Wesley-Barrell Craft Awards 2008
The second Wesley-Barrell Craft Awards, in association with the Crafts Council resulted in over 100 applicants competing in two categories; furniture and textiles for interiors.
Shortlisted pieces are currently on show in Wesley-Barrell's Manchester showroom before moving on to the final leg of the tour, The Wesley-Barrell Craft Awards Showcase at Origin - The London Craft Fair, presented by the Crafts Council at Somerset House from 7th to 19th October.
Visitors to Origin will be able to view this fascinating collection of work showcased alongside around 300 contemporary craft makers over two weeks. An eminent panel of judges included Jon Snow, Kara O'Reilly, Celia Birtwell, Alastair Graham, Claire West, Helen Chislett and Juliette Barrell who were delighted by the exceptional quality and craftmanship shown in the work of the shortlisted makers.
"What was amazing was the extraordinary unity among the judges. I think that spoke of the extraordinary quality of so much of what we were looking at - we were all happy with our highly talented winners and runners-up." click here to see more of what Jon Snow has to say about crafts.
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Rowan Mersh - Future Landscapes |
Kaniez Abdi - Spiral Wall Art |
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A self developed technique to permanently form a given fabric into any given shape. |
An innovative fusion of machine and hand crafted embroidery techniques. |
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Laura Thomas - Grid Weave |
Ruth Waller - Panamic |
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A sculptural object whereby extremely delicate textile structures are encapsulated in acrylic and made permanent. |
Hand sewn felted wool balls produce a complex, beautifully tactile and richly textured surface structure inspired by the underside of a starfish. |
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Gareth Neal - Anne |
Laura McCafferty - The Crufts Misfits |
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Contained within a contemporary rectilinear American walnut side table is the ghost of its past, a 1730 Queen Anne side table. |
Combines new and old cloth with illustration, applique, hand-stitch and screen print to create a documentary textile artwork. |
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Michele Oberdieck - Poppy Silhouette |
Neil Bottle - Optical Series Wall Hanging |
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The bold size and painterly marks give the screen-printed linen fabric fused in glass an interesting effect as a splashback. |
Hand painted and printed silk dupion evokes a sense of a technological landscape. |
"Wesley-Barrell prides itself on being one of the few British companies in existence to both train and utilise traditional craftsmanship in the production of its furniture. It is clear that crafts are enjoying a well-deserved revival and we wanted to recognise the quality and breadth of home grown talent that exists. As a company now well into its own 'mid-career' we also wanted to inititate awards that would throw the spotlight onto those who are often overlooked in favour of the newer talent"
Juliette Barrell, Marketing Director, Wesley-Barrell
Wesley-Barrell Crafts on Tour can be viewed at:
Wesley-Barrell, Manchester Thursday 4th to Thursday 18th September
285 Deansgate, Manchester, telephone 0161 834 7466
Origin - The London Craft Fair, presented by the Crafts Council at Somerset House 7th to 19th October
(closed Monday 13th October) www.craftscouncil.org.uk/origin
