Max Fraser Selects
Max Fraser, design writer and editor of London Design Guide, selects the top five events he’ll be signing up for:
One of the great joys of craft is watching and learning the processes involved in the making of an object, something society is detached from but that increasingly piques our interest. London Craft Week is a celebration of that and the choice of events has certainly grown in 2016. Here’s a few that have caught my eye:
Hole & Corner presents Marvellous Mechanica
Hole & Corner magazine is presenting an intriguing kinetic installation described as ‘worthy of Heath Robinson’. Who can resist that? Working with a handful of artists plus a group of emerging makers from Plymouth University, I’m expecting the installation space to become a mania of mechanised makers!
Weaving at Ace Hotel
The processes involved in weaving tapestries and rugs is long and laborious yet surprisingly methodical. Demonstrating this is apprentice weaver from Dovecot Tapestry Studio, Ben Hymers, who will create a site-specific piece for the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch using a traditional handloom. Meanwhile, Daniel Harris and Martino Gamper will weave with dye.
Crafting Cars with Rolls-Royce
At the luxury end of the market, I’m excited about the demonstrations of woodworking and leather working skills that go into creating a bespoke Rolls-Royce motor car, taking place at their Mayfair showroom for one day. I had the privilege of being toured around their factory once and will never forget the extraordinary care and attention that goes into making one of these cars.
Ultra-Modern Making at Makerversity
Of course, as well as sustaining traditions, craft today should embrace modern materials and technologies. Demonstrations of this will happen at Makerversity where its founder Tom Tobia will spend a couple of hours presenting a cross-section of makers working at the cutting edge.
Real to Reel: The Craft Film Festival
The Crafts Council and Crafts magazine are staging their first annual festival dedicated to craft and the moving image. With so much of the making process now being documented with film, this festival will provide a platform to celebrate making, makers, materials and processes. You can enjoy this from the comfort of a cinema seat – a chance to rest amid the action of London Craft Week!
