In a joint collaboration the V&A Museum and the Crafts Council are exploring the place of making in the 21st century. In their exhibition, entitled Power of Making, curator Daniel Charny presents more than 100 hand-made objects from around the world.
The exhibits have been produced by both amateur and professional designers, such as Marloes Ten Bhömer, Shauna Richardson, Social Suicide, John Scarisbrick, Thomas Heatherwick and David Mach. The range of exhibits includes knitted dresses, a ceramic eye patch, shoes, furniture, hand-crafted puppets, a six-necked guitar, wildly innovative cake decorations, dry stone walling and a life-size crochet bear.
Are We Losing the Skills?
Power of Making comes at a critical point in international manufacture – craft work, making things, call it what you will, is on the increase, both at a local level in our homes, and at national level in our factories and studios. Even so, the loss of these skills is a major threat to commercial producers as well as to traditional practices. The exhibition reflects the unique skills of producers and how these skills are being preserved as well as the ever-increasing variety of materials used, not just in Britain but around the world.
From social networking to medical innovation, from entertainment to painting and drawing, somebody, somewhere, makes the items you need to carry out your task.
Power of Making – Highlights of the Exhibition
Power of Making showcases a life-size Chrochetdermy bear by Shauna Richardson, a Leicestershire-based British artist who sculpts models of animals. The artist borrows heavily from taxidermy, in a process she terms 'Chrochetdermy'. The creatures are crocheted, using coarse wool mixes such as mohair, stuffed, and completed with reproduction jaws, claws and glass eyes.
Also on display are futuristic and technologically inventive shoes by the critically acclaimed designer Marloes ten Bhömer. Her shoes are described by design and architecture critic, Shuman Basar, as “riotous and sensuous sinners”.
Power of Making – the Makers
The exhibition will be enhanced by specially commissioned films produced at individual manufacturer's factories and studios. The footage, filmed a makers such as CPP car makers in Coventry, Gunmakers, John Lobb shoemakers, Moorfield Hospital’s prosthetic eye department, and Watson Bros., provides an valuable insight into how things are made and how the knowledge and skills are being preserved.
Exhibition Catalogue
The Power of Making: the Importance of Being Skilled accompanies this exhibition. The publication includes contributions by curator Daniel Charny, Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, Professor Danny Miller, Science Fiction author Bruce Sterling, Martina Margetts, Ele Carpenter, as well as an interview with Professor Neil Gershenfeld. The 80-page paperback publication is a joint publication between the V&A and the Crafts Council. The book is designed by the studio practice Oscar & Ewan and priced at £9.99 (ISBN 9781851776535).
Power of Making will be on display from 6th September 2011 to 2nd January 2012 in the Porter Gallery at the V&A Museum, London. Further information is available from the V&A Museum.
Sources:
- V&A Museum (accessed 31/8/2011)
- marloestenbhomer.squarespace.com/marloes-ten-bhomer (accessed 31/8/2011)
- environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/creepy-crochetdermy/20414 (accessed 31/8/2011)
- shaunarichardson.com/home/about (accessed 31/8/2011)
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
