Human hair
Ruth Terry’s investigation into the poignant and personal ‘hair craft’ works of Joanne Petit-Frère, Sonya Clark, Alex Bizet and others was awarded a coveted journalism prize after it appeared in Crafts May/June 2021. Including examples in embroidery, fashion and weaving, the piece looked at the art of using hair to explore societal issues such as racism, sexism and classism.
Glass from the Thames
In our Autumn/Winter 2022 issue, glass alchemist Lulu Harrison told us how she’s magicked up a method of creating glass using shells and sand sourced from the River Thames. The graduate of Central Saint Martins’ Material Futures course uses the shells of quagga mussels as her source, a problematic invasive species that costs millions to clear from London’s water pipes every year.
Strange clay
‘After more than a century of experimentation from artist-potters, it’s clear that the material still offers so much to uncover,’ wrote Isabella Smith in her look at those pushing the potential of clay and glaze in the name of contemporary art, from the pages of Crafts Autumn/Winter 2022. Among those featured is Takuro Kuwata, who embeds clay with stones to cause semi-controlled explosions in the kiln.