in Response : MA GROUP PROJECT 2019
This is my second year of running this project with MA students from the School of Craft and Design at the University for the Creative Arts. Traditionally, the Crafts Study Centre has acted as a place for the tangible, looking after some of the finest pieces of twentieth and twenty-first century craftsmanship, whilst the university’s studios are a place for the intangible, fostering the development of skills and the active process of making. in Response brings the two together, making links between the museum and studio settings.
It is always fascinating to see which objects in the Centre’s collections capture the students’ imagination. Certain makers, such as Lucie Rie, and Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher, seem to have an enduring appeal and are always popular. It has thus been great to see some of our lesser-known items – including lace by Ethel Nettleship and a puppet by William Simmonds – and our recent acquisitions – such as an earthenware bowl by Philip Wood – providing inspiration for this year’s cohort.
My thanks go to everyone who has participated in the project. They have been a pleasure to work with and have produced some beautiful work.
Greta Bertram
Curator, Crafts Study Centre
BRIAN RICHARDS: CERAMICS
BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS
Studying nuclear-astrophysics, working in middle-management for a multinational corporation and playing a lot of bridge gave Brian a love of numbers, people and factories, but did little to prepare him for creating art . . . READ MORE
BRIGID DE SAULLES: CERAMICS
WOMAN AT THE DRYING WELL
Brigid makes table top sized sculptures with clay, attaching significant snatches of stories through decorating them with colour and complementary materials. . . READ MORE
CAROL ANNE HEATHER: PRODUCT DESIGN
FABRIC DISPLAY STAND
Carol Anne is studying Product Design with a focus on utilising space and storage. Her passion is repurposing products and materials, and this work is inspired by the ‘Diagonal’ block print by Barron and Larcher. . . READ MORE
CHAEEUN KIM: TEXTILES
BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS
Chaeeun is a textile developer with a BA (Hons) Textiles for Fashion & Interiors, specialising in weave, from UCA, where she is now doing an MA in Textiles. She explores colour and texture through experimental approaches to materials . . . READ MORE
CHRISTINA DEMBINSKA: GLASS
GLASS BUTTONS
Christina Dembinska is an independent designer/maker of stained glass work, proudly following in the footsteps of women working in this field since the beginning of the Arts and Crafts movement . . . READ MORE
CLAUDIA CASANOVAS FULCARA:
PRODUCT DESIGN
FOES
As a designer, Clàudia’s works are usually inspired by human behaviour and nature. She is interested in shapes and textures and how they work with an object’s function. Generally working with natural materials. . . READ MORE
EVIE FRANCIS: TEXTILES
EXPERIMENTAL SAMPLES
HARRIET WALFORD: JEWELLERY
LOST AND FOUND
JANET PULLEN: TEXTILES
JUG AND BOWL
Colour also plays an important role in Evie’s work and when exploring the archives at the Crafts Study Centre, she was drawn to the saturated colours and shimmering, iridescent surfaces in Geoff Roberts’ jewellery, . . . READ MORE
Harriet uses a variety of materials, including precious and base metal and leather, as well as found objects such as rusty washers from the roads. Harriet has been increasingly focussing on how things open and close, and particularly jewellery fastenings . . . READ MORE
Janet is influenced by abstract works and her approach is to piece and patch fabric. The joins form lines which can represent boundaries separating one area from another . . . READ MORE
JANICE GUNNER: TEXTILES
BOWLED OVER
Janice is an internationally renowned textile artist, quilter, teacher and author. Working predominantly with hand-dyed fabrics, she designs and makes art textiles . . . READ MORE
KELLIE TITCHENER: TEXTILES
TRANSLATION
Through her work Kellie explores the physical properties and structures of knitted textiles, while enjoying the incorporation of experimental materials and techniques. . . READ MORE
KIRSTIN MOORE ESTAUGH : JEWELLERY
FEATHER QUILL
Kirstin’s work is concept-driven, leading her to create wearable sculptures that represent her narrative. Her current body of work explores the emotions attached to the physical scarring of the body . . . READ MORE
LOUISE WOODWARD : TEXTILES
CHOCKS AWAY
Researching loss in its many forms, Louise uses her personal experience of hearing loss to inspire hand-woven patterns, in particular the sounds made whilst undertaking a hearing test. . . READ MORE
LUCY RHODES: TEXTILES
MARKS 1, 2 & 3
Lucy’s interest in weaving is rooted in a material fascination. Drawing on images of the marks left by time and nature, she seeks to explore these processes through her work. Layers of cloth woven in different materials often feature. . . READ MORE
MIHAELA COMAN : JEWELLERY
CALLIGRAPHY RING, LETTERS NECKLACE AND SUMI STICK BOX
Mihaela retells the stories she reads through jewellery that is figurative and inspired by books. Having been part of a publishing house for over ten years, it is natural that most of her inspiration comes from literature . . . READ MORE
RACHEL COLLYER: PRODUCT DESIGN
NO PRINT THE SAME
Rachel has a background in Graphic and Product design, but across both disciplines she is influenced most by nature and science. She aims to design for function but the form is usually reflective of geometry or biomimicry. . . READ MORE
STEPHEN CLOVER : CERAMICS
EVERYTHING FLOWS
Stephen started working with ceramics in 1982. Self-taught, he started by hand-building experimental forms in earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, fired in an electric kiln. Principally making sculptural pieces. . . READ MORE
