Projects

Hand Built at the London Design Festival

At the 2009 London Design Festival, the Crafts Council was proud to take a prime position in the festival headquarters, the Design Embassy at the V&A. We presented a showcase of makers who work in the built environment, demonstrating the diverse application of craft and the techniques and skills offered by the crafts professional. Hand Built was jointly funded by UKTI and the Crafts Council. (V&A, Sackler Centre, 21 to 25 September 2009)

Hand Built presented work by five established, UK-based craft makers with extensive experience of fulfilling commissions in the architectural and public realm. Showcasing examples of their previous and current commissions, Hand Built demonstrated how these makers’ knowledge and understanding of their chosen materials enables them to produce unique, bespoke pieces which respond creatively and imaginatively to the criteria set by commissioning architects and agencies.

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  Eleanor Long, an artist working in glass, was commissioned by The Crown Estate and City Offices LLP with Morley Fund Management to create an artwork for a new office development behind Regent Street by architects Squire and Partners. Her proposal was selected in 2004 following an invited design competition managed by Modus Operandi Art consultants.

The makers featured in Hand Built were:

Gary Breeze, lettering sculptor
Gary Breeze works predominantly with wood and stone, creating public and private commissions and exhibition pieces. He has worked on a number of projects, including the Scottish Parliament and a memorial piece for victims of the Bali bombing.

Walter Jack, designer for the built environment
Walter Jack Studio creates a wide range of work for public-realm improvements. Clients include local authorities and developers, schools, hospitals and communities. The studio also acts in Lead Artist and Consultant roles.

Eleanor Long, glass artist
Eleanor Long works with glass to create private and public commissions and one-off artworks that exploit the effect of natural light, and the shadow, tones and edge that can be created.

Ptolemy Mann, textile artist and colour consultant
Ptolemy Mann works in partnership with architects, art consultants and interior designers, to produce hand-dyed woven textile pieces for domestic, corporate and public spaces. More recently she has worked as an architectural colour consultant working on large-scale building projects.

Charlie Whinney, furniture-maker and designer
Charlie Whinney uses locally sourced wood to create installations for retail, office and corporate spaces as well as furniture and interior accessories and has recently completed a large-scale commission for the entrance and windows of Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.