Sustained Joy

Oscar asked me to consider where I’d hope my work might be exhibited, alongside whose work I might curate an exhibition with. Something I am very interested in achieving with my work is design and craft that is genuinely sustainable, and yet still remains colourful, playful and full of joy. Earth friendly design can sometimes be less exciting tonally, and I feel like colour plays an incredible important role in my own work and when I look to the work of both my peers and historically that I am most drawn to. I have begun to pull together a group of contemporary designers whose practice are grounded in both circularity and whose work explores colour joyful expression and play. I have chosen Holy Trinity church in Bow near where I live in east London. Young local architect Julian McIntosh has helped restore the space which was derelict for 30 years until 2019, through opening up the breathtaking nave space as an arts and gallery space. This programme in turn raises money to help rebuild the attached community space used by local community groups. I like the parallel circularity between the exhibiting designers circular intentions, and the way the space feeds back into restoring and giving life back to the community hall. The grand raw stone back drop of the church would also make for a perfect contrast to the colourful playful, pieces in the show.

Kusheda Mensah creates interlocking furniture pieces from recon reclaimed and recycled PET fabrics, which allow for more ‘fulfilling social behaviours’ and encourage connection and communication to our own and other bodies. The soft, colourful,  organic shapes offer comfort and relief as an alternative to the anxiety fraught zoom chats and whatsapp messages that ever increasingly replace intimate connection.  I enjoy that there is a softness the permeates through her work, both conceptually and physically. Her pieces encourage play and iteration as well as rest and comfort, and I enjoy this duality, where something can both soothe as well as activate. This is perhaps achieved through the abstraction of the forms which don’t overly prescribe. On initial viewing we aren’t sure what they are, and this forces us to investigate and interact,  to build an understanding of our own. In many ways her pieces are there for you like a friend - a place to rest  or a playful inspiration when needed. This helped me understand that creating an opportunity for interaction and play or ‘friendship’ between the user and an object, not only enriches the experience as described above, but might also hopefully build ties that encourage care, repair, and reuse in the future.

Charlotte Kidger takes the waste of other peoples creations ( the cast off from her university cnc machines) and uses them to create her own. Im very intrigued by this symbiotic connection between herself and her peers work. Her work is generated by the work of others and is inherently and uniquely informed by the context it is grown from. The material lead the form in some respects, as she describes the ruin like texture coming from pieces forming incorrectly by accident. In form it reminds me of both ancient ruins and coral or algea like rock that has calcified over many years. It’s almost like it has been grown. This natural patination of growth ( or deterioration depending on how you see it ) combined with the bright intriguing palette give an uncanny draw. I like the idea of something growing or alluding to growth, and therefore nature through its form, particularly in this case where although the materials are not natural, her approach is one that has the earth and nature as a priority.

Charles Antoine Chappius  knits colourful linen and yarn leftover for industrial textile waste,  into soft coverings for repurposed glassware to create his ‘Soft Amphorae’ vessels. Each object has two different coloured sides and can be turned upside down, holding water either end. This means they are functional and can be presented in a variety of ways,  always appearing new. The handles remain malleable, allowing for dynamic reshaping and endless possibilities, and allowing the artist to pass his hand-made craftsmanship on into an ongoing collaboration.  Allowing for adaptability means the vessels take on a life of their own which gives autonomy to the owner and deepens their own physical connection to the piece. This adaptability not only allows for playful collaboration, but also means the vessels can hopefully remain cherished for longer as its allows for continual ‘newness’ of colour and pattern.

Jaqueline de la Fuente’s work stands out against anything similar, and why I include her work here in this curation, is the circular process she uses to make her clay like material by reusing household packaging waste. I really enjoyed reading about her intuitive practice, which was born out of necessary after she had children and wanted an easy and sustainable way to make pots when her time was more limited. I was initially drawn to her work because it is tactile, and textured and I feel like its finish communicates that it is hand made. The playful organic shapes and nods to classical pottery forms are very fashionable at the moment, and I am really interested why so, and how my work - which is naturally drawn to use some of these forms - can both appreciate and understand this aesthetic moment, and build upon this to create originality. The colours of her small vessels are each a block colour ( with some having a painted texture) but as a collection there is a mixture of bright and stimulating with natural and earthy tones, and I find the subtle contrast in colour when they are assembled particularly satisfying and joyful. There is something ameoba like, yet feminine about the organic forms of her work, which I personally find both comforting and characterful. I perhaps want to look to more obscure and natural inspiration, from the microscopic to the planetary, to help me develop forms which incorporate this alluring organic femininity, but create a visual abstract uniqueness of my own.