Crafting on the plinth
Deirdre Figueiredo, director of Craftspace, was selected to be a 'plinther' for Antony Gormley's One & other art work. At 8 o'clock on Friday 17 July, she took her place in Trafalgar Square, here is Deirdre's explanation of what she wanted to achieve followed by the some photos...check out the amazing outfit!
'I will be wearing a Kei Ito creation in appreciation of the ingenuity of designer makers in this country and I will be unravelling second hand woollen garments and making a pledge to re-make them into something new - taking time to teach myself a new skill in the process.
I celebrate the act of making and craftsmanship. I have invited makers, crafters and craftivists to come and join me and share my hour on the plinth by doing their stuff in the spirit of collaboration, conviviality, exchanging and valuing of skill. My day job is running Craftspace where I work with many brilliantly inventive and ingenious makers and artists. Textiles have always had a fascination for me. I like the way that cloth can retain memory and traces of ownership. In making a new thing from someone else's well loved garment, I can add to its story.
There was something strangely compelling about the possibility of being part of a unique and living portrait of this diverse nation. I've experienced and been moved by Antony Gormley's work, most recently the haunting figures on Crosby beach and his exhibition at the Hayward where I bumped into strangers in a blinding fog filled cube. They provide an unusual perspective on humanity, making you stop to think and consider.'
