If you want to see the work of British Designer Makers check out the Design-Nation Showcase called Marks & Tools. This event will take place at the OXO Tower Gallery during London Craft Week on 4-7 May 2017. You’ll see exciting work which covers sectors from furniture to ceramics, glass, textiles, metal work and more. I picked out six of the British Designer Makers you’ll see at the show to give you a taste of what to expect.
Six British Designer Makers at Design-Nation Showcase
Hugh Miller: Hugh is a contemporary applied artist located in Liverpool. His speciality is making studio furniture in wood. His work derives from Japanese Design principles which he developed during his Churchill Fellowship in Japan in 2015. Techniques include the hand-gouged texture that is present on the underside of all his pieces. Hugh is inspired by his material: “I love wood. It’s the most amazing material and, as a stanched atheist, it’s as close as I get to a ‘spiritual’ connection.”
Hugh Miller: Coffee Cart
Angus Ross: Scotland based furniture maker Angus has been a designer for 35 years and a maker for 25 years. His work involves bending, moulding, sculpting and folding wood to create fascinating furniture. His pieces are either made to commission or in small batches using local Scottish oak and ash. Angus is obsessed by: “The place, people and function of whatever is the current design commission.”
Angus Ross: Forth Bench
Anna Gravelle: Anna is a Bristol based interior furnishing fabrics and accessories maker. She uses both handcrafted and digital processes to create her designs. Anna offers a range of interior furnishing fabrics and accessories that combine print and surface embellishment. Anna’s mission is a happy one: “‘I want to cover the world in softness!”
Anna Gravelle: Cross-Hatch Leather Drum Stool
Gillies Jones: Partners in life and art, Stephen Gillies and Kate Jones have been making exceptional contemporary blown glass for over 20 years. They have developed a unique aesthetic, drawing inspiration from the elemental beauty of their rural surroundings of Rosedale Abbey. Their pieces are made using traditional techniques which are labour intensive and reliant on the skills acquired over a long, international apprenticeship. Stephen and Kate are driven by: “Material, process and the elemental beauty of the place in which we live and work.”
Gillies Jones: Blue Over Grey Pushed Bowl
Hannah Tounsend: Hannah is a ceramicist and print maker based in West Sussex. She creates collections of printed ceramic vessels and subtly layered paper monoprints inspired by the British coastal landscape. Hannah has developed a unique hybrid making method that combines moulded and thrown elements within her ceramic pieces. This process is technically very challenging, but allows richly layered printed surfaces and ensures every form is completely individual. Hannah is besotted by: “The layered landscapes and sea-washed, weather worn surfaces of the British coastline.”
Hannah Tounsend: Large Printed Vessel
Fung + Bedford: Angela Fung and Ashley Bedford work together to combine experience of contemporary jewellery and architecture to explore movement through textural form. Angela Fung’s creativity began in music as she originally trained to be a concert pianist at the Royal College of Music but RSI meant she left and began a new creative adventure of jewellery design. Anna reveals where their inspiration comes from: “Translating and challenging form through unusual material inspires our work. We thrive on creating something new from the unexpected.”
Fung + Bedford: Angela Fung Double Glide Square Bracelet
More British Designer Makers at Design-Nation Showcase
This showcase is well worth visiting because you will see the work of plenty more designer makers. Other exhibitors participating in the showcase include Amy Cushing, Christine Meyer-Eaglestone, Ekta Kaul, Heidi Harrington, J C Middlebrook, Joanna Kinnersly-Taylor, Linda Bloomfield, Margo Selby, Melanie Porter, Michael Ruh, Michelle House, Nigel Cheney, Rosemaryrose, Samantha Sweet, Simon Yates, Sue Pryke, Taz Pollard and The Unloved.
British Designer Makers Supported by Design-Nation Showcase
Design-Nation is a membership organisation which has been set up purely to promote UK designer makers. They promote UK designer-makers and offers a one stop destination for individuals who want to commission, invest and source in Great British craft and design. Their first showcase event of the year is called Marks & Tools which is at the OXO Tower Gallery during from 4th to 7th May 2017. The Exhibition is themed around the marks and tools of the maker and how these translate into different disciplines. To find out more visit the Design-Nation Website. The event takes place during London Craft Week which is a curated programme of over 230 events including design, fashion, art and more. To find out more visit the London Craft Week Website.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Courtesy of Design-Nation. Cover photograph shows the work of Angus Ross, Melanie Porter and Anna Gravelle with photography and styling by Yeshen Venema. Thanks: Seen PR for information and photography.
