This year (unusually) we didn’t get to Origin, so it was compulsory to go to this – the north’s nearest equivalent – yesterday. It’s going from strength to strength, lots of exciting new designer-makers and not too many of the same people each time. In fact many of the makers who were new to Origin this year were ones we’d already seen at GNCCF in 2010 so we didn’t miss too much.
As last year, one of my favourites was Catherine Fuga-Carr, who crochets glass dishes. Yes really – a very clever, unique process Delighted to hear how successful she’s been since her debut last year as a new graduate. A little example came home with me this time, gorgeous.
An exciting new discovery – Yu-Ping Lin, who makes ingenious textile jewellery. Her complex origami-like forms, made of layered, bonded and cut fabrics, can be transformed by manipulating the folds and turning them inside out.
I always enjoy Clare Lane’s striking canvases, even though urban scenes don’t usually appeal to me. Love the way her digitally simplified photos are enhanced by densely stitched areas.
Another textile artist, Caroline Kirton, takes her inspiration from teenage life.
As always, it seemed as though there were more jewellers than all other crafts put together. I’m not complaining… wonderful stuff, I can’t get enough of it. When the lottery numbers come up, it’s kinetic jewellery from Victoria Walker and Alan Ardiff for me. My favourites were a poppy seedhead ‘locket’ by Walker, which opened into a flower. Beautiful magic, and so skilled. Of Ardiff’s pendants I liked ‘new leaf’ – turn the tiny handle and the suspended leaf flips over to reveal a different coloured side.
Altogether a fabulous show, very inspiring. So much more I could write about… but why not browse the GNCCF website and see for yourself?
