Now is the time of year when colleges throw all these fresh new designers out into an already crowded marketplace. I love seeing the range of work produced from all over the UK. This week is textiles, ceramics, glass, silversmithing and jewellery design. It can be very daunting as a visitor – things have a tendancy to merge into a colourful tangle. I like to give myself 2 visits to clarify my thoughts; private views are not normally the best time to see work properly.I have however, already spotted some interesting work so I’d like to share a few images with you:
From Birmingham’s mixed media course Suzi McLaughlin’s tumbling cut-work Garden of Eden was exquisite with different qualities and weights of paper producing a sensual growth on the end of the stand. Cutwork isn’t new but it is rare to see the mix of materials in one piece. The colouring too was very rich.
Bath graduate Lyn Snow used screen printing which was such a refreshing change from all the digital printing on view. Such a shame I have no decent image of this. Her huge gestural screen printed lengths were on unbleached linen with machine embroidered elements. I was reminded of work by The Cloth from the 80’s: large painterly mark-making plus a very controlled technique in the stitching.
On a completely different note and with digital printing, Charlotte Helyar from Edinburgh produces 3D prints. You put on your special glasses to see the fabrics in a totally different light. The kids loved this one. Shona Lansberry produced a digitally printed patchwork quilt – this idea can go in many different directions and is very commercial.
More print students were using digital printing as a tool to do what no other technique can do: at Bucks College, Lois Norman was awarded the BCFA/IDA award for her flock of bird print. Binita Pitrola used dozens of colours in a length of paint stroke stripes which was luscious. Mandi Shawley printed on frayed strips of georgette which added a softness and lightness to her fabric and Anna Sheppard worked on multicoloured retro watercolour based florals. Very pretty and commercial.
Christpher Stokes’ pieces in silversmithing are very dramatic: his Icarus wings were impossible to ignore. The theme of “accidental mutation ” was intriguing. See his neckpiece below with the retractable hatpins.
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Thanks,
Caroline
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Thanks for posting – I would love to buy Anna Sheppard’s material. Is it possible?
I’ve no idea as don’t know what she’s doing now. Anyone else able to help?