The Craft Revolution

For those of us interested in twentieth century craftsmanship, Dartington Hall in Devon, is a place to be revered and celebrated. Craft tradition at Dartington goes back a long way, the hall was founded in the 1920’s, based on the idea that ‘the arts and craft [are] the foundations of human flourishing’.

Dorothy Elmhirst, the co-founder of Dartington was greatly influenced by William Morris and one of the first artists that she invited to Dartington in 1926 was the potter Bernard Leach (pictured above in his studio at Shinner's Bridge, Dartington). Leach’s former assistant Sylvia Fox-Strangways installed a kiln at Dartington and felt it was her duty to bring art to everyone on the estate from ‘children to bricklayers’.

The Elmhirsts were pioneers and they poured their resources into the “Dartington Experiment” – restoring the estate buildings and setting up a host of farming, forestry and educational projects. Early initiatives included Dartington Hall School, Dartington Tweed Mill and later Dartington Glass. They also commissioned craftspeople to make unique work for the estate, including the beautiful Modernist tapestries by Elizabeth Peacock, still hanging in the Great Hall. Dartington quickly became a magnet for artists, architects, writers, philosophers and musicians from around the world, creating an exceptional centre of creative activity.

The estate has just appointed a new chairman and with his support launched a series of craft courses which hopefully will restore the links between Dartington and craft. The Craft Revolution features a diverse range of courses from furniture making to building a tiny home, brewing beer, dressmaking, cheesemaking and kiln building.

The Spoon Camp with Barn the Spoon sounds particularly good. Barn is an excellent spoon carver and the camp is a whole weekend of spoon and bowl carving for beginners, newcomers and anyone who would like to practice their spoon carving skills. There will be camping in the woods, sourdough pizza, coffee, local ales, cider, films and fresh woodland air… All while learning how to carve spoons, bowls and utensils.

It's a brave move for Dartington but as Bernard Leach said, “with hindsight, the years at Dartington were of thought and exchange of thought and friendships, a time of enrichment and expansion for which I am deeply grateful. […] For me personally, the years there provided a pause in my life, between East and West, during which I had the opportunity to assess its basic values, Dartington was a brave effort, worth all the cost.”

Spoon Camp - A Weekend in the Woods with Barn the Spoon, takes place from Thurs 1st - Sunday 4th October 2015, at North Woods on the Dartington Estate, Devon.

Pia Wüstenberg

Pia Wüstenberg is well known for her mixed-material Stacking Vessels, combining blown glass, ceramic, turned wood and metal. They come in lots of different variations, all with wonderful bloated forms and are a brilliant exercise in mixing different craft skills. Pia recently introduced a new evolution of the Stacking Vessel called Branch Bowls, which pairs a hand-blown glass bowl with a lid formed from a tree branch. There is a great video filmed by James Maiki called A Tale of Two Halves which gives a glimpse into how they are made.  The film shows the mesmerising process of the two separate pieces being made and fitted together and highlights the craftsmanship that goes into making the work. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the video, although I confess that I love glass blowing and could happily watch it all day. I interviewed Pia for a book project recently and thought I would include some extracts from the interview here. We were discussing her work and inspirations...

How did you get involved in design? I studied a Foundation in Glass, Metal and Ceramic Design at SIAD in Farnham and a BA in Furniture Design and Craftsmanship at Bucks New University. I chose Furniture Design as I believe it is a versatile product requiring the most technical and material knowledge. Later I studied in London on the MA Design Products course at the Royal College of Arts. I set up my own studio following graduation. How would you describe your style? It is all about contrast. Everything I do is mixed-media, and the process and materiality of each media supports the other. All my work is handmade. I use traditional craft skills and traditional raw materials, such as wood, ceramic, glass and paper. The resulting objects contain the stories of their making and the traces of the materials origin. This makes them objects of desire. What materials and techniques do you use? I work with very raw and pure materials such as glass, ceramic, copper, wood and paper. These are processed using traditional craft techniques. Are there any particular designer/artists/things that inspire you? I really respect the work and philosophy of Kaj Franck and Jurgen Bey. I get inspiration from many things I see, it just depends on the mind frame I am in. What are you working on at the moment and what do you hope to work on in the future? At the moment, I am working on a collection of glass jewellery to hold scent. In the future, I hope to work more with glass, to challenge its application and the ways in which we normally find it used. Have you noticed any particular trends in design lately? I have noticed my friends investing in objects for life, rather than going for cheap, quick solutions. What materials or techniques do you think we'll be seeing more of in the future? I believe there will be a return to pure materials and traditional skills. Mainly because I think we want fewer things, and for the things we do want , we have to be considered and durable. What is your favourite piece of design by another designer? The sewing needle, paperclip, can opener, fork and scissors. There are so many simple, clever things that do not have a shining name or famous designer behind them, and they are the most durable designs that we live with. These are the designs that move something in me, that challenge me to think, innovate and feel desire for objects.

Thank you Pia! www.utopiaandutility.eu

Madesmith

Madesmith appreciate good old-fashioned craftsmanship and offer an expertly curated collection of handmade objects. They believe in buying less and buying well and hope that by knowing where our things come from and who made them, we will cherish our belongings forever. Their beautiful shop and website represent several makers and designers who create unique items. Textiles, jewellery, shoes, accessories and home goods are all featured and the maker's stories are told through beautiful photographs and illuminating interviews. The products are available to buy from the Madesmith shop along with special collaborations and commissions. Their aim is that by connecting us with the artisans, we can support local communities and preserve the unique craftsmanship that is part of our culture.

All photography courtesy of Madesmith.

Herriott Grace

Herriott Grace sell beautiful handmade wooden objects, porcelain tableware, kitchen linens and accessories. They are a father and daughter team and I love the unlikely story of how they began working together. Nikole and Lance both live in Canada 3400 kilometers apart: his workshop is in Victoria, British Columbia, while her studio is in Toronto, Ontario. When Nikole first made her home more than halfway across the country from her father, they started to send packages to each other. In some of the packages, Lance included his own hand carved spoons. Nikole loved them and knew they were special. One day she thought that others might appreciate her father’s work, so she asked if he would ever want to share his pieces. He took a while to think about it and after some convincing, agreed to her plan, "but only with people that understood and cared about the time and effort spent on each piece." She told him, “Leave it to me, I know just the sort.” And with that, Herriott Grace was born.

www.herriottgrace.com

New Book: Donna Wilson's Creative Creatures

donnawilsoncreativecreatures

Donna Wilson's designs always bring a smile to my face. They are fun, bright and more often than not, fuzzy. I particularly like her knitted creatures, so I was excited to see that she has a new kids craft book out called Donna Wilson's Creative Creatures, which gives step-by-step instructions on how to make lots of fun toys and games. My favourite projects include Big Ted and Wilbur's Mitten Kitten, Charlie's banana bunting and Olive Owl's Kite. The book is also presented in a really fun way as each project is photographed as a jolly diorama, so even if (like me) you don't have a lot of time to make things, it's still a good book to look at. Donna has also started a new kids blog called Birdie and Bear, where you can follow her adventures with her beautiful new baby boy.

www.donnawilson.com

The New Craftsmen

The New Craftsmen is an agency dedicated to promoting the work of British artisans who create high-end products which tell an interesting story. This includes furniture by Gareth Neal, textiles by Ptolemy Mann and rare sheepskins from the Isle of Auskerry. The sheepskins are from a tiny, remote island in Scotland's Orkney archipelago, where the makers and their flock of North Ronaldsay sheep are the only residents. There are only three flocks of this rare breed left in Orkney and they are most notable for their unusual and unique caramel, silver, chocolate and slate colourings, as well as their diet of seaweed. The skins are softened with rainwater and washed in huge sinks which were originally used for lighthouse keepers's laundry before being dried in a mangle and hung on driftwood frames. Only a limited number are produced each year and they are now available via The New Craftsmen. For this week only, the agency has a pop up shop in Mayfair, London, and plans for the future include a possible permanent physical space as well as an online shop.

www.thenewcraftsmen.com

Inspiration: Susanna Bauer

These delicate crocheted leaves are by German artist Susanna Bauer, whose work combines stones, leaves and wood with traditional craft techniques. Her work is painstakingly intricate and encourages the viewer to study the natural forms just as much as her embellishment. Sometimes when an artist manipulates a natural object as the basis of their work, I can't help but think it would have been better left in its original state. In this case though, the complementary forms of the leaves and the sinuous thread combine to make something which truly exceeds the sum of its parts.

www.susannabauer.com

Nic Webb Spoons

I first discovered Nic Webb’s beautiful hand carved wooden spoons at the Contemporary Craft Fair in Bovey Tracey earlier this year. Each spoon is hand carved, using traditional tools and techniques. The timber is collected on walks around the British Isles or overseas and worked green, allowing it to twist and move while it seasons, creating wonderful natural surprises.

“When I begin carving, I look for the differing qualities in each piece of timber,” says Nic. He allows the grain and character to influence each design so that every spoon evolves to have its own personality and becomes a showcase for the limitless beauty of wood.

Many of the spoons look as though they have been grown or formed by processes of natural erosion. I particularly like the use of charring to create black hollows within some of the spoons. I also like the refined elegance of the pickle spoons, gently curving like the pieces of wood they came from. In fact, all of Nic’s work is exactly what I look for in contemporary design - a fine example of ethical and sustainable materials being crafted into joyful objects of use.

If you would like to learn how to make spoons yourself, Nic is running several workshops and courses, at the end of this year and beginning of next. For more details, please visit his website.

www.nicwebb.com

My Book: Recycled Home

Exciting news! My new book Recycled Home comes out next Monday! The book, published by Laurence King, features instructions for 50 craft projects that anyone can create from recycled materials.  Above is a sneak preview of some of the projects and as you can see, some of them are easy - like the Recycled Storage Tins, which could be completed in half an hour and some are a little more complicated - like the Tribal Teepee. Either way, I hope there is lots of inspiration and practical advice in there for readers!

I am really pleased with how the book has come out, particularly as I wrote most of it when my daughter was a tiny newborn. She was a good little assistant and I have fond memories of carrying her around in a sling, writing, making and photographing the book. Fun times indeed!

If you would like to pre-order a copy you can do so from Amazon. Otherwise, it should be available in all good bookshops from Monday August 13th!

www.laurenceking.com