Callum Wardle
Selected by the journalist and curator, Barbara Chandler
‘With New Designers cancelled two years running, it is cruel that graduates have had no big showcase. So I thought I would visit those colleges – from Plymouth to Manchester - who were holding shows. Callum Wardle (Product and Furniture Design BA, Kingston School of Art) was one of my favourite finds. During lockdown, Wardle collected waste plastic from Devon beaches, which he has turned into robust beach toys. These will be hired out to families visiting the beach, thus truly closing the loop. I loved the totality of his approach, his breezy can-do attitude and friendly, jolly designs. Wardle’s work – and other recent discoveries – will feature in GREEN GRADS, a sustainability-focused show I’m curating as part of Planted. It will be hosted in the Samsung Building in Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross, London (25–26 September).'