ARTS THREAD Blog » Glass

BDW 2011: Moholy-Nagy University of Art & Design Ceramics, Glass, Metals 2011 Graduates

Calum Ross — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 10:23:31 +0000

Zsófia Neuzer / Erzsébet Lehoczki/ Márton Varga

BA graduates from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design’s (MOME) Ceramics, Glass and Metal design departments exhibit their best designs at the Klauzál13 Contemporary Art Gallery, Budapest. ARTS THREAD picks out a few of the best pieces from the show.

Metal graduate Zsófia Neuzer came up with a clever and playful little solution to stop shoelaces from coming untied. The colourful clips she has created are practical yet eye-catching and will be particularly useful for young children who are constantly tripping over their own shoelaces!

Erzsébet Lehoczki produced what appeared to be a set of knuckledusters made from sponge. The materials used for her design clearly contradict the initial purpose of knuckledusters, therefore turning the object which is usually associated with violence into something playful.

Also combining hard and soft aesthetics was ceramics designer Márton Varga’s who produced a set of simple serving dishes which incorporated both sharp, geometric corners and rounded edges at once.

Eszter Kovács/ Bernadett Kiss

We really liked the contrasting materials used in Eszter Kovács’ elegant tea set and in Bernadett Kiss’ kitchen condiment holders. Eszter complimented the opaque surfaces of her ceramic tea pot and cups by adding a translucent handle, while Bernadett added some unconventional wooden lids to her bulb shaped ceramic containers.

The Ceramics, Glass, Metals exhibition runs from 2nd – 30th October at the Klauzál13 Contemporary Art Gallery and Bookstore, 13 Klauzál tér, Budapest 1072

Budapest Design Week website.

LDF11: Origin Highlights – Ceramics, Glass & Multimedia

Anna Zeuner — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:28:02 +0000

Sophie Woodrow

Ceramic highlights at Origin this year ranged from uncanny realism to shameless fantasy.

ARTS THREAD was charmed by Sophie Woodrow and her collection of bizarre white porcelain creatures. Pulled directly from her imagination, Sophie created these magnificent sculptural pieces using the age-old technique of coiling and pinching. Inspired by the beauty and variety of animals, the surreal creations are intended to reflect on the separation between human culture and the natural world.

Penkridge Ceramics

Serving as a sharp contrast to Sophie’s surreal designs, Penkridge Ceramics presented some stunningly realistic ceramic and pewter fruit, vegetables and horse chestnuts. They were so convincing that we wondered what a grocer was doing exhibiting at a craft fair! On closer inspection we realised that, through attention to detail, highly skilled development and application of glazes, the designers at Penkridge had achieved the impossible and recreated natural objects so that they are pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing.

Charlotte Sale

Glass artist Charlotte Sale, of the BBC’s ‘Britain’s Next Big Thing’ fame, is one of only a few female glass blowers in the country. Her high quality, dynamic vessels are incredibly tactile and available in a range of vivid colours. Now selling at Liberty’s she has come a long way in a short time since graduating in 2009 from the Royal College of Art.

Lilly's Lightbox Company

Upcycling is a concept ARTS THREAD comes across more and more and at London Design Festival we found it applied in many varied ways to furniture. At Origin, we found Lilly’s Lightbox Company, run by Berliner Felicia Strehmel. Incorporating her passion for photography, Felicia uses individual drawers from reclaimed antique chests of drawers to create light boxes that feature her photographs. The result is a lovely retro, nostalgic aesthetic.

Visit the Origin website for more information on this year’s show. To discover more about these designers:

Sophie Woodrow
Penkridge Ceramics
Charlotte Sale Glass
Lilly’s Lightbox Company

LDF11: Unwrapped: Contemporary Finnish Design and Photography Exhibition

Natalie Fordham — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:33:08 +0000

Aki Choklat, Felt Shoes

This year the London Design Festival is host to ‘Unwrapped: Contemporary Finnish Design and Photography Exhibition’ at London’s Rag Factory. Designer and photographer Jani Kaila has selected 19 leading Finnish designers from a variety of fields, ranging from industrial design, furniture, lighting to even shoes, to bring a cutting edge showcase to the UK.

Jani states that he wanted to pick the pieces that really epitomise Finnish culture and design, ‘I aimed to get an understanding how the designers work, what their inspirations are and how they relax.’ He has photographed the designers in their working environment to reflect the Finnish way of life and give a new perspective to the exhibition.

Aki Choklat is a designer who resides in Florence and London, and his work combines the best aspects of all three cultures. He loves to use Finnish materials in his designs and these felt shoes are vibrant, practical and fun. Manufactured from sheep’s wool from a small local farm, the idea was to promote the fun side by creating something more contemporary.

Maria Jauhiainen

Another London based designer, Maria Jauhiainen, displays a variety of pieces at ‘Unwrapped’ that showcase her skill of intricate design. Working from home Maria started with delicate jewellery pieces but has now branched out into interior installations.

What inspires Maria? Always passionate about intricate details, she likes to explore the unexpected creations that can evolve from materials. She dissolves metal down and starts from scratch, producing these beautiful delicate yet surprisingly strong products.

Julia Lundsten

Unique is the only word to describe Finnish designer Julia Lundsten. Already a successful designer, she is currently based in Soho and has been running a production line in these extravagantly wonderful shoes for several years. What inspires Julia? She feels passionately about designing shoes that women wear for women, for themselves and not for men. Bright, bold and very exciting Julia’s shoes have been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga.

Mika Tolvanen, Restore

These quirky baskets by designer Mika Tolvanen again celebrate the wonderful Finnish material of felt. They also use recycled glass as the middle layer for reinforcement, producing some wonderfully strong and aesthetically pleasing baskets. Inspired by his philosophy of ecological design, these baskets capture the best elements of Finnish design; they are fun, bright and natural.

Jonas Hakaniemi, Recycled Lighting

Designer Jonas Hakaniemi loves to work with lighting and shows passion for finding the beauty in reclaimed materials. All of his pieces are manufactured from old windows or factories, before being remoulded into any shape, size or form desired. We like this product so much due to its versatility: pieces range from ceiling lighting to decorative patio or nightclub blocks and can give that sparkle to any space.

Jonas Hakaniemi, Kelopuu Furniture

Uhtha Design is a company that specialises in antiques from nature. They state, Kelopuu, otherwise known as deadwood products, ‘are natural antiques.’ Cut straight from the forests, wood that has been dead for 500 years is brought back to life in these beautifully crafted furniture pieces. True to his Finnish roots and passionate about timber, Jonas Hakaniemi has created a range of simple, timeless pieces, each showcasing unique characteristics that really encapsulate Finnish culture.

Paivi Raivio and Veera Kulju

Paivi Raivio and Veera Kulju are more experimental designers; their leather rug and coat pieces are inspired by the source of the material. We gain leather by stripping it straight from the animal and this idea of stripping is taken forward, and developed to produce a very raw item of clothing.

Also produced by Veera, is another experimental piece, this popcorn inspired bowl, a particularly favoured piece due to its combination of fun, elegance and uniqueness.

Veera Kulju, Popcorn Bowl

Finland is a land full of forests and lakes, and all Finnish people live with, and are therefore inspired by, nature. This exhibition certainly achieves its aims with each piece as intriguing and visually beautiful as the next.

Unwrapped continues at the Rag Factory until 25th Sept 10am-8pm, free admission.

Contact; Jani Kaila at kailajani@gmail.com

www.janikaila.com
www.ragfactory.co.org
Maria.jauhiainen@talk21.com
www.mariajauhiainen.com

Paris Design Week: Obsessions Privées, Maison&Objet

Katie Dominy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:39:16 +0000

Obsessions Privées, Maison&Objet; InCréation wallpaper

ARTS THREAD’s favourite trend area at Maison&Objet this September is Obsessions Privées designed by the Elizabeth Leriche agency. Subtitled as the ‘compulsive art of personalising the private space through objects of desire and pleasure’ the cavern of rooms held a treasure trove of beautifully-arranged collections.

Atelier Polyhedre & Eno Studio, Obsessions Privées

Walk though the red doorway through a facade of wallpaper designed by InCréation specifically for the event, black silhouetted figures wearing or carrying their obsession. Once inside, the first section is dedicated to collections to be found or assembled within the fair itself. Terracotta studio pottery by Atelier Polyhedre and Eno Studio sat alongside a wall of black Asian-style cast-iron teapots or another of woven circular mats.

Studio Ceramics, Obsessions Privées

50s-influenced studio ceramics in tonal blues and turquoises decorate long shelves. A mix of pieces from the show by Bitossi Ceraiche, Doris Bank, Edition Limitee, Isi Milano, Kose, Les Heritiers and Rina Menardi.

Bottle Collection, Klaas Kuiken, Obsessions Privées

Another part of the exhibition is given over to designers who produce items as a series to form a collection. This includes the Bottle Collection by Klaas Kuiken, a 2010 graduate from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts, Arnhem. Klaas creates individually shaped bottles by using his own specially-developed technique of glassblowing, using an oven and a compressor. By blowing up the bottle, the glass bulges more at the places where the thickness of the walls is thinner and less in places where it is thicker.

Schwarm, RaR for Thomas Eyck; Butterfly Series, Joseph Warren, Obsessions Privées

Schwarm by German studio RaR for Thomas Eyck is a series of 63 different porcelain vases in the shape of beetles; each one a numbered edition of 40. Each one is glazed using a different technique – iridescent, metal etc. Shown in Milan, Schwarm refers back to the 19th century natural history collections found in museums worldwide. In the same vein, Butterfly Series by the English artist Joseph Warren takes the classic case of butterfly specimens and recreates them using vintage street plans, geographical surveys, sheets from an atlas or travel maps.

Léa Ricorday; Foot Prints, Galit Begas, Obsessions Privées

The rest of the space is dedicated to individuals who have a passion for a particular object. This ranges from those who deal in their passion and have a gallery devoted to it, such as Julien Flak’s mask collection or Thomas Boog’s collection of curiosities; decorative pieces using shells. Others collect humbler products, such as Léa Ricorday, a textile graduate from La Cambre, Brussels, who collects plastic bags – not just any old plastic bag – but the small U-shaped ones often given out by grocery stores and printed simply and in few colours.

Also using plastic bags, but in a different way is Galit Begas, who we came across as part of the Thinking Hands exhibition in Milan. Galit, a graduate of the Bezalel Academy for Art and Design, Jerusalem, has created Foot Prints, a series of shoes made from draping and moulding the plastic bags over shoetrees and then subjecting it to a heat process.

Daniel Rozensztroch, Obsessions Privées

Also collecting humble products is Daniel Rozensztroch who has a collection of 2000 household brushes, from dust sweepers to childs’ hair brushes, via fluorescent scrubbing brushes. Jens Veerbeck collects old toasters – he has around 600 of them, from Art Deco-style, through to the 1950s and more. More of Jens’ toasters can be seen via his online museum.

Maison&Objet
Klaas Kuiken
Thomas Eyck
Joseph Warren
Léa Ricorday
Galit Begas
Jens Veerbeck

RCA Ceramics & Glass 2011

Calum Ross — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:04:17 +0000

Adam Graddon, RCA

ARTS THREAD was given a taste of things to come at the Ceramics & Glass work-in-progress exhibition at the Royal College of Art, London earlier this year. The exhibition promised some outstanding work and when we popped along to the 2011 degree show, we weren’t disappointed!

Adam Graddon took inspiration from familiar objects such as shoes and apples to create his mixed media ceramic sculptures. The pieces are supposed to make the viewer question “how these objects came to be, for what reasons they are composed in the manner they are” in order to challenge his or her “inner storyteller.”

Louis Thompson, RCA

DNA coding, repetition and medical apparatus informed the beautiful glass work of SAB Miller Award winner Louis Thompson.

Louis explains: “Memories of my presence and my physical actions with the material are fundamental in how I explore scale, volume and material quality. Functionality, sabotage, what is truthful and what is deceiving are key underlying themes.”

Malene Hartmann Rasmussen, RCA

Human hearts stoke the fire while a lethal genie’s lamp emits plumes of smoke in Malene Hartmann Rasmussen’s incredible installation. Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Malene constructed a wooden hut full of eerie and otherworldly objects.

“Initially the viewer may be drawn, mistakenly, to my figures thinking them to be toys,” explains Malene.”However, closer examination reveals their rather darker narrative. They invite you into an absurd and surreal world where things are not what they seem.”

Makiko Nakamura, RCA

Makiko Nakamura’s surreal collection of porcelain and lustre ceramics included a lamshade covered with ornate petals and a polka-dot clock with a rabbit face popping out of the centre.

Makiko explains: “When I listen to what objects are saying carefully, they start telling the secret stories behind themselves and bring me to the world of daydreams.”

Sarah Wiberley, RCA

Whilst researching the history of glass ornamentation for her final project, Sarah Wiberley identified a unifying motif used throughout several nineteenth century designs – the bird. Inspired by this image, Sarah appropriated the motif, placing the bird in new situations and environments on the surface of her blown glass vases.

Helen Moore/ Sam Bakewell, RCA

Helen Moore’s wall installation featured simple ceramic shapes in a graded colour scheme while Sam Bakewell’s piece featured dozens of long clay spikes.

Katy Jennings, RCA

We were instantly drawn to the work of Katy Jennings whose ceramics were embellished with naive-style paintings of ducks, chickens and other feathered creatures.

“I am interested in the everyday relationships we have with animals,” says Katy. “The garden bird, when living in the city, is a rare sighting, becoming an almost mythical presence that exists as an amalgamation of real memories and the fantastic imaginary being.”

Melissa Gamwell, RCA

Melissa Gamwell created a series of stunning decorative and functional tabletop ceramics out of fine bone china, porcelain and metal.

Melissa explains: “By examining nuances within the industrial slip-casting process, a new functional and decorative language unfolds through maximising the inherent qualities of casting and pouring. The result is dually intriguing in formal material development and visual indication of anthropological, functional objects.”

Ashraf Hanna/Paul Stopler, RCA

Ashraf Hanna played with scale, creating large ceramic vessels. Standing at almost one metre tall, the vessels appeared in a variety of colours and unusual shapes. Finally, Paul Stopler showcased some elegant, curvaceous glass vases. Formed in a kiln, the vases are sensitive to light, changing colour in a subtle way depending on the lighting conditions.

RCA Ceramics & Glass

Adam Graddon

Louis Thompson

Malene Hartmann Rasmussen

New Designers 2011: Part 2 Winners

Zoe Duke and Natalie Fordham — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:44:18 +0000

Lucinda Ireland, Nottingham Trent University - Hallmark Award

The second week of New Designers 2011 award winners include Lucinda Ireland from Nottingham Trent University who has won the Hallmark Award this year for her innovative typography designs. These emphasise the love of type by women through chocolate, ceramics and imagery that can be applied to interiors.

Lucinda’s work has been a personal response to a stereotypical comment made about the link of men with typography; this has pushed her to apply her creativity and passion into a vast variety of award-winning ideas ready to fit a modern lifestyle.

Luke Diaz, Bucks New University - Habitat Innovation Award

Luke Diaz from Bucks New University won the New Designers Habitat Innovation Award for his ecological furniture design made by only natural materials. Luke Diaz has integrated textiles within his designs by using hemp twine as joinery instead of glue, buttons and toggles with smooth finishings and organic styling.

Luke Newman, De Montford University - Sky Award

The winner of the New Designers Sky Award, Luke Newman from De Montford University has won his award for his Autonomous Retreat that explores a sustainable resort for the city dweller to escape to his living oak house.

Obtaining all its power from natural resources such as solar panels that supply hot water and electricity to the home, a filtered rain reservoir for clean drinking water and a compost toilet, Luke Newman’s design allows for a thought-provoking place to appreciate the luxurious lifestyles of the the Western world and our natural environment.

Brinley Clark, University of Hertfordshire - Virgin Atlantic Award for Graphic Design

Brinley Clark of the University of Hertfordshire won the Virgin Atlantic Award for Graphic Design for his playful and visually exciting observation work. He has created worked based upon ‘fakery’, searching across the nation for tanning salons and using their names to make up a map of the UK.

Ironically each shade of orange used within each district reflects the amount of salons there are within an area. A tongue in cheek humour is contained within his work that reflects his character; standing out amongst many as a fast forward glance at contemporary graphics. In particular his book ‘Shit or Miss’ – Brinley himself took to the streets in a canary yellow mac and sat outside, under trees, bridges and parks waiting for the moment for a bird to strike.

Neil Conley, Northumbria University Graduate - One Year On Award

Neil Conley from Northumbria University won the One Year On Award with his BP oil spill inspired snow globes. Neil created a series of globes to represent the damage caused in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. His aim was to produce a novel plastic gift, symbolic of ‘one of the oil industries many parasites’. Inside the globes are hand carved statues of the animals directly affected by the tragedy. Materials used are ‘luxurious’ and ‘tasteless’ in context and sales of the product benefit the region, with 18% assisting the clean up.

Martin Jordan, University of Huddersfield - Wilkinson Award for Product Design

The winner or this year’s Wilkinson’s Award is Martin Jordan of Huddersfield University, who has designed a product that makes hammering a danger-free DIY activity. Martin was inspired after researching the vast numbers of DIY incidents that occur. His product contains a nail loader, secure grip holder and impact pad that allows the consumer to use the product in 3 simple steps.

Suzie Button, UWE - 100% Design Award

The 100% Design Award goes to Suzie Button from the University of the West of England. Suzie is committed to sustainable design and finding a use for our ‘waste’ materials. This is shown in her winning furniture design, where she has used excess-to-production newspapers to construct her seating. She strengthens the paper in natural rubber latex in various colours, to show her playful yet practical design approach.

Oksana Akishyna, American InterContinental University - Interior Design Association Award for Spatial Design

Oksana Akishyna from the American InterContinental University takes this year’s Interior Design Association Award for Spatial Design for her Urban Music Hall. ‘Music is the universal language of the world’ – a fitting tagline for a project all about connecting people through music. Oskana aims to bridge the gaps in society, help children from deprived areas and mostly make classical music more accessible to all. Her design is as energetic as the music it was inspired by and includes performance spaces, including a roof top terrace as well as rehearsal areas and a cafe.

Steve Green, Arts University College Bournemouth - Virgin Atlantic Award for Product Design

Steve Green takes the Virgin Atlantic Award for Product Design for his indoor air pollution extraction unit, which he designed for the developing world. Steve was inspired by the current global issue of air pollution from cooking stoves which causes over a million deaths per year. His design solution is an extraction unit that can be easily mounted to a variety of roof tops. The product can be wind or solar powered and ‘incorporates an internal smoke sensor to self-trigger its operation.’

Buster Palmano, Brunel University - InterContinental Hotels Group Award

The Wing Fan by Buster Palmano and Tom Dixon wins the InterContinental Hotels Group Award. This project aims to show how ceiling fans can be a first choice for those who want to avoid the uncomfortable dry air that comes with an air conditioning unit. The Wing Fan operates ‘both silently and at half the speed of existing fans’ due to its newly adapted ‘twisted aerofoil shape’ that was inspired by bird wings. ‘At optimal speed the fan exceeds energy star airflow requirements by over 180%.’

Neil Conley
Suzie Button

New Designers 2011: Ceramics & Glass

Katie Dominy — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:47:55 +0000

Sara Fell, Plymouth College of Art

ARTS THREAD takes a look at the highlights from ceramics and glass at New Designers.

Sara Fell from Plymouth College of Art also won the Contemporary Glass Society Associate prize for her 1920s Art Deco-inspired dressing table. Sara’s inspiration came from the idea of the hidden life of jewellery when not on the body. Her pieces were made up of perfume bottles with concealed rings in the lids and pots that reconstructed into necklaces. Each piece was a clash of glass and metal put together, resulting in beautifully formed light green glass with delicate formed bubbles.

Katie Netley, University of Brighton

University of Brighton’s Katie Netley brought her Inside Totem to the show. All of these glazes are lead earthenware and use lots of blues and greens constructed of slab built elements stacked on top of each other.

Jonathan Smith, University of Sunderland

University of Sunderland’s Jonathan Smith creates blown-glass large-scale vessels in subtle deep reds and watery greens, like giant marbles.

Trisha Kent, University of Westminster

Trisha Kent’s large scale vessels featured clusters of flowers around the top; daisies encrusted on top of each other in blues and white with yellow accents. The University of Westminster graduate’s contrast hand painted plaid patterns give the pieces a contemporary spin.

Louis Thompson, Royal College of Art

Louis Thompson from the Royal College of Art had his key glass pieces over at the college’s showcase in South Kensington. Louis’s work on show at New Designers were from his explorative work on the DNA fingerprint and its uniqueness juxtaposed with an interest in repetition, sequencing and the multiple.

Stephanie Turner, Central Saint Martins

Central Saint Martin’s Stephanie Turner creates hand-painted wall panels featuring deliacte floral designs. The inspiration came from her research into the fact that many hospitals do not allow fresh flowers on the wards and these painted versions help to brighten up an all too clinical environment.

Leslie McKinley Howell, City Lit

Leslie McKinley Howell from City Lit is inspired by the observation of flowers and leaves to create small decorative monoprint tiles created using slip over red earthernware, adding colour with stains and a transparent glaze.

Jo Corbett, Bath Spa University

Bath Spa University’s Jo Corbett brought her Kaleidoscope to New Designers. Composed of a large number of vessels in yellow-green and terracotta red, the triangular space and mirrors reflect the pieces to infinity.

Sarah Fell
Katie Netley
Jonathan Smith
Trisha Kent: trishakent@hotmail.co.uk
Louis Thompson
Stephanie Turner
Jo Corbett

New Designers 2011: Associate Award Winners

Rebecca Sutherland-Young — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 09:52:55 +0000

Nancy Thomson, Central St Martins - Worshipful Company of Weavers

Nancy Thompson was the winner of the Worshipful Company of Weavers Associate prize for her bright and bold menswear pieces. Nancy’s work was made up into clashing bright pinks, reds and yellows for waistcoats woven in woollen fibres. The scarves included a great deal of challenging technical work that created the different patterns of shells, lobsters and mermaids.

Toni Lake, Nottingham Trent University - Clothworkers Company and Christys Carpets Associate Awards

Toni Lake was the winner of both the Clothworkers’ Company Associate prize and the Christy Carpets Associate prize. Toni’s work was based on the latin phrase ‘Rara Avis’ meaning rare bird. The main inspiration derived from Toni’s home in rural Derbyshire where she drew the lakes and swans from which she developed her collection of prints using CAD.

Sara Fell, Plymouth College of Art - Contemporary Glass Society Award

Sara Fell won the award for Contemporary Glass Society Associate prize for her 1920s Art Deco-inspired dressing table. Sara’s inspiration came from the idea of the hidden life of jewellery when not on the body. Her pieces were made up of perfume bottles that had concealed rings in the lids and pots that reconstructed into necklaces. Each piece was a clash of glass and metal put together, resulting in beautifully formed light green glass with delicate formed bubbles.

New Designers Part 1 continues until July 02 and Part 2 takes place July 06-90 2011 at Business Design Centre, London.

Sara Fell

One Year On at New Designers 2011: Preview

Calum Ross — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:12:56 +0000

Anna Glasbrook, Enclosed spaces/Chelsea Flower Show Commission/Seaweed Tubes

New Designers is proud to present One Year On, an exhibition celebrating the entrepreneurial successes of 50 up-and-coming designers one year after leaving education. Now in its 12th year running, the event will feature designers specialising in a wide range of disciplines from ceramics to jewellery and glass. ARTS THREAD has selected six of the exhibiting designers to look out for!

Anna Glasbrook graduated from Bath Spa University in 2010 with a first class honours in BA Textile Design for Fashion and Interiors. Since graduating she has been working in a wide variety of areas which make full use of her unique process of combining surfaces, light, space and colour. Her work has been featured in a US TV show starring Tom Selleck and more recently Anna linked with garden designer Thomas Hobyln to create a woven mesh, stainless steel, LED lit screen for this years Chelsea Flower Show.

Laura Oliver, Fuchsia Collection/Cascade cushion (detail)/Pearl lampshade (detail)

Laura Oliver is a freelance textile and surface pattern designer who works principally in the interior textile industry. A graduate from Nottingham Trent University, Laura prints vibrant colours digitally onto luxury fabrics such as velvet, suedette and silk. Laura’s patterns often begin as watercolour sketches and her finished designs frequently exhibit the freedom that comes from working in watercolour. Laura has recently launched he own range of products, while at the same time continuing to offer a complete bespoke textile and wallpaper design service.

Neil Conley, Urn/ Snow Global sketch (detail)/ Urn

Having gained a 1st class honours degree in 3D design at the University of Northumbria, Neil Conley has continued to explore and draw inspiration from the natural environment, or as he puts it, our destruction of it. Key recent works are two funeral urns that are constructed from recycled carbon fibres taken from obsolete aircraft. He admits to a level of bleak story telling though his pieces. Neil is currently Designer in Residence at his former University.

Jasmin Giles, Wrap/Necklace (detail)/Necklace

Jasmin Giles creates jewellery to compliment the body’s form and to accentuate it. A graduate with a 1st class honours degree from Chelsea College of Art&Design in 2010, Jasmine has developed a visionary range of unique hand-made jewellery that is made from such disparate materials such luxury yarns, glass bending, porcelain and wax dripping. Jasmin points to her work as that which layering and repetition features strongly, and where small and intricate composite parts sit together to form a dense solid structure.

Eliza Simpson, Small Seaweed Pot/ Seaweed Pot

A graduate of Swansea Metropolitan University, Eliza Simpson has a passionate belief in the importance of an object that is hand made. She considers it vital when giving her ceramics an individual identity. She admits that even when trying to reproduce a piece to look exactly like another, the process of a hand at work makes it impossible. But at the same time it gives her full control over the outcome. In her most recent work. Eliza stains the clay with oxide and paints the surface with coloured slips or bone china before firing.

Lucy Foakes/ 'Jackson' (detail)

Winner BDC New Designer of the year 2010, Lucy Foakes is a graduate of University College Falmouth. Her ceramics are outstanding in that they incorporate the often much neglected element of humour. Her surfaces often resemble a wall of highly inspired graffiti, full of scribbled information and images made in all styles. Lucy’s pots and vases owe much to Grecian vessels and Egyptian canopic jars. But her use of laser cutting, amongst other modern tools, brings her work fully fledged into the contemporary world. Her the surface of her ceramic, Jackson Pollock, is a well informed and witty biography of the great American artist’s life and work.

View their ARTS THREAD portfolios:

Collect: Further Highlights

Joyce Thornton — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:24:18 +0000

Joseph Walsh, Collect

Collect, the international art fair for contemporary objects, was held at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea this May. Some of the best international applied artists in modern jewellery, furniture, ceramics, glass, silver and textiles were all on show. This, the second of two posts, continues ARTS THREAD’s highlights.

Irish craftsman Joseph Walsh’s sculptural approach has raised the bar for ‘art furniture’. His unusual, personal and lyrical style was attracting lots of attention. Loyal clients turned out at Collect to view his latest pieces which include new chairs with upholstered details in metallic copper fabric. Joseph manipulates layers of wood, shaping them into seemingly effortless yet extravagant swirls.

Yeo Byong; Masahiko Ichino, Yufuku Gallery

Showing some wonderful ceramics, the Japanese Yufuku Gallery was a firm favourite of ours. Among the artists, Korean based artist Yeo Byong creates rustic beauty in fine stoneware pieces that are hand built, fired, oiled and polished by hand to resemble tarnished metal.

Yasuko Sakurai, Yufuku Gallery

We loved the beautiful, sculptural pieces by Masahiko Ichino, reminiscent of giant seashells, and were also completely captivated by the fragile beauty of Yasuko Sakurai’s work. Her time-consuming process is laborious and difficult, but the end results are simply stunning. Her pure white pieces are substantial but manage to combine both delicacy and strength. The pierced forms recall shells and bones and light floods through them to create fantastic shadow patterns.

Kevin Gordon, Glass Artist’s Gallery

The Glass Artist’s Gallery, based in Sydney Australia were showing Kevin Gordon’s substantial, beautiful and intricate pieces which were causing a considerable stir. Gloriously reminiscent of the Art Deco age, the rich amber colouring, intricate carving and intriguing 3D optical features were drawing lots of visitors to the stand.

Hitomi Hosono, Clare Beck at Adrian Sassoon

Ex RCA ceramics graduate Hitomi Hosono showed some stunning porcelain pieces through Clare Beck at Adrian Sassoon. Our favourites included a beautiful white hand-built vessel with a spectacular gold interior and the impressive Large Leaves Bowl.

Galerie Marzee; Michihiro Sato, Lesley Craze Gallery

Jewellery is an incredibly popular aspect of Collect, with many galleries showing drawer upon drawer of choice – but just a few of our favourites included the Lesley Craze Gallery where we saw Michael Berger’s ingenious ‘kinetic rings’ that move and spin on the wearer’s hand.

Rudolf Kocéa; Ulrich Reithofer, Galerie Marzee

Also at this gallery we loved Japanese designer Michihiro Sato’s beautifully carved paper pendants – precise and poetic. At Galerie Marzee, the covetable rustic silver and copper cuffs from Rudolf Kocéa caught our eye, and the great, fun wooden necklaces by Ulrich Reithofer were also a highlight.

Crafts Council
Joseph Walsh
Yufuku Gallery
Glass Artist’s Gallery
Lesley Craze Galle
Marzee