| 2. THE po Vi | CRAFT MEET THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN BRITISH CRAFTGICB 2019 Ox INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION ¢ & Online Application : ic.gicb.kr i 3 8 Fi | g comme] — t0z ‘Or o> mets BEER iiiCRAFTS < REGULARS FEATURES 03, altori 29 Thepowerlist ‘On power, influence and movie magic ‘Who are the most influential people in the crafts world? We asked 30 people in the field 07 Front and the results are ait surprising Real o Red previewed; the bes bits from London Craft Week, what happened at this 38 Puppet masters years Collect Adi Toc, Things of Beau Jan Mackinnon and Peter Saunders have i ‘Grewing a he Fitzwitiams; the Design made puppets for Hollywood blockbusters ‘Museu’ Azzedine Alia show such as Corpse Bride and Banas Mr Fox. They talk co ula Jars Knell Furniture maker Gareth Neal takes issue 42,_ Still waters run deep swith David Pye’ legeey James and Tila Waters have bit a loyal i following making beautiful restrained i 25 Letter from Ameriea ceramics, Bu could this be about to change? 5 ‘Glenn Adamson examines the craft behind ‘Grant Gibson finds out 7 anew portrait ofa former president : 4 Breaking down barriers i 26 Talent Spot Pioneering visual ars charity and collective i Leszek Sion tells Grant Gibson why he Intoart has the keys toa brand new stdio. E left job in real to take up blacksmithing Imogen Greenalgh catches up with them 61 Reviews Imogen Greenhalgh goes on TheGrant ms GRADUATES ‘eramist Matt Smiths new installation in ‘Cambridge; Andy and Peter Holden build 67 Your future stars here nest; Kate Hayviood at Manchester Art ust graduate from university and Galery Making Thing: Right in Oslo ‘wondering wht to do wit your life? ‘Well heres some advice From a bunch of BL Crafts Guide pope who have been there and done that ‘Comprehensive sting ofthe UK's galleries 91 Back ‘Why dentistry seat; Best of Betis i Ma ngahiktchers Bay Wooumanana “Here are several different Wenklarierenenbecs EaberFewt Ways to read this image: as, " nostalgic elegy; as symbolic Ctockuise romtopleR: for Fanti nr Rs ehinde Wikey’s pret Ate Am, Maroena AitormerUSPrne, —Katah owas 104 Thinking Aloud 5 i ees ‘ars Obams; made by ing glove stained with ‘Tanya Harrod on why textiles are code; as tacit subversion’ Nciononan’Samies cds fashionable wth the at word ADAMSON ON OBAMA'S PORTRAIT, P25co/fect = THE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR FOR CONTEMPORARY OBJECTS 28.2—3.3.2019 SAATCHI GALLERY LONDON COLLECT2019.0RG.UK | mer 2A OF os oo” PRESENTED BY *2 | ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND COLLECT OPEN 2019 Collect Open is a unique and exciting opportunity to present the unexpected and inspire the diverse range of visitors to Collect at London's Saatchi Gallery. Successful applicants will exhibit cutting edge new work alongside renowned craft and design galleries from around the world. We are interested in receiving ambitious proposals to present large scale, conceptual, installation-based displays. This opportunity is open to creative proposals from individual artists or those working collaboratively. APPLICATIONS CLOSE MIDNIGHT 4 JUNE 2018 For further information and to apply online collect2019.orgukTT EDITORIAL As London Craft Week opens, we find out who the most influential people in the field are Power and influence Grant Gibson We think the list provides a snapshot of where craft is now and hope it stimulates abit of debate £5 | mas counick ENGLAND London Graft Week is upon us once again, The 2018 edition features over 200 events, including 7 exhibitions, 41 workshops, 87 talks and 61 live demonstrations that take place all over the capital We choose afew of our highlights on page 16. But as the field's leading magazine, the question for us is how we go about making a bit ofa splash ourselves? ‘Well, alongside the Grafts Council, we return with the Real to Ree! film festival. Held at Picturchouse Central in the heart of Piccadilly from 8:10 May and sponsored for the first time by the independently owned investment house Killik & Co (thank you, guys), the event will feature two nights of documentaries, animations and music videos from around the globe. However, the final evening isa little bit special and devoted toa talk from Tan Mackinnon of Mackinnon & Saunders, the puppet-making company whose credits include ‘Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!, Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie,as well as Fantastic Mr Fox, directed by Wes Anderson. We will also be showing the premiere of the company’s digitally remastered version of the Oscar-nominated animation, ‘The Sandman. As Burton once said: “They do such beautiful work, very sensitive and textural; you really do believe the characters are alive.’ Ie promises to be a wonderful night and you can read our profile of the duo on page 38. ‘Meanwhile, on page 42 we meet ceramists James and Tilla Waters whose work may (or, as we discover, may not) be on the cusp of huge change. rpm pte oa SontriiheCutscnt—Tonronag Geedanccgmr Sutera eee raceme Sppurdertacotnc are Heo Desgnandar diction SStecas ‘nowenephowcns ak ‘The fact that a documentary on the pair is one of the highlights of the film festival is an added bonus. At the time of going to press tickets are still available (but selling briskly) for all the evenings, and it would be great to sec you there. With so many people gathering inthe city to ook at all things craft, we also thought it might be an opportunity to stir the pot. little and attempt to find out who the most influential people in the field really are. To do this, we asked 30 leading figures - each with an overarching view of the sector, including writers, educators, gallery owners and heads of public bodies — to nominate five names cach in descending order of importance. The {nfluencer on the top of the list received five points, the person at the bottom, one. The early favourites to top the poll included Edmund de Waal, Grayson Perry and author of The Graftsman, Richard Sennett. But who won ultimately? You'll have to turn to page 29 to find out. ‘We think the list provides a snapshot of where craft is now and hope it stimulates a little bit of debate. Iralso gave us the chance to commission the excellent paper artist and illustrator Yulia Brodskaya to do our beautiful front cover, using carefully cut and bent strips of paper to make our three-dimensional logo. Finally, we're curious to know what you think. Ifyou want to have your say then you can nominate your own most influential person on social media, by using the hashtag #CraftsPowerl ist. Digna andcnta cae Sins er Cormeen Nia oerneren 063 ‘ncpton Becoadga Salgedepebitingcesansk Dir roan ae Sc [Epwrenscrsoarlrgk rr ona sos Sete Cee onn {tooo ‘thornton op Cary ostos pw Ncone ao Crate tayne soiEdmond Byine ‘Crrie MacPherson James Devereux Alister Malcim Simon Eccles ‘Bruce Maris Hane Enema raha Mie Steve Frey “Tim Rawlieson ilies jones Layne Rowe Katherine Huskie Anthony Sela Peter Layton Elioe Waker alee Ale) \ LONDON GLASSBLOWING ing Hot and Cold Alex Malcolmson constuction Bircham [ieen Trevor Price Contempo Andrew Bird (eae erica vt Oe & Ruth Shelley un 16 -Jul 18 ‘tudo gas Bircham Gallery 14 Market Pisce Holt Norfolk NR25 68W wwwbirchamgallery.co.uk 01263 713312 DECORATIVE ARTS FROM 1860 London, Knightsbridge Wecnesday 20 June 2018 icing At & Cats, At Nowa, ‘Xe Dece ands lxgeseecton of Bonhams boahams.comi20tncenturysecansAPPLY NOW— FASHION STUDIO RESIDENCY WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS Submit your thehouseofprape em (ori BY Wie okecielalo} 28 Moy 2018 Zé ue ae tien) INGFLI NG PP SS ee cn dency TT a ae Ba Meee Ie CANIS Pea ee ey rts OER CMM etl ed Et fad Nora ake oes Sexe e= 0) NFO) FOR THE TABLE The Goldsmiths’ Company Silvé¥ Collection ees Bn tCy folbuFhiorg ae HOLBURNE St MUSEUMFRONT | Highlights of London Craft Week and Collect; Real to Reel previewed; Gareth Neal on David Pye’s legacy; Glenn Adamson assesses Kehinde Wiley’s new portrait of Obama; Talent Spot: blacksmith Leszek Sikon tw oY A Traces of making in metal So elegant and carefully refined are the sculptural vessels of metasmith Adt Toc i's easy to forget the messy and iterative process chat goes nto their making, This Maybrings an exhibition to Contemporary Applied Arts that turns this on ts head. Ecos of Proes will focus not on finished object, butinstesd ‘on the unplanned and the unexpected ~ the offeuts, sketches and surprising byproduets that result from Toch's painstaking approach 1t’san intriguing tack for amaker totaketoasolo show, but Toch — ‘whose star appears firmly on the ascent “has reason tobe confident, with a prestigious nomination forthe inaugural LOEWE Craft Prize, a 2017 Wallpaper™ Design Award, aswell ava recent slo exhibition at Edinburgh's Scottish Galleryall under her bel Visitors tothe show can expect variety of poetic remnants on display athe gallery, inluding examples of delicate rire maquetes, vin gloves stained with meeal dust and‘odge®™ oroffeutsof silver, brass, gilding metal and copper, ‘As Toch points out, perhaps reflecting onthe inreasing demand for her work, these vestiges ae often all thata maker has eft once apiece as been sold:"The story of making in metals tld through whats lef behind "Eahoes of Proce: Mata by Aa Toc fat Gontensporary Applied Arts, 89 Southwark Sect, London sé ons, 3 May ~ 9 June canergikMarking time Canterbury Cathedral provides the ting fr glas arts Philip Baldwin land Monica Guggisbergs latest, installation Under an Bul Sk, which rune from 26 May 11 November and ‘commemorates the iooth anniversary ofthe end ofthe Fist World War, il baring together new works reflecting on themes of confit and remembrance sinelude Boa of Remerbrene, an installation in the eathedral's nave of lear glass amplora hanging inthe shape ofa ship, each one representing year of remembrance. Mesnwile that reflects on the passage of ime ‘through displays of amphorae in various states, from whole to pulverised Scoates’ honour Aer a period of, the board foftruscoes at New Yorks Museum ‘of Artsand Design has announced the appointment of Christopher Seoates asits new director. ‘Tam eager tobe veloping new experiences for our ‘audiences tha will nour th history ‘ofMAD while also using art and desig he way we think about the something of hor potato over the past few years, with Glenn Adamson leaving aftera two-year spell and his successor Torge Daniel Veneciana resigning afer ‘amater of months, Sates, currently rector atthe Cranbrook Academy of ‘Artand Design in Michigan, will tke uphisnew poston July Going large are included in ibis, an exhibition rating is years ofthe diminutive a gllery, setup by jeweller Fula Maninheim and herhusband, architect Ken Taylor, in the window ofa converted rill depot in Peckham, Held a the somewhat roomier APT Gallery in Deptford, the show runs 10-27 May, and promises to include the spectacular feathery forms of Kate MccGwire, mics by Robert Cooper ani anew pecific installation ia clay by Rod All 31 chosen exhibitors ha n previously at ma with many, curator Sarah Goodwin explain, seeing the showeas an opportunity to devise new iterations of ther original piece ayDUMETIOM 5 “1 = A > = aAnAmiaAr Sign language Animprobable peer of Andy Warhol and Bd Ruscha, Gorka Kent ~ also knowin as Sister Mary Corita was charismatic [US mun witha pf for grape design CCombiningimage and message to create striking, sreenprinted banners and posters, often decrying the ills of poverty tnd wa, Kent produced most of her powerful er from her workshop in LA's Immaculate Heart College. This output provides Diteing Museum of Art and Cafe withthe contents fr its latest exhibition, Get With the Action: Conta ont, May —14 October, marking the artists centenary year Lookout for snaccompanying instalation responding to Kent's output by Morag Myerscough and Luke Morgan Htcingrcamarsraorg ak Industrial strategy Hereat Cas we're alvays curious 9 see what happens when at eraft and industry come together, swe enjoyed the National Festival oF Making’ Art ‘n Manufacturing initiative last year. In summary the project pred Lancashire industrialists with a handfl of artists and designers, exhibiting the ineiguing results during the festival. At this year’s edition, running 12-13 May, expect installations in some of Backbuen’s ‘most usa histori buildings, including a cardboard cinema experience by Cumbria nased artist Hannah Fex and Aceringzon's Cardboard Box Company, and a reflection on che eulturl impact of metal by sculptor Nicola lisand steel manufacturer Ritherdon, fesvaofnaking cask New perceptions Michael Brennand: Wood, Rajesh GGogna and Zoe Hillyard are jus theee ‘ofthe contemporary makers in store {or vistors to Kirkcaldy Galleries, a8 partof new craft exhibition Neri Mestingsa te Edge (until 10 June) Curated by Elizabeth Goring with Fife Coneemporary and Ruthin Craft Centre the show sims to uncover the ways established and emerging artists are upturing perceptions of their disciplines through advanced technical sll from ceramics that take on the appearance af textiles in the case ‘of Hillyard to Gogna’s architectural ‘jewellery fr building’ Following its run {in Scotland the show movesto Ruthin from 29 September ~ 18 November eae coneSHORT CUTS Tine Rother Northern soul Railway engineer Robert Stephenson, Turner Prize winner Labaina mld and Postman Pat might seem likely {ithe Creat Ei bedfellows, butall three appear in the une Nerina Iine-up for the Great Ei ft Fe ‘North, from 22 June ~9 September. tee Celebrating the very bestin Northern atthe 8 an, caltuc, industry and innovation Scot ‘according to Northern Powerhouse minster ake Berry, the 80-day exhibition unfolds across Neweastleand Gateshead, promising robe the biggest, event in England this year. Highlights to Took out for inclide dag innonatlentt atthe Biscuit Factory in Newcastle, and ‘anexhibision of Northern cultural Creations, including the original Postman Par models, tthe Great North Museum, Nation state ‘Anew exhibition a the National "Museum of Scotian examines the sate ‘oflassin Britain today through the work ‘of s artists, Presented in partnership ‘with The National Centre for Craft & Design in Sleaford, Ar of Glas (6 April 16 September) explores pieces by makers embracingthe material in 8 ‘variety of way, Names familiar to regular ‘Grats readers include Ema Woffenden and Geoffrey Mann, while new work wl ‘come from the likes of Karlyn Sutherland ‘and Pinkie Maclure Sarah Rothvell, Ccuator of modem and contemporary Sesign at National Museums Scotland believes the show estures pieces which reevaluate our understanding of therole ‘ofglass as an artistic medium Dress to impress Tes sate to say th high forthe Jatest offering, AX designer Sophie Hicks rer recently the Azweine iia exhibition ‘could have the same pact on fashion students that Sensation atthe Royal Academy had on are students in 1997" The show (io May "7 October) features 60 examples of bis ra including pieces such as the ipped dress, the bandage dress and ‘the corse belt, Curated by Mark Wilson, chief curator ofthe Groninger Museum tnd Alaa imsel (who sadly ced 1 during the process), twill also feature a series ofarchitocrural Snterventions from the likes of Mare Newson and Konstantin GeThe Contemporary Craft & Design Fair HANDMADE Oxford f . 18 - 20 May 2018 y | Oxford Town Hall | Perea) pee by quoting eer Buy tickets: handmadeinbritain.co.uk/oxford tickets: handmadeinbritain.co.uk/oxford Public opening times: Organised by: frie ~Seturcty Ytam—6om™ LAND MADE in Britain The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair HANDMADE Edinburgh 10 - 12 August 2018 Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh CALL FOR APPLICATIONS ae Application Deadline: 1 June handmadeinbritain.co.uk/edinburgh For demonstrations/workshops contact: events@handmadeinbritain.co.ukOd Directory A listing of premium makers available for work or commissions craftscouncil.org.uk/directory 2°" | ants COUNCIL ou | ENGLANDTalent show Pietyone Ta Curioustoknow whar'scome out ofthe lava Boles rations arcand design schools this year? etn Gomera “Them the grat fair New Designers oles something of av unmissable a Sppartunty, ling the sss of : [ington Business Design Contre with projects by sdents fom acrossthe UK "There's been an overhaul ofthe popular showease fo emerging businesses, renamed One Year, with bumper line-up 100 young companies hand picked by Rheanna Lingham, including Dacksmith Leszek Sion eee page 26), product designe Samm Lander snd ‘woven textile maker and Crafts Count Fothousealurma Majed Care. AS ith previous yar, the show runs over to ‘wees, fom 2730 June and 4-7 uly. readesinerscom Onform ‘The hotly anticipated ceramics survey ‘Things of Beauty Growing: British Stadio Pottery has arrived a the Ftriliam Museum in Cambridge following ts runat the Yale Center for British Art last yeer On display until 27 June, it offers visitors the chance to admire ‘works by numerous key figures in studio pottery, rom Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada tocurent stars Clze Twomey and Jennifer Lee. Bus the exhibition's o-curator Glenn Adamson explains, the idea has been to bring out a history of ceramic forms -o focus ton aetna lf makers but ona canon of vessels Hence, the show s structured around ‘ght forms including the moon jr, ‘ase, bow and set fizmuscum.camaciik Silver anniversary "Tomarkits 24th anniversary, the Sheffield Assay Oflehas commissioned new pieces for its collection from two emerging silversiths on Yorkshire “Arspace starter studi programme. Josephine Gomersal has produced & ‘botanical nso piece bottle stopper for aahand-blown glass carafe reflecting on Shefild's identity asa green and. ‘outdoor city, while Giles Kozdon has ‘opted to make aparof Living Flame” sculptural candlesticks in slvr, glass and polished concrete inspired by the {con Bnitalist presence ofthe Tinsley Cooling Towers Both commissions wil 0 on dlsply in Shetfeld's Millennium Gallery until October, and ther wil be an artist akon 14 May. assyafice. ck (rats neothe call of the sea sa Wow ion from 25th may to 14th june Begetony rath taylor» ether hoe Jane reeves» ky eson «kathryn ol Sophie howard » Son lewin cedogan » juliet mclead »tesse Sambrook 17 March to 20 May Mon-Sat 9-5 Sun 10-4 baxters, 12 foss st, dartmouth ta6 9dr tel 01803 838000 text + work Galery vwivw.mecklondon.com Contemporary Ceramics Auction 14 - 17 May 2018 cuction viewing fron Giery Pal Mol London SWI ALY ‘Online preview from 27 April 2018 ot waw.moailondn.comand movie magic The Real to Reel film festival returns to Picturehouse Central in May. Crafts previews what’s on offer This year’s Real to Ros promises to throw upahost of surprises. The UK's first fm festival devoted to making, produced by Crafts and the Cras CCounell and forthe fist ine in partnership with independently owed Investment house Kili & Co, ll take place once aguin a Picturehouse Central inthe hear of London's West End across three evenings, rom 8.20 Ma "While nights one and two wil contain amixof documentaries, animation ‘and masie videos ~ inching shorts on makers suchas ceramist Chris Keenan, letterpress guru Alan Kitching, glass artist Juli Holafios Duran and cane ‘weaver Rechael South - the final evening f= devoted to talk fom puppet making company MacKinnon & Saunders, best ‘known forts wor on Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and Fantasie Mr Fox directed by Wes Anderson, The vent Includes the premiere ofa digitally remastered version ofits Oscar hnominated short, The Sadar. (or more on MacKinnon & Saunders, See feacure on page 38) "Wecoulda’t be more delighted at how the programme has shaped up, commented Craft editor Grant Gibson. ‘As far as we're concerned, the most important elements ofthe festival since launched in 2016 hasbeen its sense of eclecticism and diversity. Itnot only straddles cinematic genres bucalsoa huge range of erat disciplines and cultures, And as result ithas become one ofthe must-see events of London Craft Wee” For farther information on the programme and how to buy tckes, Which cost £13.50 (£10.50 concessions) Visit the website a raPscounel org arrWe round up the best bits of this year’s London Craft ‘Week, from 9-13 May Capital craft Back fra fourth edition this year’s London Graft Weck unfelds across ‘more than 200 venues around the 6; promising a surprising mix of backdrops, ranging from Assemble's ‘Sugarhoure Stadios in Bermondsey tothe Ready eights ofthe Houses of Parliament. ‘As the figure perhaps suggests, this means there's a considerabieamount ‘of ground for prospective festival goers to cover during the five days ‘with key events inching the Design ‘Museum's presentation ofthe second LOEWE Craft Prize finalist, our film festival Real Rel (featured on page 15), a8 well af a thoughtful look at the skllsand people behind some of the nation’s most exquisite jewellery and contemporary silverware i How to Bull aGoldorth atthe Goldsmiths’ Centre, “Across these pages we've highlighted ight ofthe events atthe very top of ‘our todo is, picked because we fel ‘they represent the festival a its bes ‘genuine moment fr the capital 10 come together and celebrate creativity land making in allits guises As with pase years, i's worth noting that ‘organisation pays, with a chunk ofthe programme including various talks, ‘workshops and tours requiring advance ooking. Porte full programme and to book kets, vst lotdonenptiver.comHANDMADE inBritain ONLINE Ceramics | Fashion | Glass | Jewellery & Silverware | Paper & Prints | Sculpture | Textiles | Wood Shop for exquisite and carefully curated contemporary craft from over 120 exceptional designer-makers on Handmade in Britain’s new online marketplace. handmadeinbritain.co.uk/shop‘This year’s art fair featured some exciting new galleries showing for the first time, says Grant Gibson Fresh face for Collect First he figures, Collet: The Intemational Art Pir for Contemporary ‘Objects, which ran from 22-25 February at London's Search Gallery brought together 40 galleries from 13 counties. Ieattrcted 1.000 visitors with estimated sales of£1.4 milion. This years fair also came with afew new Tearures, Masters of British Studio Pottery, ied a ataster forthe Falla» Things of Beauty Growing, told the story (in abridged frm) ofthe last century of ceramics in Britain through 27 works thar ranged fom, peces by Lucie Rie to James Rgler.t ‘was fascinating dea hat eould have ‘been given alittle more space tobreathe There were some nes exhibitors, 00, neluding the likes of SEE6eDS and ‘Ming, who are arguably better known ‘onthe contemporary design scene than inthe erafts world. They brought slightly different (and weleome) sensibility othe show. The awards programme was ‘expanded and given its own, rather ‘exclusive, ceremony. Winners included: ‘Oxford Ceramies Gallery, which picked up the Outstanding Display bya Gallery prize; silversmith Flere Bigley who won The Collet Open ‘ward and Matt Smith who won ‘Object ofthe Pair fori lack Parianware Wanderkaner series Sponsors also gave out theirown awards: Ligre’s went to James ‘Ougtibridge for his ceramic work on Toanna Bnd’ stand, and Jerbme Pereira lan Syiva Eustache Roois on the Collection Atelies fart de Prance stand ‘were handed Firmdale Hotel's Oneto ‘watch Awad “We were thrilled with this year’s Collect sid the Crafts Councils ‘executive director, Rosy Greenees. “Tefal bold, fresh and dynamic duein parrto so many new galleries tothe fair And the variety ofthe work on show, cllectao1 BorgOPINION Are David Pye’s definitions of craft still relevant today? Designer Gareth Neal reappraises them 50 years on Risk assessment Rather remarkably, David Pye's seminal Righe veechan4.a book, The Nature and Artaf Workmanship, collaboration between Creche dee isso years old this year The woodkurner sand educator never used the term craft bat, for many his phrase ‘the ‘workmanship of rk’ - which he used inoy ‘certainty’ has become a neat term co ‘fine the field. Ashe wrote: With the ‘workmanship of isk we may contrast the ‘workmanship of eereanty, always tobe found in quantity production, and found inits pure tae in fll aut Tn workmanship ofthis 50 sition to the workmanship of of the result is exactly predetermined Doefore a single seable thing s made Later he adds IT must ascribe ‘ameaning tothe word craftsmanship, shall say as a first approximation thet iemeans simply workmanship using ae ‘ these the cae of the production process Js divorced from touch andthe sensory willalways bean element of isk. evaluation process during ts conception, an era of digal technology, ‘definitions sil relevant? nd isrisk the sole province ofthe crafts? Ifyou Be Since first engaging in cigtel meaning extra caution need o be apotie relatively cere, The best o9s,the results of singthem have believe risk telaed to ambition, crafsmen work wth author, alas presented problemsand know andambiton o making new discoveries the consistency of ther automated sway these tech processes present processes and mater, Riki esearch ‘counterparts, fs possible to argue fewer uncertainty parclary when nd he faites that come wih kare that there ill sk within tei ranufacturing smal quantities os he process, Ambition pss ideas, Inmy experience, working witha very star ms, So I would ket argue stongh range of processes and techniques aswel Many fuswilhave experienced _thatrskisan approach to material. sina variety of iferen environment, sgeting the most simple things back Tage with Pye that when we rikhasffen been ncohed. But ts froma CNC machine oralaser cute in isk we engage in unceranry presence alone docs act make ithe Ienrsing ttn theory they should certainty doesnot necessary ‘ning characersicof the erate bethesame,buritisnetakeaysthe define er, Half entry on from his In2or8 cratpeople inthe UK have machine sopped mid-procesforsome and svorkmanship of erat’ perhape accesstosomeofthemostadvanced Surely it’s time. Uiknown reason and daydreamec they shoul be adsped ro say something toolingand machinery, n dg abs, : Daring The Wish List prec, Ihethis roaker hs and universes. They Toaccept that which aunched atthe London Design the workmanship of risk means tay even have them in thir on mata Festival ingots lsitupforfvedaye_cratingor manafactring tthe far ‘workshops the pices his ie engaging inthe (rfacof ft bed CNC machine Boundaries of bility ori with have fallen dramatically use of digital holding an emergency stop button new or unexplored processes or ideas However coachiewcerainyyss Pye toolsis just inacompletertateofanxictyasilved _Asopposed io the workmanship of fines in which the quality he fang breathed every ovemenc ofthe certainty, which applies fa ried ond restitisprodeerminedand beyondthe ANEXtensiON —olasiecutacrossthe surface ofthe tested methods where results canbe Controoftheoperatve'-issimply Of OUrhands? —_Verel designed in collaboration with assured and isk can be minimised?THE ACCESS COMPLETE EVERY ISSUE ARCHIVE OF CRAFTS SINCE 1973 Bytakingoutasubseription Published sxtimesa Betty Jackson, Paul Mason, Get adigial subseription to Caf youcan now year,Grafsprovidesan andthe V&e’snewdirector today to receive every new access the magazine's unparalleled insightinto ‘Tristram Hunt, whose issue plusinstant access completehistoryonour the changing nature of wwordshaveappeared the searchablearchive of 44 digitalarchive—that'sewery contemporary craftboth alongside experts inthe __years ofbeckssues. Simply fssuesinccourlaunchin inthe UKandabroad.Each field such as Glenn visits wracerafscounciog roysforameref2599ayear issuecontainsthelatest _Adamsonand Tanya bjdigtal or download from (or£499 fortwomonths). _news,reviews and opinion, Harrodaswellasmakers the AppStore or Tunes Backin that firseissue slongside sumptuously themselves~including by searching fr ‘Cras thethen-edliorMarigold illustrated fearuresand --GarethNeal,Lauratilen Android users areableto Goleman stated that Grafts challengingessaysfrom Bacon, PeterLaytonand _access their subscription ‘willseek to actasabridge someofthehestwriters ill Amberg- giving via the Exactly’ app on betweenthecrsftsman around. tnreeenttimes __readersvitalfrst-hand the Google Pay andhisaudience.That these still olds tue today. Hikes of. elncludedthe understanding Andrew Mary, business of making. ‘Twom the Annaal~ £25.99 hs C499UU TO LTA A LETTER FROM AMERICA Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of Barack Obama combines traditional symbolism with contemporary concerns Field of dreams Glenn Adamson arly February: srange tie for biossoms. Yer that was what Kehinde Wiley gave the American public when his petri of Barack Obama was revealed, With symbolic intent on Lincoln's birthday. The picture shows the 4th president seated ina mahogany chair of aguely Regency character, ating atop ‘field of eaves and flowers. Heisgarted inthe universal attire of the powerful butelaxed His gaze i dec, is hands placed confidently against his own long Timbs. isa porerait ofa man tally at peace with himself inthe present Eireumstances, that feels deeply provocative ‘Noteader i perfect But i's become casyto ideale Obama, and not only becuse ofthe man who succeeded ie Aca timeof deep discord, a clear majority of Americans (63 percent according to arecent poll) agree that Obama Was Alright Meanwhile, the vals represented ~ineligence, progress, diversity are all being ample underfoot. His cight years in office were no golden age, but atleast they were Sane. Wiley absoluel nals this curent rood of retrospective longing He Places Obama in acool verdant, but tdlywaveal garden. Ie ooks ikea ‘wonderful plee, but unfortunately § one we'l never geo ‘Wily’ painting aso operates on cegisters other than the politi 2 Incuding tha of arhstoy. He employs 4 anemblematc language of flowers ase portraits sine the Renaissance Just as pink carnation once connoted £ marital love, or arose symbolised the 2 Virgin Mary, each bloom in Wiley’s painting represents a particular place 4 ln Obamats life. The Aiean blue iies § stand for Kena, jasmine for avail and 4 Chrysanthemums for Chicago. it was lesignated the city's oficial ower 1966. Who knew?) ‘Yeries onthe level feat, rather than iconography, chat Wiley’ painting communicates most powerfully. few Year go, in my book The tneaton of Gra, made the pone that on certain 3 very high-profile occasions only hand-made object will do, The more technological, the more nakedly capitalist our society becomes, the more ‘we require truly special things to be hhand-wrought. The lace-srewn wedding dress worn by Kate Midleton isa case ‘point. Its traditionalism functioned asa crucial fol tothe media spectacle ‘Surrounding the royal marrage “Apresidentil porrait presents ‘a simllarstuation, Whatever the politics ofthe site, the genres deeply conservative. The ingredentshave changed hardly at all since the 18th ‘entry: dark background, prop to add gravitas (usually a chair or acolumn, ‘sometimes both) and, ofcourse a white fy. Obama's pore is something new, nd nor just because of his ethnicity. Like most contemporary arco, fs purposefully strange: the former president hovers gainst the hallucinatory background as fe hho been Photoshopped there. And yet, a the level of sheer physicality the painting is positively ‘ld-fashioned. Fach leat, each petals laboriously and immaculately rendered, Itisa decorative perfectionism akin tothat of East Asian ‘bind-and- flower? paintings, mediaeval laminated ‘nanuseripts and Will Moms tapestries. Wiley’s formula isto offset the image's audacity witha foundation ingolid workmanship. Is balancing act one sees Tor these day: as tits navigate ever wilder reaches (of the imagination, craft serves a8 necessary der ‘Yet theresa further twist to this tale, Wiley has long taken a ‘hig stu" ‘proach, employing age team of highly skilled renderers ro execute his ‘ideas Ashe rightly points ou, this is. ‘more the norm tha the exception in Pradet Barase Obama, ehind wie, 018 Image thats spectacular beyond belief hhe old GQ magazine in 2013, not tothe bragging rights of making evry stroke ‘on ever lower’ Even in the ease ofthis presidental portrait the eommission Of alifetime, even foranatist of Wiey’s Stature it seems quite likely thatthe execution was atleast partly delegated toassistants, That does accord with art-historical precedent, but it also ‘deta the contemporary fling ofthe painting Wiley’ purposeful indirection, his investment in erat atone remove, fs perfetly in tune with ou thoroughly ‘outsourced economy ou digitally ‘manipulated culture, So there are several ifferent ways to ead this image-as nostalgic elegy: as symbolic code; a tact subversion The arist's hands-off authorship adds to this ‘multvalence, as does the nature ofthe contemporary presidency itself, which ‘Wiley employs the history of large-scale painting Bur ANemblematic —jsbound up in celebrity culture as muuch thesheersaeanddewilethiswork, language of __ssinpowerpultis Wiley shows us Us sswellashisproliic output basalways iy nS gag toe: the clus yt compelling nature prompted curicsity abouthisworking — MOwers’ used the man. ts probably not yet time to feos Dos bevo muchas toch is in portraits pes ude on Ota reins, PMs hastened toimplytharitdoes Since the weseehishindagii not.‘Myinteretisincompletingan Renaissance —_terndewezcomUU TALENT SPOT The blacksmith’s knives have gained him recognition, says Grant Gibson, Portrait by Elisabeth Scheder Design at the cutting edge Leszek Sikon “The first task when interviewing the contemporary blacksmith Leszek Sikon fs finding his workshop. m driving somewhere in the Surf countryside Piles oF dirty grey snow on the side ofthe road provide evidence of the recent cold ‘snap bu rather more importantly, my sat nav appears only to possess the ‘vaguest idea ofthe 34 year ols location, "The fact thatthe mobile signal has ll ‘but vanished i hardly helping my mood, ‘hasall been a it frustrating However, when Larrive [realise rapidly ‘that Iwas definitly woeth the rip, Housed in one of those vaguely ‘anonymous, pre-fabricated agricultural bars, this ea trove of extraordinary tools. The maker hat been here since ‘October, joing some friends ~ Paul ‘Stoddart and Elliot Harison~ from his ‘ays a Herefordshire and Ludlow College. ‘They decided to start thelr own, ‘workshop a couple of years back instead ‘of continuing their edvcaton, he ‘explain, dropped them an email asking Wtheyhad space for one more? ‘Pminstantly giver a quick tour of the equipment. Most ofthe things here are super-ol he says, pointing a the vvenertble-looking forges and a metal bender, before alighting upon a ‘mechanical power hammer that he says fs over century nage. "My mates basically dragged this out fail, Tehad been there for 2 years slowy rusting” The toolhas obviously been lovingly restored, ‘There were no plans forthe whole thingso if they needed a part they had to make i from begining toend: Whilehis colleagues concentrate con larger-scale, architectural work such fastailings and gates, ikon in his cwrn ‘words is more of a knife oran artwork ind of uy" ‘Graft stumbled across him at ast year’s New Designers where he picked up the New Designer of the Year runners-up prize, and saw him agin atthe Goldsmiths Centre's Getting Started showtease in January. The recognition since leaving college isn really "surprising there is beauty, hint ‘of ruality and sometimes dash ‘of poetic thinking in is pieces that separate them from the ber This series ‘Shell Tool’ fist shown atthe Ypres Peace Monuments International Blacksmithing Event §n016,forinstance, he took old atnmunition from the irs and Second ‘World Wars and re forged ino new equipment - including spade,a sete anda sickle - designed to take back’ the Jand that had been decimated and return Stto the farmers, He is currently making another set, which willremember the role of women during the confit. “Everybody concentrates on the soldiers {or obvious reasons, but the machine needed to be supplied, Icneeded food, ammunition, weapons, There was ‘whole industry he explains. "The Polish maker orginally came to the UK 12 years ago, looking for work after the EU borders opened up. Previously he had been studying IT but dropped out: ‘just wasn’ for me My mind couldnt comprehendall the maths jb in etal vas quickly procured, and he worked hs ay up 10 “You doneed to maintain myknivesa bit more, but Ithink this creates abond with your tool’ Nove Wate Knife lee shel Tools Z made from re forged . smmniton fom j Ee ee bbocome manager before becoming bore, Tewas time to give further education nother whi. But why blacksmithing? “Google? God's wil? Fate? I don't know howyou want to eal i Sikon was certain though that he wanted to get his hhands dirty He had grown up ona small farmin Poland where day-to-day repair vasa way oflfe, The farm taught alot fof work discipline, he remembers. "You ‘dont really have days of. Thated it wen Trwasa kid, but now I really appreciate it? He freely admits hisknives, made out thigh carbon to! steel area bit oF ‘commercial thing, Ifyou asked which tool everybody has iva knife. Youdo rncedtomaintan them a bit more than youdo a normal knife, you need tolock fer them, but [think this ind of creates bond with your tol’ As does his exquisite partern welding. | traditional process where a stack of diferent grades of sel are welded together and then forged out until they become solid he finished result showing the diferent layers ofthe material. ‘Coming up Sikon willbe featuring in the One Yat In section of Nev Designers inJne, ut before chat he has film in Roalo Red, tho craft fm festival held at Preurehouse Central during London (Craft Week in May (ee page 1)-Pilm, be sys, is important because ‘making ‘movi shows how much work put fnra cach knife. "The awards and exhibitions may have come easily enough but they don't pay the bills, as he's wel auare. "Ifyou cannot maintain a workshop then you're gone, he says matter-of icy. Sohe's arted doing workshops:"Under my supervision youl make yourselt knife If ean get the bread-and-butter business ‘out ofthe way, hopefully Tan ge back to the more artistic, adventurous par of ‘aking aswell” ‘sonbacemith comThe Craft Film Festival Real — to — Reel Film making that has a craft story to tell Real to Reel, the UK’s first film festival dedicated to craft and moving image returns for its third year to Picturehouse Central, London 8-10 May 2018 Enjoy the festival's signature programme See Reta cane tn abstract and animation, all shining the Fore ee Eee RU ol tol Roatan ee en Toe Serene cea cg ARTS COUNCIL ENGLANDWho are the power-brokers of the craft world? The ones other people really listen to, that have the capacity to influence and change the shape of the field? It is a question that has long intrigued us here at Crafts and so we endeavoured to find out. To do this, we asked 30 leading figures - each with an overarching view of the sector, including writers, educators, gallery owners and heads of public bodies - to nominate five names each in descending order of importance. The influencer on the top of their list would receive five points the person at the bottom one. These marks were tallied up to create our final parade. ‘What did we discover? Well, firstly that the field is fractured and stubbornly refuses to coalesce around a handful of names ~ a total of 92 people were nominated, ranging from a } future king to a currently hip fashion designer via the author of a best-selling book. The ultimate winners took the most votes but were never ahead by very much. It also suggests that influence comes in many forms and that craft is capable of seeping into the pores of any number of different disciplines, which can only be a good thing in our view. ‘That said, the final five highlight the importance of the pen. It seems that to really exercise power, being able to make isn’t enough = you need to effectively communicate your message, too, either through books and magazine columns, by having your own TV series or gallery, or failing that, by teaching skills to the next generation. Rightly or wrongly, it’s also apparent that clay is the material that carries the most clout. Three of the top five, and six out of the final 20, would identify themselves as ceramists. Finally, what will the list achieve? Well, we hope it acts as a snapshot of where craft is now but, more importantly, we would like it to stimulate some kind of debate over what ‘influence’ really means, how it’s exerted and how can it be effectively harnessed to give the crafts greater prominence within British and global culture.‘Asa long-standing -and hugely respected - Crafts columnist, we ‘couldn't be more delighted, But how best to convey the news? We decided to ask one of the nation’s most important makers, Alison Britton (above right), to interview Harrod inthe study ‘where she has written books such a8 The Cras in Britain inthe 20th (entry and The Last Sane Man: Michael Cardew as well as ‘countless columasand reviews for the ikes of The Spectator and ‘the Independent, Photographer Philip Sayer recorded the event and, inevitably, the conversation ‘tamed out to be fascinating. AND THE WINNER IS. AUTHOR, HISTORIAN AND ALL-ROUND CRAFT THINKER Alison Britton: Where to start? "nov you've been ering about for longtime, but itis’t ‘what you thought you were going to-dowhen you stout fom university. You did art history. What dragged you into the craft world? ‘Tanya Harrod: [wasn't dragged. 1 ida PRD on 1gth-cennary taste sand [hada rather extraordinary supervisor called Francis Haskell, He came at everthing from unexpected angles and was an inspiting person. Life seems to be fall of accidents, alot of is about ‘whom you encotnter. Thappened ro meet some Ruskinians was partly about Ruskin - including Tim Hilton He was one ofthe best ar erties around at that point and Ihe encouraged me to see my work published. The thing bout writing a thesis is thac you might write the ‘odd scholarly article but you're not sping to appear in something ike Art Review (hen kncnyn as Arts Review), It was s0 exiting wo see ‘what Pd waite in print. ABs: What di you start within terms of publications ‘TH: Well, rt Monthly, arts Review And there was a journal called Art International that was edved from Geneva of which I became the London correspondent. Iscarted looking at things with quite a subconscious interest in how they ‘were made, whieh wasnt relevant to mainstream are crticism at that point, Carol MeNicoll took me to an extr ion called The ‘Make’ Eye in 1982. I saw this whole world that [knew nothing about, although I had some understanding ofthe Ars and Crafts Movement Through Carol I metal these brilliant makers, mainly women, who had come out ofthe Royal College of Art, and thought that {his was an area where ess was bing written. At first just wore rdinary exhibit things for AB: What was that like? TH Ie was a period when there was angry debate because thre were figures like Peter Fuller who had become depressed and alienated by the conceptval nature of at practice in the ios. He'd tured tothe crafts in search of certainty but, to hishorrr, found many'of these ceramiste and soon had imbibed the same conceptual ingest. They had all ead Duchamp and were making pots about pots. Iewas fun to read but his reation was violent and hostile And the marvellous erie Peter Dormer, to an extent, was strongly conservative. Meanwhile side From your generation, Became very intrested in ceramists ofthe 19608 and 70s, figures like Rath Duckworth and Gilian Lowndes, people doing very radical work [Als {don't tink you can put Peter Poller and Peter Dormer in exactly the same bag, because Dormer changed, He stared out being very welcoming oa broad spectrum of things ~he did thar 1985 show Fast Fortra —but then he got more ancous when he did Beyond the Doverailin 199 TTH: Yes, he's a fascoating figure And quite alot of what he wrote Sepended on where he wrote it 0‘when he was writing ina design context he was more severe on the eras, AB: Were you just reviewing things adhoc? ‘THE [reviewed what I was asked co review, but I suppose I got Sncreasingly interested in ceramics As time went om I fel there was a need fora big book that looked st all the crafts. haven't been & ‘controversial Iike the wo Peters, but Ihave tried tolook at eras on| broader fron [AB: You have also given ita social context think. Tr resonated with ‘me when you brought out The (Gris in Britain in the 20th Contry Jn 1999 because noone else had talked ike that. ‘THE Yes, Alan Crawford accused me ‘of running away from the actual ‘objects because I did ge fascinated by the politics. What kind of political party would you belong to fn the 19208 and 3osifyou were doing these rather strange, sort of fanti-industral products? AB: Did The Crafts Britain inthe 2oth Century lead into your Michael CCardew biography? "TH: Well,the book ended with 2 picture of Michael and he was really the person came to admirea lot ‘when Iwas writing it- Journalism has always helped me, because as well as Grafs Tuas able vo contribute to The Spectator regularly: Thad a column that enabled meto write about practically anything that wasn. covered by the art critic. Alot of ‘what Lovrote there was very help ‘when Tame to write the book, AB: And theres quite bit from you column in yout lst book, The ‘Real Ting, Isn't there? ‘TH: Yes, tha’smy collected journalism with pieces from Cras ‘and The Spectator. There's the TLS 100, a8 well a dhe Independent and the Independent on Sunday. Ali: Is there a book that you're most proud of? ‘TH: Noc eally. There are some things ve written that lished t nad’, but those are my thece beloved books. This sounds rather vain, but think they each work for ‘the rafts ina diferent wa My most recent book s forthe ‘Whitechapel Gallery, part ofits ‘Documents of Contemporary Art seties. tis a highly theoretical seties and Fve been given the word “erat to play wth, Irs quite challenging because ie was evident ‘that this bool wa craft through the Jens offine art. However, Ihave ‘brought in awhole section on craft ‘within industry as wells looking at vvemacular of folk art and the way i links up with are practice ABET don’t ano if this is ‘something you'd say about yourself, That you da seem to want to reach new audiences and make things accessible to more people, Will dis ‘book bea suprise? ‘THE: Thope so I's funny, Tselected ins pieces in a rebellions spirit Jhecause I'd just been sent a book called Vitemin C that was packed ‘vith exciting ceramics by ne artists, This was OK on is own terms but the introduction was £0 ‘od: it completely erased the hiscory of studio ceramies, as fit hhad never happened. Pm quite Snerested in boundaries and classification [AB And what's next? ‘TH: I'm not completely sure. have ‘become quite interested in sculpture and its crafted ‘underpinnings. But there's so much smote to be dane on the historical aspects ofthe crafts movement. AB: Where do you think British crafts atthe moment? Are we ina {good place? ‘THE: [dont think we're in such a defined place as we used tobe When started, craftspeople gathered and exhibited regulary. ‘There were more galleries, the Crafts Council played a mach more pro-active role and ofcourse, had sts own galley. [thinks all going tobe reassessed, we're sort of back tothe 1920s. All the courses are closing down, s if you really want togodown the road of ceramics or tentilesit's a case of reinventing the ‘wheel. e's what figures ike Leach and Gardev did. They didn’ go ‘off to industry to find ou how to sake pots; they took ll kinds of| archaic rowes, Ofcourse, new routes might include the digital realm or even that ofthe factory, currently an exotic place of interest tomiakers ofall kinds,inover3o exhibitions and so books, made regular contributions to periodicals including Cros and nurtured critical thinking in numerous art and design schools, Glenn Adamson’s positions one ofthe ‘mos infiuetial people in British craft is surely earned by is productivity alone. Butt isthe ‘quality and clarity af the thinking that courses throughout these and all his endeavours, a wellas his supportiveness, that merits Adamson this accolade [irst came across his ideas in 7s Phnking Through Crap its timely appearance anticipating crafts surge in popularity Exploring erft’s condition in relation to moder ar, the book's ‘ile and inclusive approach has contributed wits status 383 foundational text for unpicking the field's pas and present. Adamson has continued to equip practitioners of ll kinds withthe Irnowledge, tools and platforms ro understand and champion making, In 2009 he presented The Gra Reader, the fist modern craft anthology: The book's diversity, featuring authors from William Mortis to Alfred Gell, and the coherency with which Adamson ‘marshalled these different voices together, is typical ofhis practice as writer, curator and educator more generally. They arealso features of ‘The Journal of Modern Cr the ist peer-reviewed journal in tis are, ‘which he launched in 2008 with ‘Tanya Harrod and Edward Cooke sr. Now overscen by an expanded editorial team of established and emerging craft experts, the journ hha become an important publishing outlet and research repository fr eat writing Adamson's contributions to this ‘magazine have been manifold. One lf the most memorable is surely from 2013, when he unexpectedly suid ‘goodbye to craft. He was not, of course, taking leave of erat itself, ‘It is the quality and clarity of his thinking that merits Adamson this accolade’ CATHARINE ROSSI but rather saw its popularity as sig that twas time to say goodbye tocraft as a cause, or mission’ This willingness to provoke, to take risks, to recognise how crafts shifting satus necessitates {questioning hovr we thine and tale bout it offers valuable lessons for those involved in furthering craft colt in Britain and elsewhere, [exhibicions are a key conduit for championing craft, and he has taken a leading role in shaping numerous ingential shows including the (Grafts CouncilV8A collaboration Power of Mating, to curating the delightful Fis, Fs, Pix at Gallery $ fn2013, and ensuring era's presence in prominent platforms ‘such asthe 2017 Bearley Designs of the Year at che Design Muscum, ‘Adamson has of course had. impact outside the UK, particularly inhis native USA, This is where his career took of 38 acurator atthe CChipstone Foundation, before taking up an influential reseatch and teaching role atthe V&A Leaving London ip 2013 to take on the directorship of New York's Museum of Arts and Design, he fs rently senior scholar a the Yale Center for British Art. British audiences stil get to benefit rom his work together with Martina Droth and Simon Olding he recently eo-eurated Tig of Beauty Growing: Bish Studio Pater, which opened at Cambridge's Fitewiliany Museum in March ‘And there's more in the pipeline ‘This summer ses the publication \Wisiom of Objects, which promises tabea timely exploration ofthe values that eraft objects embod. Injust over 10 years Adamson has become one ofthe most influential voices in craft, nt just in the UK but internationally too. Ie is exiting ro sce whet he'll get upto inthe next decade CCtieine Ross senior turer design history, Kingston UniversityGrayson Perrys aman of many pares. There's the jester, always ready witha handy one liner - the :most famous was on winning the ‘Turer Prize in 2003, hen he sai “Wel ies about time a tansvestite ‘won the Turner Prize. I think the are orld had more trouble coming toserms with me being a potter than my choice of frocks! Then GRAYSON there's the author and TV PERRY documentary maker And most importantly ofcourse, there's the artist and maker of satial, nd sometimes cursos, pots. He bas aways had an ambivalent relationship wth crf, being both itsloudest advocate and ts harshest enti. In 2006 e rot ‘ove and admire craftsmanship ‘bur “cratt"has become a concept that Ido not always want identify ‘with fear ibs Become the ‘domain of adie in dangly earrings. fesecame nt drew contact vith him relay recently a Iwas responsible forthe Crafts Couns acaisition and subsequent national tour of The Esser Hewse Tapestries The Life of ale Cope. Sate to ay i brought chllenges The subject matter, sale and making process each posed questions Felatng to practic, production and authorship. Indecd the fact ‘hac ie wasnt made by Per himself Jed Some cities to question what work as doing ina public collection of Beitish contemporary raft And yt for us, Perry's refined appropristion of rat sill combined witha clear concept and ‘narrative, make him the poster boy for the Bel ‘Certainly he sone ofthe ‘very few figures with a genuinely Public profile willing to discuss the Importance of making: What I wil stand up for isthe relevance of rat inthe information age? he sida the Guardian in lay 2016. Some peopl think that crafts notalgie city ke nein with grandma. Tray crafts necessary and thriving more than ever? “As elas bluring the fixed identities ofareand erat through his work, Perry asks uso thin sku soci, politel and economic densities, He once referred 0 his pots as'naratve three dimensional oer[s). Through his writing “TV shows, Reith lectures and, of course his pots and other pices, hehas brought the importance cof rafttoa new andiene. Avnablle Compbel he of ‘ston and clletionsat the Gras ComeEDMUND DE WAAL Edmund de Weal says: ‘ike the simplicity of just calling myself a potter? Whatever his other contributions to culture and society, as writer, curator and even, ‘mast recently, asset designer for Wayne MeGregor de Waals frst and foremost a craftsman, Since the age of five, he has been committed tothe material of clay ‘Through hs teens he undertook an apprenticeship with the potter Geoftrey Whiting in parallel with his academic studies. He swept floors, prepared clay and putin 10,009 hours atthe whee! ‘Today, his beautiful coladon ‘esses, with ther subtle forms and laze, have ceased t be functional Object: they are units of meaning within larger are works, But they have not ceased tobe skilfully made by de Waal, expressive through, and not despite, the raft dsepline towhich he has dedicated himself His vitrines and installations, with their manifold cultural resonances, carry craft into the pompous balls of contemporary fine art and assert Its vieaity and power De Wil has, of course, also been anadvocate for eaft through his writing In his many books shout ceramics, asa criticand as ‘polemical biographer of Bernard each, be has been a central figure a) =f) in redefining the history, practice and significance of ceramics in the lotter par of the 20th and 21st centuries. His wonderful family memoir, The Hare with Amber Byes, isparly an extended meditation on the power ofhand crafted objects held inthe hand, ro accrue and ‘communicate mesning, Perhaps his mast controversial act was to co-curate with Simon Groom the Tate Liverpool show A Secret History of Gly: Prom Gauguin to Gorey in 2004, which revealed the extent 10 which much ‘modem and contemporary art and sculpture is haunted by the idea ofthe clay vessel offered adirect challenge tothe cultural barviers we erect beeen art and craft Finally, de Waal has been an ambassador fr erat in academe, in the art world and in society at large. ‘Wherever he goes as ceacher, judge, cxhibiton-maker, trustee, speed rakes, he goes also ava porter In this way he has transformed the generally perceive ima ofthe potter and craftsman from ‘reclusive, mute ruralist 0 an urbane public intellectual, cosmopolitan, learned, but stil profoundly committed t he craft ‘which has beens lifes work Emuma Crickton-Miler is co-author of Badman de Waa! (Phaidon Press) MAGDALENE ODUNDO Magdalene Odundo’s terracotta vessels eary an indefatigable personal signature, and seem to reflect ancient ritual. They are of the present and the past local and imvemational, She is herseF aleve toworld cultures and artefacts, and iffher practice seems to derive in some essential way from Africa, her peripatetic education and career (Gehich has taken her ftom Kenya to India and finaly to England) have given her sophisticated and wide-reaching viewpoint Magdalene brings this to bear asa teacher ~ teaching has enabled her, she has sai, to find new "understandings of her on work asapotter She was a formidable professor of ceramics at her ala mater (then the Fersham School ‘of Art, now the University fr the (Creative Ars) There cannot be ‘many ceramists who have charted the Tong course from student to ‘emeritus professor then chancellor ‘ofthe same universicy. This san ‘exceptional and distinguished achievement for someone who is deeply modest and bears her great honours with light toch, though ‘they mean a good dea ther. ‘These days Magdalene is sought, after as an aristin-esidence, and she will enter these commitments, ‘more often than notin the United States (most recently in Hawai), prepared for long days in the sttio, ‘expecting her students stay the ‘course with her, She has quiet, stately buming energy. She can also captivate an aience. I was privileged to join her ata panel Session inthe Yale Center for Brish Are at the opening of Things of Baauty Growing: British Sto Pottery (in which four ofher pots swore displayed) The irs ew seconds herrayed her nerves; the next hour her easy command, Magdalene’ influence on Bitish studio ceramics i andamentally situated on her dignified allusive body of ceramics, imbued with what Emmanuel Cooper calle ‘their BE ; ‘Magdalene’s ceramics matter because they remind us what it is to be human’ SIMON OLDING ‘combination ofthe ancient and the progressive, Bast and West, secular And saered. More recently she has designed glasswork of extraordinary scale and ambition, such as ‘Tria -Usfor the Notional Glass Centre. Inthe words of Martina Margcts, it intertwined biographical memory with eraft practice, which she summarises like 4 poetic incantation’ She isan artist ofthe deeply personal and the mythie seep, Her ‘ceramics matter because they Femind us what itis tobe human, land how we may hsten to our own stories, longings and hopes, ‘Simon Olds director ofthe Crafts Study CentreAlove: Brovch wh Fur ye Adam Pao, 280 tnd below Somethin of SIR NICHOLAS GOODISON ‘one of the eraft work's Ieading patrons, Goodison is both an Important scholar aswell asa collector He has ad a remarkable career, having been chairman ofthe 88) and the "TSB Group (1989-95) Imporeanty 00, he chaired the Courtauld Institute of Art, the National Aet Colletions and the Crafts Counc ‘Arguably is greatest legacy though = with his wife, Judith isthe Goodison Gift to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, an extraordinary collection of ‘contemporary craft assembled ‘over the past two decades 7 LISA HAMMOND A ine soda-fieing potter in her own right, who has been ‘working successfully for 40 yeas, teaching extensively and raking on apprentices, Hammond (top left) also makes the list for her educational work. The Adopt a Potter Charitable Trast has raised money to fund apprentices to work vith master porters, while her largest project to date, Clay College in Stoke-on-Trent, opened last yea ‘With specialist craft-based courses in higher education under threat, the college could bea sign ofthe sway education wil goin the future, (See Rosy Greenlees, page 102) s MARTINA MARGETTS ‘One ofthe most engaging and vital voices in British eraft for the past three decades, Margetts (above) has been a senior tutor in erica and historical studies a the Royal College ‘of Art Before this she was the editor ‘of Grats for almost a deeade. She thas also been groundbreaking ‘curator with shows suc as The Raw ‘and the Cooked (with Alison Britton) land Objects of Our Tine, the Crafts ‘Counc’ asth anniversary show. Meanwhile, books have included ‘monographs on silversmith Michael Rowe and designer Tord Boonge In short, when she speaks people inevitably listen,PHILIP HUGHES (ver the past 25 years Hughes (ith his deputy director Jane Gerrard) has done an extraordinary thing: creating the nation’s ‘most vibrant and euting-edge contemporary craft gallery in a emote town n North Wales. In 2008 the Ruthin Craft Centre was re-designed by architect Sergison Fates and now contains three galleries, sixariss studios, retail space, education and residency workshops and a café. Hughes has slso produced a sting of important publications and devoted shows to the likes of Simone ten Hompel and Michael frennand: Wood, SARAH GRIFFIN Griffin (above) is awoman of many guises, being both a collector ‘of note, an independent curator responsible fora string of exhibitions showcasing the ‘work of up-and-coming makers, and a tireless advocate for contemporary craft. She possesses the sharpest of eyes, and was an early collector oflarge-seale ‘works bythe likes of Edmund de ‘Waal ang Julian Stair Shows have included The Neture of “Things and Material Lang Kew Work in Clay at the Nes Centre and Modern Ma Chatsworth House art ef: uth Craft Centre in Denbigh Wake, Huge lowe Sra Roomy Edmund de BUBBLING UNDER.. Those knocking on the door of the top 10 12= Annabelle Campbell, i ions and colectons, Grats Counci Caroline Broadhead, maker 14 Clare Twomey, maker ‘Adrian Sassoon, glen’ owner Sarah Corbett, funder, Crptvit Collective Daniel Charny, profesor af dsign, Kingston Univers, Landon 18> Alison Britton, nara educator Jonathan Anderson, fashion dsizir and reative director, LOEWE 20, Rosy Greenlees, executive dirstor, NOMINATORS Glenn Adamson, curator and writer Alison Britton, mater and educator Daniel Charny profesor af design, ngson mma C rap al sign writ ‘vonna Demezynska, founder, Flow Gallery Deirdre Figueiredo, cvector,Grajtspace ‘Amanda Game, independent curator thor Imogen Greenhalgh, assistant eto, Cras? Rosy Greenlees xscutive director, Covel Tanya Harrod, ert writer, author nd colunoist Philip Hughes, dvetor, Ruthin Craft Genre Barney Hare Duke, ave director British Ceramics Bionial, Christina Jansen, The Scots Gallery Corinne Julius, crf writer and curator Stephen Knot, writer, essa an lecture CCheistine Lalumi Contemporary Applied A Fiona Logue, director, © Patricia Lovett, i chain Heritage Cras Association Sarah Mana, director of Architecture Design Psion, Brith Council Sarah Myerseough, finder, Sarat Myerscough Gallery imon Olding, clinton, Gas ya Patel, Catharine Ross, senior lecturer in Design History, Kingvon University Guy Saleer, shatr, London Crap Week Fi Scot, founder, Moke Works VVanessx Swann, cock Annie Warburton, eative dracon, rafts Counc Daniella Wells, gules ion, Cole Robin Wood, mater and former Heritage Cr Sabine Zetteler founder, Zteer (Creative Publi scotlandPUPPET MASTERS Ian Mackinnon and Peter Saunders have made puppets for Hollywood blockbusters such as Corpse Bride and Fantastic Mr Fox. They explain the tricks of their trade to Julia Jarvis-Knell The adage ‘the patience of sareer of a puppet maker ach project means the creation of a unique set cof hand-crafted characters There are clear com- seraints working to scale with tiny components, hhand-painting slithers that will become a puppets eyelids, tension wires that must be threaded theough puppet fingers, perfectly aligned co ensure the wites don’t stick through the puppets skin, Every detail must be as perfect at scale os when iti viewed inaction on te Dig sereen. In short, puppet making is a career for the dedicated, patient, meticulous and obsessed. Tan Mackinnon and Peter Saunders have made ‘career of puppet making. Their figures have starred in Tim Burton's Mare Attacks! (996 ‘Corpse Bride (2005) and Frankenweenie (2012), and Wes Anderson's Fantasie Mr Fx (2009), a8 ‘well asa huge amount of British children's ani mation over the years, including Bob the Bu Ran Raa the Noizy Lion, The They both learnt sk at Congrove Hall oductions, a children’s television company in ster that produced some of the best forte BBC decd igh the Sendman, 9, lected by Paul Berry loved animate chil 808, from Noddy t0 7 andthe Whee. ‘oth makers have always had an affinity with puppets: for Saunders, se was Haryhasen films | and the original King Kong that sparked his ima ination, while Mackinnon was drawn to hand § puppets growing up, i: puss. Neither expected to make a career in It: # ‘Nobody from Rochdale ever went to work in th fim industry? remarks Saunders wyiy. ‘was just very lucky chat one of the directors of Cos grove Hall sae my work and sid, “well offer you & five weeks’ work and pay yo Te was the beginning of & working telationship ‘hae would lat for as ton, who spotted some of his xt of petty cash Recon her bee, Ae ee months college, Saunders suggested Mackinnon 1 like to work with @ friend of his sn London. “It © was very exciting, my fits pad job was for Gerry © Anderson, who did Thunderbirds and a lot of shows that'd grown up with he says,for Cosgrove Hall Produetions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thames Television, fe was a purple patch for British animation, ‘atime where pro- jects were getting commissioned and there 35 ‘growing interest in the animation discipline’, ‘explains Mackinnon, People had time to develop, their skills and to learn the craft of puppet making and stop-rame animation. 1 as like being paid to go to animation university in ‘8 way, it developed this hub of animation talent in the North West? It was not to last. Cosgrove Hall was wound down over a period of @ few years when Thames Television los its franchise So, n 1992 the pair decided to set up their ov Puppet-making company Mackinnon & Saunders don’t necessarily make what you might think of as a puppet. They are not string puppets like Pinocchio or those manipulated using rods connected to their arms, like tim Henson's Muppets. Theis have hinged metal skeletons with ball-and-tocket joints, ide all sorts of wice and tension cabling in and faces thatthe animator can, tse to create the performance The majority of their puppets are hand: crafted and isa slow, collaborative process. In their workshops at any one time, there will be makers working on Plasticine sculptures, paint- {ng models, creating parts for steel armatures, designing and producing costumes, 30 printing silicone faces, wiring head mechanisms, even spending weeks on a puppet’ air. in the first stages, i's essentlal ro decide on the scale of the puppets as this will determine the size ofthe sadio set. Once all the technical clements ate agreed, the characters are then developed into more refined models and deci sions are made on the facial fertures and ‘costumes for each character. Finally, with th exterior Form approved, the puppet m ‘can start to bull the skeletons that go cach puppet ‘There's a comforting familiarity to many of ‘the materials they use, too, We love Plasticine,” says Mackinnon, ‘We've tried all sorts of clay ‘over the years but Plasticine is the one we alsays ‘come back to, When kids visit the studios they ‘can sce it's just taking the time to work with ito the finish you want,’ Mackinnon recalls Above makingthe wig for ed ar let heads for the character of Vicor fromthe sane fl, Lee tsa the ety of Bisa puppst Foe The Sporting Act watching the knitted Clangers as a child and being totally enthralled by thems“ always knew they were made of wool, I's like Postman Pat, he's made of abit of bals, hair and felt ~ kids know. Wool and felt are everyday materials, so there's areal magic there; t's as if thelr oven toys are being brought to life. And both men continue to derive huge pleas ure from making children’s television “Kids are 8 very discerning audience; confirms Mackinnon, ‘They won’ sit in front of a show unless i's really engaging, o all the aspects, fom the story telling tothe look and the puppetry; has to really excite and interest them’ But stil, there's noth ing that quite compares to working on a Holly ‘wood feature film. Back in 1991 Saunders made The Sanden, a Gothic short film ssith a macabre twist. few years later he received a phone call from some ‘one claiming to be Tim Burton's producer. “This woman phones up and says her name is Laurie Parker, recalls Saunders, ‘and she sounds a if she has a synthetic American voice’ Initially he thougit it was an elaborate joke as there was a sculptor in the studio atthe time who liked toial make hoax calls, ‘So I thought 1 could see through it and I was a litle bit cross, really, because I thought wouldn't this be lovely if it ‘A week later Macikinnon and Saunders were ona fight to New York to meet Tim Burton and discuss his latest project at the time, Mars Attack, Within six weeks they were upscaling to 2 team of 70 in Manchester and Los Angeles to create puppets forthe production, “Tim Burton is fantastic because he sketches a1, says Mack- innon “The process stared with Mars Arto! evolved over Corse Bride and went on to Frank fonveenie, Burton would give us vaguc, early sketches and we'd quielly model them up 08 Plasticine maquettes. He'd look at them, react with more sketches and then you'd develop it from there’ Corpse Bride remsins one of Mackinnon's favourite projects, because at that time there were so many people telling them that they'd never make stop-mocion puppetry agai. “twas an era when digital technology was becoming the leading medium,’ he recalls, “Toy Story and Jurassic Park were huge, so when Corpse Bride -Above:the ron Chicken Pppet frome The Caner ete adjsing the tention ofthe mchaninn nade Fx happened everyone invested @ lot of time and efor in it. The mood was, its was the last one then let's enjoy.” ‘Since Corpse Bride, the stop-motion animation industry has flourished and evolved. The norm now is to shoot digitally on SLR cameras, says Mackinnon, ‘and you get this mix where certain parts ofthe puppet might be created by hand and other parts 30 printed. 1's not that one replaces the other, but rather how we use all the tools available tothe best of our abi” In terms of the performance, however, there's not much that’s changed since the 19306. I's still an animator working on their own ina stu- ‘dio with a puppet character, frame by frame,’ says Mackinnon, which isthe same process they were using forthe original King Kon” Being an animator requires a certain kind of temperament. If a puppet character wants t0 raise her hand and that action takes @ second, then the animator will have to make 24 incre- mental moves to her arm. Often this action is happening simultaneously with other parts of het body moving or the characteris talking (0 the lips need to be synched to the audio track), all of which wil nce to be moved precisely and methodically one by one, An animator on a film produces only about six seconds of footage a week, which gives a clear indication of how time-consuming and deval-focused the whole process is. Similarly, puppet making requires an inordi- nate amount of patience and dedication ‘Mackinnon & Saunders has a mult-diseiplinary team of product designers, jewellers, ceramists sculptors, painters and ilistrators who all spe” cialise in different aspects of the production process. ‘As a group of people, the common denominator is that we love working with our = Saunders. t's the tactile nature of i all, whether you're manipulating Plasticine, han- ing fabries or metalwork. 1tS not a virtual ‘world isa real word and you're creating things out of nothing” (On 20 May Ian Mackinnon wilt discuss the work of Mackinnon & Saunders at the premiere of their remastered 1992 fl ‘The Sanday at Rea! Reel: ‘Te Cra Fl Festival. Soe page 15. eraptscoinciLorgakrar ackmanandenorscomsauor vosaoun.y kq AydesSor0yd uones0y “No spuy Uosqiy Juv4y ZoduRYo 02 INoge ssuyyA ore Ng “SaTEM\ YON UT aWOY IOI Wor soTUTeJED poUTe.Nsad {NyNeag oyLUE SIOIWAA I[LL Pue sourer‘There is something interesting stirring in the Carmarthenshire countryside. For years the ‘ceramies cognascenti has known where it stood ‘with the work of James and Tila Waters, Their pots aren’ going to shift any paradigms = you ‘won't find thelr pieces in dmund de Waals ot Boo for instance, nor do they appear in the Fitzwiliam’s expansive exhibition devoted to British studio ceramics, Things of Reauty Growing = but after opening thelr workshop more than 15 years ago the pair have buile upa loyal following. ‘And that's largely because ther pieces are quiet, ‘unobtrusive and conventional with some unex pected and enjoyable splashes of colour and pattern. They're also functional and, above all, beautifully made ‘The first rumbles that something was afoot ‘came in a newsletter from the Mayfair-based store, The New Graftemen, “This May,” it announced, ‘they willbe refocusing their prac: tice to concentrate on one-off commissions and arworks. This means their much sought-after tableware pleces will pas into the realm of co! lector’ items” ‘On one hand this was a reasonably brazen attempt to sell any outstanding stock, bur on the fother it appeared to announce a genuine sea ‘change in the pairs practice. The fac that they alo have a show coming up at the New Crafts ‘man Gallery in St Ives, a8 well as an utterly ‘charming flm appearing inthis year's Rel to Reel film festival at London Picturehouse Central felt like too much ofa coincidence. And soit seemed the right time to jump in a ear and head for North Wales 1's worth pointing out at this stage quite how remote their home and workshop is. When you type the postcode of the studio Into Google ‘Maps, a pin with their name comes up and there appears to be nothing other than rolling green hills around them. It ook them a fll two years to transform an old cowshed into the light filled (end extremely tidy) workshop I wal into today. Irs a gorgeous, rather contemplative environ ment and as we sit down to share some Tunch in the adjacent farmhouse they bought in 2000 1 {get the distinct impression that they area litle Introspective, happy not robe surrounded by too ‘many people, “The couple both come from fine art back- grounds ~ Tila studied at Bath, while James attended the Slade ~ and met when they son apprenticeships at Rupert Spiras studio. They artived there via rather different routes. After leaving university Tilla caught art in secondary schools, but somehow the job didn't quite fee! right. Shed first bumped into Spa a the Chel ‘ea Crafts Fair and told him she ws a fan of hie ‘work, ‘He had mentioned to me then that he took apprentices, but I wasn't quite ready to ‘think I ould do chat asa career; she explains, 1 was only when she was applying for teach ing postions and repeatedly failed to land them ‘that she realised she might need to change tack ‘T'was always the second choice and this head- ‘master sad that he didn’ think my heart was in it. That made me wonder where my heart sas, fand it was very easy to realise that it yas in ‘ceramies, Then I thought about Rupert’ She sill, tha to wait fortwo years until a vacancy became ‘open. "There was.a waiting list’ she laughs James, meanwhile, initially continued [pining after leaving the Slade hefore deciding fine art wasn’t for him. “l don’t think | really believed suicienly in what Isvas doing to em ally make i’ he tells me. He lived a peripatetic lifestyle, working on organic farms in Orkney ‘In hospital Pd had aromantic idea that Pd like to be a potter. It was sort of a mixture of art and farming’ JAMES WATERS, ‘roms SSouteaur | ppt gape otand Somerset before he was kicked by a horse and ended up in hospital with @ upeure liver. Subsequently he travelled to Germany, briefly teaching English as a foreign language, though all the while an idea had started to germinate ‘When { was in hospital Pd had a romantic idea that Pike to be a potter. Ie was sor of a mix- ture of art and farming, a kind of middle ground, e's duringa near-death experience that you real- ise you can indulge romantic fantasies and pursue them and see where they go. ‘He contacted the Crafts Counel to get alist of ceramists who took on apprentices, and Spira’s name emerged, “I didn’t know anything bout ceramics a ally he remembers. ‘1 wrote & hana of lerers to ones that looked interesting or nice. Rupert was one of those." He arrived to start his apprenticeship six months after his future wife. “I was really looking forward to James coming before he arrived because I just thought it would be nice to have someone my age to goout with, recalls Tila t's obvious from the shore time we spend together quite what a crucial role Spira had on their carers, Ie sounds as though he was a hard taskmaster ‘it was very regimented’ Tila 533, ‘Hee had very high expectations of everyone, which was great. Ie was beautfil and seemed to ‘be healthy, successful and LToved learning. {vas ‘orally blown overby the whole set up" They ae clear about his importance to the aesthetic, ‘Our shapes are vory influenced by him,’ explains Tilla, “He was very good at nuance of form, I would say. We were slightly brainwashed I sup- pose. He was all 'd ever known, chimes James. Twas a blank canvas They became ensconced in Spira's work — James even lived in a timber wagon around the bck ofthe studio, without electricity for awhile ~ staying on after their apprenticeships were lover. A personal relationship developed, but ‘when the time felt right to leave in 2000 and. star up on thelr own (Tilla wes pregnant with the frst of their three daughters atthe time) they fced something ofa quandary. They'd ooky“Tilla’s got quite a strong idea of what she wants stuff to look like. It’s kind of annoying if I dilute her vision’ JAMES WATERS: ever known Spira’s studio, They wanted to make functional ware, but how did they diferente themselves from their former master? ‘One ofthe dtferences between our appren: ticeship and doing a dogrce in ceramics was that ie was all about Rupert's work? says Tila He would give us one of his shapes and tell us t make a dozen of those and then glaze them in his glaze. There wasn’ anything like the empha sis on finding a personal style. And he did't particularly encourage us todo that ~ he wanted to teach us to become competent throwers. But he also, understandably, dida’t vant us to go away and make work that was just ike his, The couple got around this by working pre dominantly in porcelain rather than Spins trademark stoneware (although more recently they've retumed to the material). They also decided quickly on how to divide the labour. Essentially, ames does all che throwing while Tila is in charge of decoration and colour. It seems, on the surface at leas, that she's the dri ing creative force of the pair, while he brings the purity of form. If we use anew glaze i's proba- bly because Ive decided that I wanted a new col- our. But it's never that simple. When James is throwing we will often discuss the form, Tila’ got quite a strong idea of what she wants stuf to Took lik,” adds James. “t's kind of annoying if 1 dilute her vision. Rather than drawing” he divecely onto the picces. Healers have alays been a bit of a sketch book for my decorating, she says. “They're relatively quick and easy to throw so they're quite an unpressured thing to play with, inthe past 1 would say to James that Pd really ike a batch of beakers to get my hands ‘on “And that’s rms to my eas, really? he says, ‘grin spreading aross his face, ‘So what about this new work? Is their prac tice on the cusp of change? Maybe, appears to be the answer. They actually started making much larger, one-off, higher priced cylindrical or jug forms in 2012 but have been encouraged to er ste further pieces bya regular collector. Whe IMwai Mi ‘Li eHrive Till s busy applying rows of large white dots toa recently thrown, oversized, jug she's less than satisfied at the result. At the time of waiting they remain uncertain whether these newer pieces will hein their St Ives show What is clear Is that they're keen to getaway from making high-volume tableware, produced to a formula. Partly this can be ascribed to the fact that it increasingly lacked Tilla out of the process, but also because James was finding the workload physically taxing, particularly on his back. They describe the newer pleces as ron-funetional bu this, I think, is rela term, ‘I love functional ware in the way it becomes par of your life says Tila. You inter ct with if, you don’t have to question it. I's just, ‘quietly doing is job and you have a relationship with i. The simplicity f tha is very appealing bt to he liberated from it, where something ean bbe much mote about transparency, colour and tone or it can be about containment and move ‘mentor it ean be very solid and state, Those are the kind of things I'm thinking of when I'm doing the non-functional work” The pices are stil discernibly vessels, though pir haven’t gone the whole Nao Matsun aga, for instance. While they won't seare off the existing fan base, the jugs are undoubtedly mod at slightly different market ~ galleries rather than sraightforward retail So what of he future? Where, I wonder, does this leave the Waters, ‘We ask ourselves the same question: what kind of potters are we? And I don't know? concludes Tila.‘ don’t know what kind of work well be making in 10 years time. Lwauld be sur prised ifwe don’t always make mugs, but I need tobe engaged and be able co have input Perhaps the exhibition at the New Craftsman Gallery will be an indication of which diction they're choosing to take works by Hames and A selection a Waters Boon show atthe New Craftsman Gallery, St Ive 1226 ur, 28 April - 23 May. nstvescom ‘I love functional ware in the way it becomes part of your life. It’s just quietly doing its job and you have a relationship with it’(On the third loor ofa converted multi-storey car park in Peckham, South London, an art studio ‘begins to fill wth people. lesa Thursday evening in early Mareh, and laughter bounces from the whitewashed walls, home to various framed prints and paintings. An oversized, free flowing ‘ceramic jug sits on top ofa crate, while across ‘the room, vations desig products and book are sold. Knots of visitors chister around the dtfer cent works ~ a large ceramic frieze by Mawuena Kattah, for instance, and a handful of deadpan typographic slogans by Andre Williams. ‘t's a clsastr’reads one, ‘Hard Labour quips another. In one corner, a towering eake decked with ‘the words Home Sweet Home’ provides achiet0 the celebratory mood of the gathering: hhouse-warming for Intoart, the are and design studio working inclusively with people with learning disabilities, now proudly installed in the new Peckham Levels development. Before the cake is ut, there is time for a performance by Intoart member Ntiense Eno Amooquaye. ‘She sees sunshine theough the window? reads Amoo {quaye from a page in her poetry collector “Standing on the stage She is Juliet) Reading her covwn script? Inoart began life as an eight-week project ~ a series of hands-on art workshops culminating in {temporary exhibition, Founded in 2001 by Fla Ritehie and Sam Jones, both graduates fom Central Stint Martins’ fine are printmaking department, the organisation has since grown Ino all-time are studio and collective, ex Funding. Its vision, in its own words, i for peo ple with learning disabilities to be visible, equal An established artists’, which it fosters through ‘an artistic programme, creating opportunities Yor production, leadership and audience engage ment’. Aiming to remove barriers to participa tion, openings are shared via a network of connected volunteer organisations and social BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS Pioneering visual arts charity and collective Intoart has the keys to a brand new studio. Imogen Greenhalgh pays them a visit. Portraits by Camilla Greenwell no Amooguge kon Ieee Sting oe services scross three London boroughs (Lambeth, Southwrark and Lewisham), and potential new members are invited along to taster sessions. And the work that emanates from the studio proves broad and multifarios, covering a range of macerils and disciplines Visiting artists, designers and collaborators are regularly drafted in, co each on subjects and techniques ranging from ceramics to fashion illustration. But underlying everything, like kind of anchor, isthe drive for each artist to develop a voice thats endrely thelr own, Thanks to its move to @ mote permanent hhome and a five-fold increase in space, Intoart now offers year-long course in addition to an expanded studio programme, Modeled on a tra ditional ar foundation, its fist cohort recently enrolled, With mainstream arts schools inacces- sible to most people with learning disebilites, this structured course marks an important step towards redressing a pervasive imbalance interms of learning opportunities, and is a mile- stone for the orgenisation. “The musie and performance sector has always been stronger vith better investment, but the visual ats less so historically? co-founder and director Ritchie tells ime, when we moet afew days after the launch. "Traditionally its been this kind of community arts ype thing, done in day centres and so ont ‘wasn’t scen as an are practic by professionals” ‘While sila student, she witnessed this fst- hand when she was invited to lead an ar session with a group of learning disabled young adults, Handed some Pritt Sticks and sugar paper, she realised the discrepancy between the tools avai- thle to this group, and those given to her at art school. As with any new venture, the investment in expertise and equipment tells a revealing story. “But what if they were given the same tool she asked, ‘How might this change things around? Ie is better now but there's still a long, Tong way 0 go" Given the context, you might deem a former car park an incongruous setting for meaningful change to get underway, but the building has an established relationship withthe are word, home to Bold Tendencies, a long-term, not for profit project set up by local galerie Hannah Barry ‘With uninterrupted views across South London towards the city, and flexble internal spaces ~ par gallery, part studio complex, part food hall Peckham Levels sims tobe a place of connection and creativity, and so the move for Intoart is bout mach more than bricks and mortar ~ of ‘more aptly inthis instance, reinforced concrete ‘As well as being apen tothe public, witha mix of commercial outlets selling everything from haireus to hamburgers, there ae scores other creatives housed under the same roof. A quick skim through the members’ list and you spot {hriving ceramics studio The Kiln Rooms s well 25 music producers, fashion labels, jewellers, ‘violin maker and a darkroom photography studio, paving the way for countless future col: laboratons. In shor, geting the keys for Studio 30S has put Intoart atthe heart of something : Achieving this level of party with fellow prac titloners has always been a central strand to Intoat's mission, whether i's taking parti firs or applying for exhibitions. Notably, che collec- ‘tive maintains a distance between its own ont and the burgeoning public (and commercial) interest in outsider art’ ~ a loose, umbrella term for work made outside the traditional parame ters of the art world, And the same goes for projects which foreground specific syndromes or disabilities; essentially, Ritchie says, it boils down toa mismatch in ambitions. If you want to sel identify within that conten, i's the choice ofthe individual, but that's not where we're at both i terms ofthe cmntext in which the work is made, and what the word “outsider” connotes) she explains firmly ‘People who come to Intoart aren’ outside of society, t's about inchsion.™ In practice, this has meant turning down opportunities, both for exposute and potential income streams, but, she reasons, this ability to say no is also a vital source of strength think its a misconception that it’s about celebrating everything as amazing. No, Theresa criticality to Instcio 36; cliton igh’ ned ceramic series None, yes, out; Weight Spee “embroidcred patches Wig inthe stad what we do, theresa questioning” Returning to the studio on a sunny Friday afternoon, trains rumble past as various members ofthe collective get on with individual projects. Clifton Wright, a member since 2004 is working on a dork, graphic portit using char- coils, turning to the work of photographer August Sender for inspiration. Largely working with oll bars and pastels, he has also recently produced a collection of ceramics, based on his tater porteat Borrowed Piss, experimenting with the precise challenges set by glaze. More ceramies might materialise in the future but next, he explains, he'd like to work witha fashion designer eguin, satisfied with the jumpsuit made with designer Holly Futon, inspired by avant- garde artist Sonia Delaunay and the Science “Museums blockbuster Czsmonauas exhibition ‘When pressed on what beinga pare of Invoart provides, Wright doesn't hesitate: ‘It gives peo- ple confidence,’ he replies, ‘but atthe end of the day i's about being a collective and an indvidoal at the same time, On my own, wouldn't know what people's response would be to my art work, = co =And i's easy to see how crss-polination and discussion might unfold in the studio, As ‘co-founder Sam Tones explains, everyone gains from the diferences in perspective and know! ‘edge inthe room. On a neatby table Ameoguaye, whose practice combines poetry with image making, textiles and) performance, gathers together folders of material from her recent residency st the Texture Maseum in Korth, Belgium, for which she was awarded a competi tive grant by the Arts Council and British Cou ci, Blending historical research with, in her ‘words, “dreams and memories’, she produces intensely visual and allusive vignettes, inter. persed with references drawn from the pages of books and boxes of archives Tt was pattern that brought Amooquaye to Kort invited to take part in an exhibition on the subject atthe museum, which documents the history of flax, inen and lace production in Burope. There, she devised a new spoken-word performance and poems exploring textile history ‘and ideals of beauty, as well as the life of Matilda ff Flanders. I's a rich palette from which to raw and, routinely, words and phrases break free from the pages of her notebooks, only £0 reappear on canvases and fabric, For her perfor ‘mance in Belgium, one line ~ "Standing on the ‘stage She is Juliet ~ was printed in etters onto a large swathe of linen that hung behind her, ike @ kind of mantra ‘Another member to have won # prestigious rant from the Ars Council is Mawruena Kattah, ‘and three of her paintings have been acquired for its permanent collection, currently on Toan to Walls Have Ears, at Aston Hall in Bimingham, Inclusion in a high-profile show suchas this isan {important boon forthe artis, placing her along side celebrated luminaries including Lynette ‘Yiadom-Boakye and Richard Wilson Ie is the latest in a string of achievements, including a resideney at the Vs where she ‘worked with ceramist Matt Raw on a vast, ied frieze, now hanging in the studio, and 2 solo show at Tendertooks (all featured in a fia in Roa! to Ret last year), The sum of five months? ‘work in the V&s ceramics studio on the sixth floor, the frieze depicts Kattah, her mother and hher aunt admiring her collection of batik textiles, in the tradition of conversation piece paintings. Seated at the centre, gesturing to something beyond the frame, is Kattah, who provides the scene with ts central activating focus Back inthe studio, and she is in the midst of nev installation: a dining table, populated by ‘wooden sculprres based on her stdies of table ‘ware, et which people wil be invited to eat. $0 often in Kattah’s art, it visits themes of family, ‘community and shared experience, as well as revelling in the joys of colour, and the playful possibilities of scale and dimension, Crucially ‘too, it’s participatory - an invitation for dialogue and the nourishing possiblities of exchange. ‘While resoluely diverse in their output, what the collective’s members share, Ritchie expla, {san impressive drive to breae ground and sic ceed. tll our artists have to work really hard ‘she notes ‘They're committed to their practic, and ambitious, None oft just happens “his page, locks fom let ti tom ede aig Aout My Pare tes Bi arms ot ‘vit oer Han aed ‘rami Vines amt es sroereclour on pape, Opposite Kaan the ‘ion Pekham Levee Yet, even with the support Intoart provides, there are sil balers delimiting thelr progress: about these the charity's director is unequivocal In this country, you're just not going to get an artist with a leaming disability winning the Tumer Prize. Look atthe tjectory you need to take, in terms of art schools, group shows, solo shows, people really gunning for you. We're sil so faraway from that, she observes. ‘And Pm not holding the prize) up as the Holy Grail, but Ido ‘want t0 look at how we might get fo that pont. Because that's the mainstream ~ its on TV, is inthe newspapers, there's real public debate. Ritchie pauses for a moment, taking stock. "think # Would challenge expectations, but 0 do that you need to resource organisations on diferent scale to how we're resourced at the moment. There would need to be a significant shift in how we think abour diversity” When such a shift might occur is anyone's guess, but, standing among the artists in Studio 306, you begin to sense telltale tremors. As Amooquaye’s poem signalled, the stageis set. Fatoart ongApplied Arts cm DI=Ssi lela) 8 - 10 June 2018 Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre ih nl NEXUS MEETINGS AT THE EDGE 31 March ~ 10 June 2018REVIEWS Abird’s eye view of art Andy Holden & Peter Holden: ‘Natural Selection BS EESTI Ohbowerbird’s mating srueture; beret mimics its role in nature by providing AaTrame through which we vew other items on show, ‘One ofthe central themes ofthis hibition isthe process of collecting land display; just as birds gather materials for nesting, 0 humans collect information about the Bir ‘hat fascinate them, In this room we sce Peter's collection of feathers, the ‘carefully abelled specimens st against yellowing paper. Alongside them isa splay of nests arranged by Andy ina large virin, Some ofthese are replicas ‘made inthe artists studio and displayed ‘onplinths, form of presentation that levates them tothe status of art and asks us to see em afresh. The second half of the exhibition is devoted to an examination of cas collecting as culturel phenomencn, ‘This part ofthe show begins with aim installation called Tie Opposite of Time ‘One sercen we watch footage of famous egg collectors and thei spoils, ‘while on a large serge a alking erow, voiced by Andy, narrates the story while Aying across a backdrop of well-known landscape paintings (including works by Raviious, Monet and Hockney), An cevtraordinary tale unfolds, as we eam bow gentlemen egg collector ofthe 5th entry were followed bythe hobbyists, ‘whose desire to build collections ‘threatened the future ofthe birds they professed tolove, Even afer the stealing ‘of eggs became legal in 195, criminal collecting continued and resulted in the imprisonment of ts most serious ‘offenders including Richard Pearson, ‘notorious collector arested in 2006 after 7230 eggs were found in his home. Th the final room, Pearsons eit cag collections reerested in Andy's Snsallation, Hos the Arist Was Lo the Study of Nature The originals were destroyed asa warning to future ‘offenders, but ere they are painstakingly replicated as decorated porcelain eggs find presented in margarine tubs biscuit tinsand polystyrene boxes just asthe The film sets us up for the exploration of birds’ nests as sculptural objects etow scle-up ‘ecretlom of an Ausra werd maxing sera Topi corsa porcelain pgs haul was found, I’sa mesmerising sight, from the tiny speckled eggs ofthe obi upto the most prized specimens Jaid by the osprey and golden eagle (Our complex relationship with these ‘exquisite objecesis exposed: here sa display of things we admire and cover but must not touch, ‘Scattered through the exhibition are mementoes of Andy's childhood interest inbinds from photos ofhim holding scholarlyjournals to his drawings of ‘cartoon rok from an RSP magazine cited by his father These are hints that ‘one ofthe things going on here sa ype cof family therapy, an analysis ofthe relationship between father and son Itisalso therapy for us:by looking at how birds build their homes and ‘ear thelr young we reflect on ourselves as creatures of our desire to collect and classify of the art we make. Most ‘devastatingly of all, this poetic show tlsoforeesusto confront the destruction oer peng seviceAproper craftsman “Making Things Right: yO Thorsen (fronsatd by Sean Kinsale) Published by Machchase Press, £6.99 hb Reviewed by Grant Gibson It feels entirely appropriate that Robert. Penn, author of The Mae Who Made ‘Things Out of Trecs and I's All About the Bile, is quoted onthe back of Making ‘Things Rig because it ts nealy into a quietly burgeoning literary genre tha has come in the wake of Richard Sennet’s Seminal The Crafiman, As wellas Penn's work yo could also includ books by the like of Edmund de Wal, Alexander Langlands, Peter Korn and peraps even “Matthew Gravford, which in diferent ‘ways and literary styles investigate the history of materials and processes, using the author's own experience structure the narrative. “Making Phinge Right is essentially the storyofhow Thorstensen, amaster § bullder and carpenter, converts aloftin Oslo. es adeceptively simple, perhaps ‘even bland, top chat in other hands £ could quite esilyhave led 19 200-plus pages of tedium, and yet the author | makes inwork. Which simeresting because unlike a TV makeover show, for instance, there's no real jeopardy here,no sente that he isn't going to get the ob done on time. Indeed, mach of = the project appears to go ineredbly § smoothly. The family cat has employed im seems charming, as dois su 5 contractors and pretty moch everyone round him except peshaps anisitting office worker he bumps into a couple ‘oF times in his local bar Neither do you relly get to grips with the soul ofthe author as you do with de Waal (up to point) and the ‘charmingly walnerable Pen. Sure, by the end you knowrhe listens to Captain Beefheart, enoysabeer and likes to gofahing the weeks, but hats eallyall you learn of his personal life Meanwhile his proses functional and ‘hythmically choppy Yet despite this, [foundhis story quite compelling. Pethaps t's because the Norwegian's voiceis authentic and, as uch, «touch ‘uncommon. Tis ena tale roid through the eyes of ajouralist or academic, ‘hor has it come from a mile class ‘educated studio maker but instead ajobbing carpenter dealing with day-torday issues of building ‘While passages can sometimes read alittle ike «how to meni, the author ‘sat his strongest when discussing relationships between collegues, Architect, engineers, immigrant builders Ariving down prices for work and, of jonrse, the clients themselves. "There are some sly asides atthe hierarchy within the industry. "The architect has perhaps 20 of 30 jobs like this inte time fetakes me to build what fhe has drawn. The sructurl engineer ‘may manage to carry out the necessary caleulations fora hundred lofts inthe time takes me to renovate one, think Tp more of my heart and soul into a job like this than they d,'he writes, adding Jater for good measure: "That the idea or ‘conception of something s adjudged Superior to its concrete implementation ‘sanatural consequence ofa socieryin which theory has become increasingly Important The exeeution iedirty and Books Round Up in} Women Craft Economies Acollection of essays taking a scholarly Jol at contemporary eraf production round the world, placing profesional ‘and amateur practic within the broader creative economy. Look out for contributions by Ezra Shales and the Crais CounciPsheadof research and policy Julia Bennett. Esty Sesan Lalaah and [Nicola Phomaz. Published by Bloomsbury, £01.80 Nb “The Erotic Cloth: Seduction & etishism in Textiles ited by Lesley Millar and Alice ‘Kettle and billed asthe ist critical ‘amination ofthe erotically charged relationship between the surface of the skin and the touch of cloth’ expect an eclectic mix of essays, froma treatment of fetish and punk to the role of soft ‘surfaces inthe blockbuster Blade Runner ‘Bite by Alice Kettle and Lesley Miler Published by Bloomsbury, £27 lesibound Voyage Published to concide with Garry fabian Millers tapestry wth Dovecot Studion (eturedin Gry 0.370) thisexqisely produced pubiestion plots the evolution ois eameraess Photography practice withan esay by isortan and Grafs columnist Tanya Harrod racing the intricacies ofthe tapestry’ development and cretion. By Gary Fabian Mir Published y Hactetiery Phe a, 20 pb Enid Mars: The Pleasures of Pattern Hoton the heels of Andy Friend's consideration of Exc Ravilious and the outbresk of talent’ atthe RCA in the 1920s, Alan Powers considers one ‘ssocated figure Enid Marc in depth, ‘ariageway anda pu. Bu forthe next few months, the two are imaginatively twinned by the artist Linder, extensions fone another, linked invisibly across the county border. As par of broader season of events entitled The Grand Tour, te collage artist has convened two exhibitions a retrospective, The House of Fame, at Nottingham Contemporary and Her Grace Land at Chatsworth reflecting on a six month residency atthe estate with spectacular results, ‘us rt tothe wider programme. Aninitiative to encourage tourism inthe region, The Grand Tour kits together disparate venues including Chatsworth (antl 21 October), Nottingham Contemporary (until 24 June), Derby Museum & Art Gallery (until 7 June) and the Welbock Estate (until 30 une) with series of stand alone exhibitions loosely themed sroand tne region's history of craft and industry. ‘On the sprawling Welbeck Rstare ax the Harley Gallery, Clare Twomey presents Hain Shadow: Hain Ligh, show of 10 lithophanes - impossibly thin panes of porcelain only millimetres thick Unlit, the sheets of lay appear blankjbidden within, however, are photographie portals that appear once lights shone trough the porcelain, the result ofan innovative and emergent process wherein the glazed clays Above insalaon by Lingesas part of Her Grace Lan at Chatenorth Below texte banner by Mok Ghery.in The Hose (heme at Notcaghams applied with an image, printed onto its surface ina range of oxides. Fired ‘gai, and che images ae locked in as the materials met into one Like her earlier installation, Madea China, uwhich debuted at the Harley Galley, Half in Shadow isa study of labour; what the porcelain reveals once lights shone through tare the estate's workers, Emerging almost phantasmic from the clay, the grayscale portraits pay tebe to the mostly invisible manpower that goes into the running ofan estate of this scaleThe effects subtle, a quiet Femark on ow we visitors might read aistoric house such as Welbeck tnd mis so much of what it hast say Twomey’s show neatly dovetails with the breader thrust ofthe prograram carefully posing questions sbout place and the history of human industry, Tae Arc of Indu: Fron Josh Wright the ais Contry at Desby Museum takes a more direc tack, grouping together works from is ov collection and on Toa by the kes of Wright, Lowry and Paoloae\ among others. Together, these bear witness to our tangled relationship ‘with industialsation, We glimpse moments of alienation, as embodied by Lowery’ faceless men and women, aswell astomance ~ahané painted porceain plate by HS. Hancock dreamy depicts Derbys iconie silk mil fornstance mixing commerce witha kind of aspirational idealism, Perhaps surprisingly, given the title and the museums premimityto Cromford Mil, the birthplace of mass production, theres rather Tess onthe ‘mote recent, dystopian legacy of indstrialisation. What might Wright have made of Amazon's vast depots snd Primark production ines? And s0t0 Linder’ show, which provide the Tour with ts headline act. Working largely in collage excising by than images the artis finds in magaeines and catalogues and repasting ther in ‘Sureealist formations, Linder 0 stranger to crossroads where man ‘meets machine. Commonly though, her ‘machines are the devices of domesticity ~pethaps her best known example being the glistening, naked woman with an ron in place ofa head which shot tofame onthe cover of The Buzzcocks’