Scottish crafts bidding to take over in London

Scottish contemporary crafts are being highlighted as part of London Craft Week.

From studios to the high street, Scottish-based makers are set to take over London’s most renowned furniture and interiors store Heal’s.

Returning to London Craft Week for the second time to further the international reach of Scottish contemporary craft Craft Scotland x Heal’s invite visitors to explore the work of five Scotland-based designer/makers during London Craft Week.

As part of a residency running from Wednesday 9 to Sunday 13 May, these makers will give an insight into their contemporary process through demonstrations and a programme of workshops. Filling seven metres of window display; ceramics, wood carving, leatherwork, jewellery design and weaving will transform the store into a maker space buzzing with activity.

Dedicated to showcasing the very best international and British creativity and craftsmanship, London Craft Week has become a key event in the international craft calendar. Buyers and enthusiasts flock to the capital to see and experience a wide array of craft practices in iconic and historic locations.

Of these Heal’s flagship store on Tottenham Court Road is a landmark of London’s west end and the ultimate destination for designer furniture, lighting and homewares.

Naomi McIntosh in her studio

The workshops give visitors the opportunity to generate patterns through mark-making with ceramicist Myer Halliday or carve a wooden spoon from sustainably sourced Scottish greenwood with Object Company. Using soft leather, Jude Gove will take participants through all aspects of making their own purse. From making architectural jewellery with designer/maker Naomi McIntosh to learning how to create a willow basket with weaver Lise Bech, there will be a diverse array of skills on show and an ability learn first hand from some of Scotland’s most celebrated craft talent.

Speaking ahead of London Craft Week Fiona Logue said: ‘Our partnership with Heal’s allows makers based in Scotland to share their unique talents with craft enthusiasts keen to gain an insight into some of the innovative processes and techniques used in Scotland today.

‘Heal’s long history of collaborating with prominent designers makes it the perfect partner for hosting such diverse talent from Scotland’s studios. Our workshop programme allows visitors the opportunity to not just see stunning work but also to understand how it is made and make their own pieces. We’re excited to introduce such talented makers and we very much hope this is the beginning of an ongoing fruitful relationship between Craft Scotland and Heal’s.’

The makers/designers presented are:

Myer Halliday. Myer Halliday is a ceramic designer based in Edinburgh. A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, he works closely with fellow designers in Scotland and England to make products that you will love to live with. Each piece Myer creates carefully considers three key themes: pattern, presentation and mark-making.

Object Company. Object Company was founded in 2014 by designer Catherine Johnston. The concept arose from a desire to develop traditional skills in woodwork, metal and ceramics, and to apply these is a practical and design-led manner. Each item is unique, and created in small batches, dependent on available materials. All materials are either locally, sustainably and ethically sourced, or recycled. Each piece is cut out, shaped and finished by hand. Every items is unique, allowing for creative freedom and an ability to respond appropriately to the chosen material.

The Object Company is heading to London for Craft Week

Jude Gove. Working from her studio, Jude creates individually designed and handcrafted genuine leather and pure wool felt accessories. Each purse, clutch bag and wallet is cut and stitched by hand, with an emphasis on simple practical shapes, exquisite colour combinations and high-quality materials. Using the landscape from her home and her travels as her colour palette, she sources genuine soft leather hides and pure wool felt in contrasting colours.

Naomi Mcintosh. Naomi is a designer/maker with a diverse background having studied Architecture, before gaining a Masters Degree in Design from Central Saint Martins in London. Surfaces are manipulated to create objects that explore scale from jewellery to sculptural objects and installations. By using planes and lines, forms are suggested, capturing volumes, transforming 2D surfaces into 3D objects. With precise geometry the pieces explore the relationship between the body and objects and how volumes, patterns, planes and forms are seen.

Lise Bech. Originally from Denmark, Lise Bech now lives and works from her studio in Fife where she grows a wide range of willows (Salix species) for her basket making. In addition to her cultivated willow beds, the local landscape provides a rich source of other traditional basketry materials (heather, fieldrush, hairmoss) and more experimental fibre plants (birch, broom) which are occasionally used for embellishment. Working exclusively with Scottish willow – much of it organically grown, tended and harvested (coppiced) by hand – she weaves traditional as well as contemporary pieces.

Hannah Thistlethwaite, Heal’s senior buyer for home said: ‘We are really excited to be having a great selection of amazing artisans from Craft Scotland with us for London Craft Week and to be hosting workshops that allow our customers to get closer to the work and craft of these innovative and skilled makers.’