The July Edit
Though our usual routines may lose a little of their rigidity over the summer, diaries seem to fill up faster than ever. Make the most of precious remaining slots with our selection of experiences across the worlds of craft, art and design. From the latest talent at New Designers, to a particularly convivial Serpentine Pavilion and two revitalised institutions bouncing back onto the scene, there’s plenty of zip about town this summer. Knowing though that most of us will welcome a gentler pace as temperatures rise, we’ve included four day trip suggestions for a change of scene that’s still laced with well-crafted culture.
And, while calendars are to hand, why not pop in the dates for the tenth anniversary edition of London Craft Week, which takes place 13-19 May 2024.
We’re taking a break for August, so look forward to sharing our next round-up of cultural happenings and fine craftsmanship in early September. In the meantime, we will continue to share creative talent, events and experiences on Instagram, so please follow us there. Wishing you a happy summer.
Craft Capital
WC2, ongoing
The National Portrait Gallery has reopened, inviting visitors through its new Tracey Emin-designed doors. The bronze doors’ low-relief depictions of ‘every woman, throughout time’ foretell the more diverse and inclusive picture that is now painted through the collection on show. New Making Galleries delve deeper into the process of portraiture. Find out more
E2, ongoing
Aiming to be ‘the most joyful museum in the world’, the newly reopened Young V&A is designed to showcase the power of creativity in children’s lives. A ‘doing’ museum, it encourages hands-on interaction with the various multi-sensory experiences on offer and offers a construction zone, a performance and story-telling stage, and an open design studio in which imaginations can run free. Find out more
W2, until 29 October
Titled, ‘À Table’, the French call to join together around a meal, this year’s Serpentine Pavilion invites visitors to gather around the circular table that curves around its perimeter. The roof too is inspired by the architecture of community gathering, taking its lead from the togunas of Mali, West Africa. Its pleated form, which references palm leaves, sits low to create an atmosphere of calm conviviality. Find out more
N1, until 8 July
New Designers at Islington’s Business Design Centre is the largest showcase of graduate designers in the country. Discover fresh designs by the newest businesses in the industry at ND Selects, a subsection of the event curated by London Craft Week Partner Louisa Pacifico, Founder of Future Icons. Find out more
Sarah Myerscough Gallery, W1, until 21 October
Sarah Myerscough Gallery marks its Silver Jubilee with the exhibition ‘Collections,’ an immersive and representative curation of their key artists and artworks. The show weaves together the makers, materials and objects who express the vision of the gallery; expect signature works from familiar names, as well as new directions and developments. Find out more
Fashion & Textiles Museum, SE1, until 10 September
There’s a distinctly summery flavour to many of Andy Warhol’s textiles, currently on show at the Fashion & Textiles Museum. Warhol’s fascination with everyday items and artistic relationship with mass production emerges here, and the exhibition, the first dedicated to his commercial textile designs, showcases how this work contributed to the artist’s oeuvre. Find out more
Curated Day Trips
Wakehurst, Sussex, until 17 September
Wakehurst has commissioned a series of award-winning artists to create a series of outdoor installations in celebration of trees. Taking inspiration from Wakehurst’s varied landscapes and ecology, the eight works capture a broad range of artistic practices, from sculpture to sound. Visitors will discover a 10m explosion of neon, a series of human portraits carved from trees lost to Storm Arwen, a drinks bar made entirely from fungi, giant wooden megaphones and plenty more. Find out more
Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire, until 26 October
Waddesdon Manor was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to display his collection of arts and entertain a fashionable elite. The latest Rothschild Foundation commission, the 12m ceramic tiled ‘Wedding Cake’ by celebrated Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is a suitably generous and joyful addition to this collection, set as a folly amid the gardens. Visit this summer for a tour of the multi-tiered structure before going on to explore the collection of contemporary sculpture in the Water Garden. Find out more
Ascott House, Bedfordshire, until 17 September
Ascott House hosts the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild’s collection of contemporary craft prior to its auction through Maak this September. Tomasz Starzewski curated the display across the house’s six public reception rooms. The historic domestic setting juxtaposes contemporary works with antique interiors, celebrating materiality and the quality of the hand-made, regardless of era. Find out more
Kettle’s Yard, Cambridgeshire, until 29 October
The current exhibition of Palestinian embroidery at Cambridge’s Kettle’s Yard is the first to explore this beautiful and intricate tradition, in the UK, in over 30 years. Alongside historic dresses are artworks by five contemporary artists, films of embroiderers speaking about their work and rarely seen archive material. Consider then heading down the road to the Fitzwilliam Museum for their showcase of embroidery practices from across the Mediterranean. Find out more
Meet The Makers: Uzomaka Obiocha and Henry Rolnick
This month, we get to know two New York-based textile designers we came upon at the recent North American Pavilion exhibition at No. 9 Cork Street. Both showed with Of The Cloth, an art and design gallery whose interests span the realms of textiles, ceramics, antiques, contemporary art, and furniture, always exploring how materials shape our experiences, evoke emotions, and influence our interactions.
Uzomaka Obiocha and Henry Rolnick share an intuitive and responsive relationship with the materials they work with, “I enjoy that within the woven and dyed cotton fibers, a structural dance unfolds, forming patterns and textures that bring my creative ideations to life. Through this process, the materials themselves become storytellers” (UO) “When I wind warps and weave in the wefts, I have a wide array of natural fibers and yarn sizes to choose from and I integrate them together intuitively, allowing for the materials to tell me where they want to be in the fabric.” (HR)
We hear about how ideas form and are developed into final pieces. “A significant aspect of my creative process involves invoking the wisdom and talents of my ANCESTORS” (OB) and “I find inspiration in propaganda, advertising, and product packaging, as they provide insight into the communication channels through which we inspire intentions and actions.” (HR)
The interviews close with a look ahead to where each artist intends to take their practice and an introduction to other artists they admire.
Read the full interviews here. Follow their work at Of The Cloth
Additional image credits
Craft Capital
National Portrait Gallery Reopens: The new doors at the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery, London, designed by Tracey Emin. Photograph © Olivier Hess
Young V&A Reopens: Selection of doll’s houses to be installed within Rachel Whiteread’s installation Place (Village). © Jamie Stoker courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Serpentine Pavilion 2023: Serpentine Pavilion 2023, designed by Lina Ghotmeh. © Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture. Photo: Iwan Baan, Courtesy: Serpentine.
New Designers: New Designers 2022
Collections: Installation view by James Harris courtesy of Sarah Myerscough Gallery
Andy Warhol: Image courtesy Fashion and Textile Museum
Curated Day trips
Rooted: James Hillier work in progress, James Hillier © RBG Kew
Wedding Cake Tours: Wedding Cake 3D Rendering © Atelier Joana Vasconcelos
The Collection of Victoria, Lady de Rothschild: Image courtesy of Maak
Material Power: Everyday dress from Gaza or Hebron, 1935-1940, from the collection of Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress
