ON SHOW
Plant Explorations by The New Craftsmen
The New Craftsmen gallery is marking its 10th anniversary with a collaboration with Kew Gardens. It invited artists – including basket makers Annemarie O’Sullivan and Hilary Burns; weaver Catarina Riccabona; woodworkers Takahashi McGil and Cyriaque Ambroise; and designer Lola Lely – to create works inspired by the botanical gardens’ Economic Botany Collections, a range of more than 100,000 artefacts from around the world derived from plants.
10–15 May
Country pavilions: Norway and Malaysia
A new addition to the London Craft Week programme are two ‘country pavilions’, launched with an eye to expanding the event’s global reach. This year, at Cromwell Place in Kensington, the Oslo-based group of artists and curators Pyton (11–14 May) will exhibit a range of 20th century and contemporary Norwegian works. In Belgravia, the Malaysian high commission (9–15 May) is presenting a showcase of woven silk pieces made using an endangered technique born in the state of Pahang. These will include works made by inmates at two of the region’s prisons, part of an initiative for former prisoners to gain skills for employment.
The Gallery at Liberty London, in partnership with the Crafts Council
We've teamed up with Liberty London to showcase work by 10 of the Crafts Council Directory's leading lights, chosen from among the 800 makers on our books. Head to the retailer's iconic Regent Street store to explore (and buy – prices start from £30) handmade pieces. These include ceramic tableware by Isatu Hyde, turned-wood works by Ash & Plumb and rope baskets by Ruby Cubes, among others.
Space Lava by Studio Furthermore
For Crafts' upcoming May/June 2022 issue, we met Marina Dragomirova and Iain Howlett, founders of design studio Studio Furthermore, who are creating an object to send to the first gallery on the moon in 2025. Closer to home in Shoreditch, they are showing new and old pieces from their Space Lava collection of vases made of recycled aluminium sourced from car wheels, as well as porcelain pots and furniture from their Moon Rock collection.
13–15 May
The Future of Craft: Oxo Tower Wharf
Works by more than 40 makers will be scattered across the four floors of the Bargehouse near the Thames, in this collaboration between two creative platforms: Future Icons and Design-Nation. Catch exhibitors such as woodworker Angus Ross, textile artist Majeda Clarke and marbling artist Nat Maks, as well as panel discussions, demonstrations and installations.
12–15 May
LCF x LCW
Style mavens hungry to discover the designers of tomorrow should head to London College of Fashion in Marylebone to explore a showcase of crafted work from its bachelor’s and master’s courses – ranging from footwear and jewellery to tailoring and fashion accessories.
9–14 May