented plate in the flesh!

This is not the best photo but Esther Lord's metalware was beautifully etched

The marquetry of Gareth Neal was impressive

it worked brilliantly in large scale too!

Vanessa Cutler's waterjet cut glass was great

Anna Lorenz is making articulate metalware

Whilst Jon Williams is making pottery that looks like it moves!

Gill Wilson is working meticulously with paper construction

Anna popped up on show there!

Laura did too!

I liked Jenny Creasey's work - this display on the lightbox was particularly effective

*beautiful* glasswork by Charlotte Clark

*exquisite* paper jewellery from Li Chu Wu

and lovely textile jewellery from Yoko Izawa - go to the website for full gallery - this photo does NOT do the work justice!

I was also quite taken by the enamelling on this piece by Norman Cherry

The exhibition is on at MAC until 15th April then it heads to the National Craft And Design Centre in Sleaford - it is most definitely worth a visit!


To complete our day, because it was so wet, we head over to the Bullring and ambled around the shops. I saw these two in Urban Outfitters and felt them in keeping with the form and structure of the day so included them in this post!

industrial marquetry?

 and I just had to include this one - I have a bit of a thing for lighting!