Originally scheduled to take place in May, London Craft Week starts today, with events happening across the city and some of our local designers and makers taking part. Take a look below to see what is happening around Shoreditch.
British Standard by Plain English x Elvis & Kresse
To celebrate London Craft Week, British Standard launches a new sustainable fire-hose hardware collection with ethical brand Elvis & Kresse. Embracing the circular economy, the collection will comprise hand-stamped, cupboard door handles and drawer pulls, crafted entirely from rescued fire-hose material.
Since the company launched in 2005, Elvis & Kresse have been rescuing raw materials, transforming them into luxury lifestyle accessories and donating 50% of profits back to charities.
Improvised Gestures at SCP
SCP presents an exhibition of glass work by Jochen Holz. Holz transforms prefabricated glass tubes into one-off glassware pieces using the lampworking technique. Glass is melted over a torch and gently blown, then shaped and fused together, creating a beautiful body of work that is both spontaneous and precise.
SCP is a producer and supplier of objects that walk the line between craft and design. They utilise British craft-based skills in many of the products they create – including traditionally made sustainable upholstery pieces from Norfolk, terracotta tableware from Suffolk, ceramics from Stoke-on-Trent and textiles from Yorkshire.
For this exhibition, SCP has invited London-based glass designer Jochen Holz to present a collection of new work, including vessels, tableware and one-off objects. Holz was initially trained in the highly technical world of Lampworking, which produces glass that is most commonly used for scientific applications. After studying at the RCA, Holz has developed a meditative working practice in East London, where improvisation and controlled experimentation lead his creative output.
The work on show is innately human, capturing in form a specific moment in time.
Online creative workshops delivered by STORE at Barbican
London based association of artists, architects and designers STORE are collaborating with the Barbican to deliver a series of online creative workshops.
STORE work with artists and designers at the forefront of the industry, and their work is composed of three core elements: an educational programme of art and architecture courses, wide-ranging public events and exhibitions, and a socially engaged design practice.
This series of daily workshops will be delivered by a range of designers, including Kingsley Walters, Tessa Layzelle, Áine Byrne Richard McVetis and Celia Pym. Each artist, maker or designer will be teaching a unique craft or material process, spanning from traditional leathercraft to weaving.
tokyobike x Shitsurindo: Contemporary Japanese Lacquerware
Shitsurindo has been making Echizen lacquerware for eight generations in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Traditionally used to decorate and protect objects and utensils, urushi can be applied using a number of different techniques and is shown here on a custom tokyobike alongside new designs from Rin & Co.
A Weekend of Upholstery and Natural Dyeing Courses at Shoreditch Design Rooms
Shoreditch Design Rooms is an upholstery training centre and a bespoke upholstery workshop in Shoreditch. They’ll be opening their doors for two days of live upholstery, teaching introductory upholstery skills, sewing skills and natural dyeing throughout the weekend.
It is one of the most innovative and successful upholstery training centres in the country with a thriving commercial upholstery workshop, SDR Upholstery, all under one roof. Throughout the weekend of LCW 2020, SDR will be running a series of ticketed upholstery and craft taster activities.