Hot new talent: Printed Textiles & Surface Design

I love this time of year, when you can wander around the end-of-year shows at art schools, wowed by the talent and lapping up all that fantastic inspiration for free.


Although I am normally a fine art and interiors kind of gal, I found myself drawn to the and Graphic Design and Printed Textiles and Surface Design sections of the recent show at the Leeds College of Art, here in my city. Here are some of the lovely things (and people) I found in the textiles gallery… (see here for separate post on the pick of the graphic design studio)


Introducing... Anisha Chauhan
21 year old Surface Pattern Designer and Illustrator, who is currently exhibiting at New Designers in at the Business Design Centre in London and is working on a portfolio of Indian Wedding invitations

(image: courtesy of Anisha Chauhan)

Most important thing I learnt at art school: how to combine skills in drawing, mixed media, painting and textiles.

(image: courtesy of Anisha Chauhan)

Most important thing I learnt outside class: How much inspiration there is in visiting major art galleries like the Tate Gallery, Saatchi Gallery and The V&A.

(image: courtesy of Anisha Chauhan)

You can find Anisha on Facebook

(image: courtesy of Anisha Chauhan)

Introducing... Hayley Johns
23 year old Textile Designer, currently expanding her experience through internships and work placement, and toying with the idea of postgraduate study to broaden her portfolio further. Her work is also on show at the New Designers show at the Business Design Centre in London, and her latest collection Kasuri was developed from detailed illustration of New York’s urban landscape, and influenced by Ikat and Japanese design.

- Most important thing I learnt at art school:- Organisation is key! Losing track really sets you back, just be level headed and use the network of student designers around you.

(image courtesy of Hayley Johns)

- Most important thing you learnt outside class - Be inspired, use your experiences and go and see everything you can from trade shows to minor exhibitions. Expanding your knowledge of your subject helps you to enjoy what you’re doing and find purpose for your design work.

You can contact Hayley by email Hayley dot L dot Johns at gmail dot com

 

Introducing... Hazel Snaith

22 year old designer, fresh out of art school, planning to release a collection of designs every three months, and continue freelance designing alongside teaching

The most important thing I learnt at art college: Try keep a diary of all ideas and to constantly reflect on your work, as this helps to generate new ideas

The most important thing I learnt outside of class: How to make my own choices

Hazel can be contacted at hazel dot snaith at hotmail dot co dot uk.

For more hot young talent check out this post featuring the latest in graduate Graphic Design

Knitting for good

Yesterday I added my two stitches to the world’s biggest knitted textile! Force of nature Ingrid Wagner had brought her 4-metre long(!) needles to the Twisted Thread Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia, showcasing her particular style of ‘big knitting’ and raising money for Breast Cancer Care.

Ingrid holds the Guinness World Record for knitting with the biggest needles, which were over twice as long as she is tall! She said that it made her feel like she was a character in The Borrowers – either that or she was knitting a scarf for a Big Friendly Giant…

Ingrid also makes divine wall hangings and rugs out of this 'big knit yarn' which is about 4cm wide

Watch out for the giant needles coming to a town near you, and knit a stitch or two for Breast Cancer Care. There’s nothing like women supporting women.

Hanging out with London’s emerging new craft talent

One school night last week I blissed out at ‘Craft London: the exhibition of emerging new talent’ in Clerkenwell. I headed over to the cosy gallery space of Craft Central for wine and chat with some of London’s most talented makers. Having been challenged to rediscover their city and represent this visually, the exhibition was as varied as the capital’s 32 boroughs, and reflective of the city’s incredible cultural diversity.

French-born illustrator Julie Vermeille translated her love of fairytales into 3D characters living in her installation, creating a fantasy world of fabric pigeons, lace clouds and stringy stuffed people based on children’s book Arthur’s Seat. Quirky and cute.

Ruth Babajide celebrated her West African heritage with a range of loud, colourful ceramic storage units, in stark contrast to the delicate and peaceful collection of hand thrown porcelain whispers created by Hannah James (below).

Jessica Light is a woman on a mission to revitalise the dying craft of tassel-making. Jessica was responsible for the ornate embroidery on Buckingham Palace’s balcony hangings, and now works with designers such as Vivienne Westwood to find a new life for a centuries-old skill.

But my favourite of all was the set of magical cobwebs created by Katie Barton. ‘Spun’ from metallic embroidery thread and fixed into jewellery cases, they took two days to install and will be destroyed after the exhibition. Katie, who describes herself as having an obsession with making repulsive things beautiful, said she loved the ethereal nature of piece. I felt simultaneously privileged to have seen these gorgeous creations, and sad to know that they will soon be swished away to nothing, as if they were never there.

We entered into the age-old ‘what is art, what is craft?’ debate, swiftly followed by a lively discussion on the pros and cons of being university trained vs being a self-taught artist.

These are topics I shall return to, as I ponder them often.  What are your thoughts?


The exhibition also featured fabric craft, ceramics and jewellery from Anna Johnson, Laura Felicity, Jo Davies, Ana Meneses, Daniele Geargeoura, Yuki Sasakura Assiter and Alexandra Simpson.