123 Bethnal Green Road

The long awaited answer to east London's Sustainable style scene has just opened it's doors. The opening last night saw a gaggle of hyper-fashioned east Londoners descending on the new fashions and creations by in house label 123 and designer NOKI. This beautiful grade II listed building has been lovingly restored back to its former glory and makes the perfect setting to house these new clothes and accessories. We welcome you to our streets 123 and we wish you well!

Stitch

An experiment in stitch-time...adding value to an honestly quite horrible synthetic belt by careful stitch and colour. This could be achieved on all the nasty waste pieces currently dodging landfill by the skin of their teeth, maybe to set up a scheme where idle hands skillfully embellished the unloved and un-valued could bring an economic as well as environmental benefit to wasted textiles.

AA2A at Camberwell College of Arts. 8-23 July.

Joyce Addai-Davies
Joyce Addai-Davies

Joyce Addai-Davies

Clara Vuletich


Clara Vuletich

Clara Vuletich

Clara Vuletich

My recent South London adventures took me to the AA2A 2010 exhibition at Camberwell College of Art, where two friends of mine were exhibiting work they have produced on the AA2A residency programme, Clara Vuletich and Joyce Addai-Davis.

The AA2A project is a national set of schemes, providing visual artists and designer makers with the opportunity to undertake a period of research or realize a project, using workshop and supporting facilities in fine art and design departments of Higher and Further education institutions, such as Chelsea College of Art and Design. This gives participating artists and makers the opportunity to use equipment which otherwise might not be available to them, as well as benefiting the institution by bringing ideas and techniques which may not otherwise enter the college environment.

Clara's body of work was made up of digitally enlarged and printed textiles, derived from very personal and cherished pieces of scraps and old clothing holding memories and emotion from the past, these were all enlarged and simply digitally printed onto a large panel of organic cotton/hemp.By enlarging these tiny fragments of memory and resourcefulness, they are now given the attention they deserve. This could be used to re-invigorate old heirloom pieces, and could be applied to cushions, quilts or any household textiles.These ideas of using contemporary digital technology to throw new light onto the sentimental, capturing and enhancing the feelings held within our textile past, are poetic, moving but manage to be uplifting and thoroughly modern, I would love to see these pieces hung in Dover St Market, to really bring to life the past for today's world.

Joyce's work was a collaboration between herself and Emma Hamshare, these woven panels are made using a jacquard loom to weave into the cloth the lay plan and cutting shapes for a full set of garment pattern pieces, though beautiful to hang on a wall, this piece of work is also a true comprehension of using the technology we have now to enhance the sentiment and craft of our history. Very contemporary, very clever and very thoughtful, can't wait to see more!

Hungry for Hungary...

One week from today and I will be making my way to my favourite European city; Budapest and every part of me is ready to go, my bag is packed, tickets printed out and passports at the ready! My boyfriend and our two wonderful friends are setting off for ten days of spa's, flea markets, cucumber salad and squat bars! I'm so excited I've been looking through my photo's from last years trip and remembering the essence of this creative city that makes me fall in love with it every time I visit. The potent mix of the history of war and oppression that has encouraged the creative forces to re-invent and redefine the city as something truly special, unique and very welcoming. There is so much to do and so much fun to be had, my first port of call is always the Esceri Flea Market (see photo's above) open 6am-1pm Tues-Sat. Here I have previously invested in costume jewellery, old Hungarian peasant skirts, silver charms, war-time gas masks, art works and embroidered textiles, it's a little way out of town, but well worth the trip! I could very easily furnish my whole home from the Esceri Mkt, and hopefully one day I will!

Next on my list would be a trip to the Szechenyi Baths open 6am-7pm daily May-Sept, with nine thermal indoor and outdoor pools and dream like architecture, spending a day lounging, bobbing, steaming and plunging is as good for your soul as you can get!

Budapest night-life for me is all about the Romkocsma; 'ruin-cafes'; these squat style bars, clubs and cafes mingled with exhibitions, workshops and performance art, have cropped up in and around District VII, Budapest’s Jewish quarter. This run-down area, some of which has not been touched since 1945, holds a bohemian atmosphere and creative energy, it's the dilapidation that makes the once-grandiose Habsburg-era squares and avenues so evocative. The façades may be crumbling, the paint peeling, the holes gouged by wartime bullets still unfilled, but the courtyards are fun and jumping! The best of the Romkocsmas, such as Mumus,Szimpla kert and Fogas haz, are a mix of hip bar and café, beer garden, music venue and cultural centre. Many Romkocsmas barely advertise their presence, hiding behind discreet signs and grubby doorways.

I will enjoy blogging my report on some of these places on my return and I will make it my mission to visit as many as possible!!

Inspiration

I have just discovered the work of artist Jeanne Claude Christo, and his awesome in every sense 'Surrounded Islands' project from the 1980's where he surrounded islands in Biscayne Bay Florida with a pink floating fabric, which created the most large scale public art piece imaginable, only viewed in complete form from the air.

My continuing research into the relationship between man and his natural surroundings has led me to this, and I hope to use some of this imagery as inspiration for some future work.

".....yields a surprisingly potent image, similar to the inert contradiction of clothes, which simultaneously conceal the skin and reveal the silhouette. The terrain is unified and transformed in dramatic, unexpected ways and the collaged landscape becomes visually startling and mentally provocative...."

Textile Futures MA Show. St Martins.

Jennifer Browne- Articulating Textiles

Yuann Shen- A little Fragile

Laerke Hooge Andersen- The Synthetic Kingdom

Dana Haim- Lace is More

A very excited me took myself along to the Textile Futures MA show at Central St Martins a couple of weeks ago, excited because I had just been accepted onto the course!! Sadly it clashes with my upcoming weave residency in the Shetland islands (which I cannot wait to blog about!), so I shall be Shetland bound this year and then hopefully St Martins Textiles Futures bound next year.

I love this course, that's why I applied, it's a contemporary interpretation of future sustainable practice within the textiles industries, and all that that entails, working with scientists, crafts people, technology, industry and unique materials, the spirit of the show encapsulated a new breed of designers who question what they see and aren't held back by reason, possibility or disbelief, producing a show of ideas, prototypes, challenging research and experiments that should push the world forward, towards a sustainable future, and away from the systems and level of competence that we are currently used to.

Amwell St

A walk up and down Amwell St, London this summer is much advised, as is making sure you make it to their special events like summer fete's, Christmas carols and open evenings where all shops open their doors for viewings, chats and drinks.

This is what shopping should be. Local, personal, and quality. Each unique shop is owned and run by specialist, focusing on products to lust after from woven textiles from Wallace and Sewell to foods from sustainable sources from Unpackaged. You can find bespoke wallpapers, books, fashions, flowers and even a vet! I love it here, it's North London's answer to Collumbia road and I would love to open a little shop and get involved with this lovely community of makers, sellers, locals and do'ers.

RCA Summer Show 2010

Lucinda Abell

Jane Bowler

Jrumchai Singalvanij


Katie Lenton

I made my annual trip to the RCA summer show the week before last and was stimulated from the moment I walked through the door. The textiles section of the show featured some amazing interactive pieces by Katie Gaudion, the most beautiful collection of textiles inspired by Nomadic adventures by Eleanor Nadimi, woven textiles using beautiful natural wools with a British mill by Mary Penny, geometric animal prints by Lucinda Abell and sculptural metallic woven pieces by Lynn Tandler. It's inspiring to see textiles crossing such a diverse array of disciplines and uses, and goes to illustrate what an important part they play in our lives, the inventive spirit can imagine and create such beautiful new meanings, stories and emotions through experimenting with craft, technology and in depth research.

Walking through the exhibition and out the back to a separate building full of amazing projects by product and furniture designers really caught my eye and imagination. Wall unity, flat metal chairs, tweeting walls, porcelain slow food, use of a whole chicken, re-use projects and thoughtful community project work.

On my way out through the animation show I encountered the most wonderful phrase I've heard all year... "it's my fourth birthday party, and I have just been told that I will not receive another for a quarter of my life..." spoken in drab middle aged tone alongside a paper model scene and story to accompany. http://www.mikeyplease.co.uk/index.html

I ended my visit watching films, dance experiments and map reading by Louise O'Connor who I have always loved and will continue to do so!

Textile Taxidermy, Donya Coward at Margo Selby..

The work of textile artist Donya Coward is currently on show at the Margo Selby studio and shop in Bloomsbury. The Pet Portraits project results in these thoroughly modern and humorous objects which adorn the walls, glass cabinets and even the new Chesterfield-style upholstered Margo Selby sofa!

Using traditional techniques and crafts skills, each dog is carefully made by hand using reclaimed materials, hooks, glass buttons and jewelry and they sparkle with detail and quality. It's rare these days to find something truly unique but here I think we have an artist who uses the tradition of taxidermy and hunting trophies to deliver a very personal and new approach, showing the many yet unimagined approaches to future textiles in art and design.

Exhibit up until 2nd October. pieces of 'Textile Taxidermy' which

Quilty pleasures....

So i finally made it to the quilts exhibition at the V&A and was not disappointed. On a Monday morning surrounded by the 60+ quilter, walking around the low-lit rooms of the exhibition space, I was struck at the painterly quality of this textiles collage art medium. I have loved a bit of quilting in my time, and have close friends who are contemporary quilters, but never before have I realized just how much of an expressive art this is, as opposed to a craft hobby. . From a decorative art, presents for new babies, and Grayson Perry and Tracy Emin illustrate this with their quilts commenting on American Abortion rates and childhood memories, but the quilts made from the military uniforms of and by injured soldiers during the wars took my breath away; I'm talking about a king-size quilt made from hexagons the size of my thumb-nail! depicting badges of honour and perfectly symmetrical graphics and pattern. Emotional imagery, patriotic recording, gifts for new babies and political comment, some quilts could make you cry and others cry out with humour! The couples courting quilt with the 'Alphabet of Love and Courtship' with intricately detailed embroideries of Admiration, Beauty, Cupid, Doves, Eyes, Friendship, Gorgeousness etc etc.. These sat alongside other contemporary additions from Liberties, Keffe Fasset and a prison made quilt that I have previously blogged about.

I loved this exhibition, and hope that it goes some way to reviving the appreciation and respect that this textiles art deserves. Certainly more accessible to some than painting, and can be done in groups, watching films and even on the beach! With patterns named, 'tumbling blocks', 'grandmothers flower garden', and 'windmill', what's stopping us?