Surface Stories; Emmie Joseph
ARTS THREAD went along to the opening of a pop-up gallery and shop of six young designers working in textile and illustration. Located centrally in London’s Tavistock Place, the 3 week shop is a new initiative of Camden Council to make use of vacant shops in the borough. See end of article for full details on how to apply.
Surface Stories was conceived as an idea by Emmie Joseph, a recent MA graduate from Central Saint Martins Textiles Futures course. Emmie took ARTS THREAD around the show and explained how all the exhibitors fitted around a central theme of storytelling.
Emmie’s work included her graduate project Shadows – a oversized book in Japanese paper that includes intricate paper ‘shadow-casting’ illustrations that hook onto a double-layer linen and silk organza blind and cast shadows onto the blind or into the room.
Clover Robin; Gemmie Payton
Fellow Textiles Futures graduate Clover Robin showed a selection of her Uncanny Wallpaper collection, which ‘contrast modern interior walls of the future with now, challenging our sensory environment through eerie images blurring from a forgotten past’. Clover has also developed tactile home accessories, from flocked and printed lenses to flocked plugs and tiles.
Gemmie Payton is an illustrator and brought along her animal characters aimed at both adults and children, such as the mash potato dog-mountain, who is gradually eaten away by greedy humans.
Alana Florence; Surface Stories
Alana Florence, another Textiles Futures graduate, is involved in textiles that can move and interact. her 3-D hand-drawn wallpapers includes levers to make objects move and the digital versions enjoy this same sense of movement.
Alessia Giardino, again fresh from Textiles Futures, explored how pollution and weathering can be manipulated to become part of the surface pattern and texture of buildings. In the show Alessia showed her Natural Footprint – ‘Intricate patterns of laser-cut wood embossed into concrete begin to peel off and decompose due to pollution and weathering, creating shadowy lace-like effects as they distort and bend, until they finally fall off, leaving a permanent trace in the concrete surface.’
Alessia Giardino; Samantha Warren
Camden Council are looking for groups of designers to use this space. To apply for the Camden pop-up shop, which is rent free for between one and three weeks, email Steve Morgan with a short proposal at steve.morgan@camden.gov.uk
Surface Stories continues at 54 Tavistock Place, WC1H 9RG until October 15 2009.
Emmie Joseph
Clover Robin
Alana Florence
Alessia Giardino
Samantha Warren
