This March sees a selection of upcoming designers playing with the theme of living in London showcased at Craft Central’s new exhibition that covers jellewery, silversmithing, textiles, illustration, ceramics, interiors and even passementerie.

Jessica Light is one of the few trimming weavers still working in England, with everything hand-woven and created in Jessica’s East London workshop using methods developed in the 15th and 16th centuries. Jessica has had commissions to create the balcony fringe at Buckingham Palace, fringing the Sultan of Brunai’s throne room as well as fashion, working for Vivienne Westwood.

The Haversham Tassel exhibited at the show is inspired by grand Victorian interiors and is 1.25 metres tall and made using traditional techniques such as braid and fringe weaving, ruffs and hand-spun cord. In addition, Jessica has incorporated hi-tech light-reflective, metallic and high-shine materials.

Laura Felicity produces handmade silkscreen printed wallpaper, seen also above left on the pillar, as well as ornate plasterwork pieces inspired by London’s 18th and 19th century interiors. The bespoke wallopers combines grand florals with baroque scrolls, plus the addition of the occasional butterfly; white flock and gold foil are used sparingly with pastel tones to create sophisticated elegance.

For the plaster pieces, machine-stitched floral designs, floral lace imprints and inlayed floral lace fabrics are all used within the surface of the design. Laura graduated in 2009 from the University of Hertfordshire with a BA(Hons) in Applied Arts.

Katie Barton’s installation piece Cobwebs is inspired by the idea of Londoners busily weaving their way around the city – sometimes unnoticed in a sea of people. Metallic embroidery thread is knotted and woven to create webs within glass cases, as well as extending spookily up the walls.

Hannah James’ work is hand-thrown unglazed porcelain in a subtle palette of colours; the colour is added to the body of the clay. As well as producing her own pots, Hannah works with the Edmund de Waal studio.

Ceramicist Jo Davies is displaying Porcelain Chinz inspired by William Morris, as part of her work with the William Morris Gallery in the North London borough of Walthamstow. Jo is struck by the 3D nature of original Morris drawings and prints; Morris trained as an architectural draftsman. The Porcelain Chinz panel is designed to emulate the weaving process – a craft form advocated strongly by Morris.

Yuki Sasakura Assiter is originally from Japan and her jewellery at the exhibition, entitled Pond is based on her fond memories of going to the Japanese Garden in Holland Park, West London – a traditional Japanese garden design; a pond surrounded by trees, stones and lawns. Sterling silver is set with moonstones, garnet and incorporates metallic ribbon and thread.

Anna Johnson creates handmade accessories from her London studio and the work featured in the show is all made from Fairtade organic cotton. The Giant Dirty Flamingo Pom Pom necklace (shown above), is designed from naturally-dyed organic cotton, wire and handmade ceramic beads. Also in the show are Knot Necklaces made from organic cotton jersey and pretty hydrangea flower hair accessories made from organic cotton.

Daniele Geargeoura’s jewellery is entitled Seg/Ment and features bold geometric forms evolved from deconstructing a sphere. Hidden magnets are used as clasps for bracelets, necklaces and for brooches.

Julie Vermeille is an illustrator working in London and for the show Julie developed a children’s book entitled Arthur’s Seat, working from a story by Margo Fallis. Julie creates her books by starting with ink drawings, then adding patterned fabrics, ribbons, braids and sewing thread.

Ruth Babajide is a ceramic and print designer and her work for the show is entitled Asiko Deluxe Collection: Glamour Girls. The group of storage jars was inspired by watching Nigerian films of the 90s, featuring the upcoming glamour icons of the country, including the most iconic Glamour Girls series. Patterns reminiscent of the Dutch wax print cloth popular in Western Africa are translated into enamel decals decorating the ceramic pieces. Ruth graduated in 2009 from Central Saint Martins College College of Art & Design with a BA (Hons) in Ceramaic Design.

Alexandra Simpson was a winner of the Coutts New Jeweller Award for 2009 and specialises in carving, mainly in wax and metal but also in glass and stone. The floral collections are extremely delicate, and reflect Alexandra’s love of Art Nouveau. Her new collection Reflections is inspired by water and showcases the designer’s wire working skills to create abstract shapes, alongside fusing and granulation techniques.

Silversmith Ana Meneses is inspired by the strong architectural landscape of the city, with its soaring cityscapes. Her sculptural pieces have an asymmetric element with clean lines, as seen in this Sterling silver fruitbowl.

Craft London runs until March 19 at Craft Central, 33-35 St John’s Square, London.

Craft Central
Jessica Light
Laura Felicity
Katie Barton
Hannah James
Jo Davies
Yuki Sasakura Assiter
Anna Johnson
Daniele Geargeoura
Julie Vermeille
Ruth Babajide
Alexandra Simpson
Ana Meneses: ana_meneses@hotmail.co.uk

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