25.9.11

Ah..the aching feet..



                                                        Above new lighting from the glass making duo
                                                        Mark Bickers and Vicky Rothschild - stunning!  
                              
New ranges from Kathleen Hills Hills, loving the jelly mould light fittings.. 
Ah.. the aching feet and endless exhibitions to inspire.. it's nearlly over as we're on the last day of 100% Design and Tent.  I've had a fantastic few days wandering through the shows and exhibitions.  Tent was fablulous; colourful, energetic and a brilliant showcase for makers and designers across a multitude of disciplines.  Here's a just few of my favourties across the shows. 



1/2 Project - social venture project encouraging the consumer to consider
giving half to others in greater need  - Jiwon Park, 100% Korea


Archi Teapot Story from Taipai exhibits Toast Living



Positive Piece by Junggi Sung - design to make us stop and think about
using tap water instead of the 'norm' of using a plastic bottle
Sentou design - 100% France






Chocolate Creative-One of the individual makers at 100% 








Miss Print - pattern, pattern and more pattern



Origin - Derek Wilson's beautiful thrown porcelain vessels





James & Tilla Waters thrown stoneware - absolutely beautiful
contemporary craftsmanship




Syann van Niftrik - contemporary jewellery at its best





Tent, concrete vessels




Jin Baek porcelain framed pieces



Makiko Nakamura '100 Years after the Party'






  Scottish design duo  Blue Bell Gray developing fresh
bold hand painted florals

Abigail Borg's notebooks were a valuable addition to her beautiful
& intricately hand drawn botanical wallpapers and furnishing fabrics


Friti Plum Cushion 




The most fantastic I think was at the V&A The Power of Making. Touching on the teachings of David Pye and investigating the processes of art & making and 'Thinking by Making', the mini films give suggestions of the breadth of craft impacting on most parts of our daily lives. 
With footage detailing the surf board being sanded, the whittling of leather shoes, glass eye polishing, the process of weaving and film of Stewart Hearn glass blowing was all wonderful. 
From traditional craft to more exploratory approaches which starts with innovation and the complexities of using new tooling and ends up being a scientific research project. 

I loved the story of the skilled lace makers at the Koniakow Cooperative in Poland, who, after the decline of their ecclesiastical altar cloth clientele, created an on line business making lace G strings to keep their craft alive!   Truly enlightening!
vam.ac.uk/powerofmaking