London’s biggest celebration of contemporary craftsmanship is back with a bang and from 4-10 October the city will be buzzing with nearly 400 events, including workshops, immersive experiences, pop-ups and exhibitions championing some of the world’s most beautiful objects and most talented designer-makers.
Returning for its seventh edition, this year’s festival spotlights 350 makers from 31 countries, working across the fields of craft, art, design, fashion, luxury, food and beauty. It showcases their ingenuity and tenacity as well as technical skill and unparalleled creativity, while highlighting the widespread embrace of innovative materials and sustainable practices.
London Craft Week takes place across the city, with a concentrated series of events in Belgravia, Chelsea and Seven Dials. Pop over to Pimlico for the ‘Pimlico Road Series’ of talks, panels and interactive workshops before wandering over to Chelsea’s Pavilion Road, where you’ll encounter the ‘Artisan Chelsea’ series of experiences.
Not to be missed is Nicole Fahri and Lucile Lewin’s joint exhibition, In Good Company, celebrating female friendship. New works made in bronze, jesmonite, porcelain and glass will be shown alongside selected earlier pieces in Lewin’s beautiful Victorian school house in Marylebone.
Elsewhere, London Glassblowing Studio stages a solo show of figurative sculpture by Elliot Walker, while Tristan Hoare Gallery presents an exhibition that brings together emerging and established contemporary artists who create hand-moulded ceramics, without the use of a wheel. With so much to see and do, we couldn’t think of a better way to while away a Sunday afternoon.
There is something deeply satisfying about purchasing a precious piece directly from its maker. Learning and talking about its creation seems to infinitely increase its value and desirability. Happily, at Goldsmiths’ Fair, the annual celebration of the UK’s top jewellery makers, you can do exactly that.
Located in London’s spectacular Goldsmiths’ Hall, a stone’s throw from St Paul’s Cathedral, this year’s event brings together more than 130 contemporary craftsmen from up and down the country. There is something here for everyone, from Elsa Tierney’s sculptural pieces inspired by great Modernists such as Picasso and Brancusi to the mystical hand-engraved signet rings by Castro Smith.
It’s also worth scoping out the fair’s exhibition exploring the symbolic significance of rings. It features extraordinary pieces from the 1960s to the present day by celebrated designer-makers, including Emefa Cole and Mark Nuell. For any jewellery lover, this boutique fair is a must-see.
