London's Top 5 Treasure Hunts

Treasures old, treasures new, treasures worth the pilgrimage to...Inspired by Channel 4’s ‘Four Rooms’* and my Blom & Blom recycled lighting piece for Phoenix Magazine, trawling for treasure has never been more fashionable. Here are 5 fantastic events where you just might get lucky

Christina Reviews- Collect, 11-14th May 2012, Saatchi Gallery

Shigekazu Nagae, Slipcast and glazed porcelain, Yufuku Gallery (Japan)

Since its controversial move to its Chelsea Duke of York Square premises in 2008, it’s fair to say the Saatchi gallery in London is better known for its cutting edge art and photography, rather than showcasing ‘craft’. Don’t let that put you off. Any doubts on whether contemporary craft is serious business (worth over £800 million in the UK alone) were readily eradicated after visiting this year’s Collect.

Supported by the Crafts Council, Collect is the most prestigious international contemporary craft fair in the UK. This year saw 31 gallery exhibitors, from UK, Europe to Asia, including China for the first time. This is where international collectors, major buyers, gallery directors and museum curators hunt down the finest pieces to add to their prized public collections. To indicate how serious it is- there’s even a Collect Art Fund of £70,000 where curators pitch in front of a Dragon’s Den-style committee why they should acquire their chosen item.

This year ceramics and jewellery were impressive, with works that left me speechless (in good and bad ways). In terms of pushing the boundaries of concepts, materials and techniques, the Northern European scene are evidently more fearless than its British counterparts. The contemporary jewellery scene in the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Belgium have been well established here for a number of years now, fronted by galleries like Galerie Marzee. Jewellery is not just concerned with adornment- it can be avant-garde, wearable (or unwearable), sculptural, which seek their own identity beyond the wearer.

One must applaud the anything-goes spirit of shocking items like German jeweller Stefan Heuser’s giant beaded necklace, made from human breast milk (Galerie Rob Koudijs). Animal lovers beware- from Idiots’ dissected taxidermy bird necklace (to Märta Mattsson’s electroformed, crystal studded spiders (both represented by Galerie Marzee), nothing is too bizarre for bling.

The ancient oriental technique of laquerware saw an unexpected return this year; the refreshing interpretations by Chinese (Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong) and Japanese galleries (Yufuku Gallery and Exhibition Space) leading the way. The bar was set exceptionally high- the enamelled metal, ceramic, bronze, glass, woven metal and bamboo artists from Yufuku Gallery showing unparalleled craftsmanship and innovation. What surprised me was how radically modern the works were- nothing of dated impression of Japanese porcelain and Chinese Ming vases I embarrassedly had before. It was like discovering the unseen wonders of a foreign world.

What a pity one has to wait another year to see such amazing objects!

Collect 2012 highlights

Christina Schou Christensen, Galerie Sofie Lachaer & Caroline Van Hoek (Belgium)

Sidsel Hanum, stained Limoges porcelain, Galleri Format (Norway)

Felicity Aylieff, Clare Beck at Adrian Sassoon (UK)

Emmeline Hastings, perspex and titanium bangle, Lesley Craze Gallery (UK)

Jamie Bennett, enamelled necklace, Antonella Villanova (Italy)

Michihiro Sato, paper brooch, Lesley Craze Gallery (UK)

Tang Ming Xiu , laquer and 18th century porcelain, Hanart TZ Gallery (HK)

Idiot's taxidermy bird and pearl necklace, Galerie Marzee (The Netherlands)

The Rhizome Chair, Crook and Jones in Collect's Project Space (UK)

 

All photographs taken by Christina Lai with permission from gallery/artist.

Christina’s Wish list- Cockpit Christmas Open Studios

Gathering Wood by Katharine Morling

Late November and early December is when consumers are simultaneously bombarded by craft, design and affordable art fairs, all vying for a prized spot on your Christmas shopping hit-list. There’s simply too much choice and too little to spend it on.

Until scientists figure out how to scatter clones across multiple destinations, this year I decided to be well, decisive.  Opting out of polished gallery exhibitions and glossy department stores (cue: beautiful but overpriced gifts), during the last 2 weekends I went straight to the source at Cockpit Christmas Open Studios. Its annual Christmas open studios in upmarket Holborn (25-27 November) and up-and-coming Deptford (2-4 December) are fantastic for picking up unconventional gifts at a snip of the shop price.

Cockpit is a social enterprise which supports independent designer makers mainly through its unique business incubator package. (In case you’re wondering, the name originates from the site of the Holborn building, which was once an 18^th century cockfighting yard).

At first glance, the exteriors of both studio buildings were hardly glamorous, my head embossed with the image of industrial factories and billows of black smog. But once inside the festive excitement and was overwhelmingly infectious. Visiting a designer-makers’ open studios is a bit like getting a sneak peek at Santa’s elves in his factory. You get to see where the magic happens (some were literally making), satisfying one's curiosity of how beautiful things are made. It was slightly surprising to discover artisans of diverse crafts working alongside each other in each studio. Weaving looms, knitting machines and digital fabric printers stood beside Victorian letterpresses, kilns and jewellery benches. I’d never seen such eclectic disciplines  drawn together in a dynamic hub of creative talent; brimming with enthusiasm and inspiration of which makers must inevitably rub off on each other.

Each maker’s space had a personalised atmosphere- from music, aroma, to lighting (I was seduced by dimly lit boudoir of Holloway Smith Noir). Even kilns and sewing machines were given a sprinkle of Christmas embellishment or used as display props. Plus there was amazing warm mulled cider and nibbles offered to keep shoppers spirits’ merry. I’ll definitely be visiting again.

In recession stricken times, Cockpits’ success is testament that the artisan crafts spirit, community and industry are very much alive.


Christmas at Cockpit- Top 10 Gift Picks

Spoil Loved Ones (or more likely yourself!)

1.  Extravagantly opulent with gold and precious stones, this Hoard brooch by Ruth Tomlinson is a headturner

2. This bold, contemporary Geisha screen print by Constructive Studio adds a funky edge to any interior

3. Tiny cut glass inspired porcelain vases by Shan Annabelle Valla- so cute you'll want to collect them all!

4. Fun, nostalgic with quintessentially English humour, Ruth Martin's rubber stamped paper creations are perfect for all ages

5. Jessica Poole's gold fluted earlaces with diamonds remind me of angels' trumpets. A glamorous festive touch to any evening or party outfit

6.Naomi Ryder's Kirsty Drinks Tea bone china teacup and saucer features beautifully delicate illustrations taken from her embroideries

7. Maya Selway plays with trompe l'oeil with this clever silver Kishu vase that appears to be a simple line drawing. By putting something in it you can customise and complete its silhouette

8. Like the Pam Am series currently airing on the BBC, I predict Petra Bishai's airline matchbook themed Lucifer rings will be a sure hit

 9. Illuminate a living room into a rural and mythical winter wonderland with Lush Designs lampshades

10. Channel Dita Von Teese with these naughty yet classy Holloway Smith Noir vintage lace pasties.

Handmade in Britain- Review

I always feel out of place in Chelsea, not least because the flashy designer boutiques, affluent Harvey Nichols shoppers and their mulberry handbags make me stick out like a sore thumb with glasses. Consequently, I was somewhat anticipating snobbish sellers and ludicrously high-priced wares on my first visit to Handmade in Britain (28th- 30th October) Over 70 designers working in wood, textiles, ceramics, glass, jewellery and leather were selected this year for their "eco-conscious and sustainable" making practices.

The venue for the annual contemporary craft fair is Chelsea Town Hall, a fine neo-classical building (designed by Leonard Stokes in 1908) on the fashionable Kings Road. With elegant marble columns, beautiful chandeliers, oil paintings and frescoes, its Victorian decor makes interesting contrast to the stalls of contemporary goods sold to early Christmas shoppers.

Post-recession even the Kensington purse strings have tightened this year, reflected by the inclusion of a ‘Handmade, Made Affordable’ page on the catalogue. Of course, for those happy to splash the cash there’s a ‘Christmas Wishes’ section too. Although 70 makers were suppose to be on show, but only 60 had stalls. The rest were single examples displayed on a low fronted platform in the back of the hall, without the designer present. I felt cheated out of my ticket, as my definition of a craft fair includes engaging with the artist. Nevertheless I was delighted to discover a number of exceptional makers there.

Sarah Parker Eaton’s gold and silver jewellery animates the spectacular structures usually reserved for the eye under the microscope. From sea plankton to spores of tiny seeds, she translates their movements, symmetrical and repeated patterns, shapes and textures into hybrid creatures that appear ready to spring onto you.

Delfina Emmanuel exquisitely decorated teapots, teeming with life and growth are inspired by the rich marine life of Sardinia, where she was raised. Glazed in soft pastels, the painstakingly hand formed spikes, urchins, shells and corals are accented with luxurious gold lustres. Though functional, they appear far too precious for mortal use, more fitting in a mermaid's palace instead. Such extravagance speaks of the 19^th century British Rococo-revival, when fanciful porcelain tea services like Belleek and Coalport were ostentatious symbols of wealth and power.

A painter as well as a potter, Joy’s Trpkovic’s wall pieces are made of delicately pinched porcelain sea forms. The arrangements mimic the movement of shoals and waves washed along sandy shores. Her lethal spikes and sea shards are the thinnest, tiniest and sharpest I’ve ever seen. So many of our oceans have been tainted beyond recognition by man; it is ironic, even startling to see such unspoilt beauty created by the hands of a craftswoman.

 

Emma Dolan's charming hand-printed Harris Tweed cups encapsulate perfectly the nostalgia trend that is everywhere at the moment, from vintage/retro boutiques to crafty sewing cafes popping up all over the country. Paying homage to iconic ceramics such as Blue and White china, Royal Chintz and the brightly coloured Art Deco wares of Clarice Cliff, the inspired patterns are stitched or transfer printed onto Harris Tweed. Her nursery teacups are even more adorable, depicting quirky children’s illustrations. The base of each cup is certified as genuine Harris Tweed with its official Orb, which she likens to a potter's mark (to me it’s the Vivienne Westwood’s logo minus the Saturn ring!) Though sweet in appearance, her pieces speak of the importance of traditional textiles and our emotional reminiscence to ceramics, such as the familiar comfort of a well-loved mug or family heirloom tea set. 

Hussein Bolt, Elizabeth Taylor and the endangered Northern White Rhino are amongst other contemporary subjects celebrated in Rosh Keegan’s whimsical human-animal figures. Like the Victorian Anthropomorphic taxidermy of Walter Potter, her figures are grandly dressed and posed with uncanny human resemblance. The reassuring fact is they are hand built in stoneware instead of stuffed dead animals, making them amusing rather than sinister looking. The Indian born, African raised ceramicist has always been attracted to the hybrids of Hindu deities, literature and mythology around the world. Egyptian god Anubis and Bottom from A Midsummer’s Night Dream are some of the famous animal heads juxtaposed on buxomly human bodies, flamboyantly dressed up in feathers, fabrics, metal and jewels.

Overall, Handmade in Britain was a quaint experience personally; having used to spending hours in large fairs it took some adjustment to a smaller venue. Despite some exceptional craft, by the time I’d finished browsing (which wasn’t very long at all) I couldn’t help feeling, ‘Is this it?’ Perhaps it’s time the organizers thought about expanding their venue for a more fulfilling visit.