Scotland Shines at London Craft Week 2024

This year's London Craft Week (13-19 May) will host a dynamic showcase of innovative and cutting-edge craft. Through talks, exhibitions and workshops makers will highlight the skill and creativity defining the vibrant landscape of contemporary craft today. 

Discover a selection of exciting contributions from makers who live and work in Scotland with our round-up. 

Image: 'Anchor 1 and Anchor 2' by Daniel Freyne / Photography by Dave Watts

Daniel Freyne / MAKE Hauser & Wirth

Edinburgh-based blacksmith Daniel Freyne will be exhibiting his work at Make Hauser & Wirth’s ‘Objects of Contemplation’ exhibition. Celebrating over five years of collaborative exhibitions with makers from across the UK and Europe, the exhibition spans disciplines from woodworking to ceramics, textiles, metal, stone and mixed materials. It showcases the intricate connection between materials and maker.

Daniel, one of the 19 featured makers, will present his current practice through his iron sculptures 'Anchor 1 & 2' which seek to alter the viewer's perception of the chosen material.

Exhibition: 'Objects of Contemplation', 14 - 18 May 2024, Hauser & Wirth, 23 Savile Row, London W1S 2ET

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Image: Choi Keeryong / Photography courtesy of London Craft Week

Choi Keeryong / Soluna Art Group

Soluna Art Group, a leading art company from South Korea, will be celebrating their 10th anniversary during London Craft Week with an exhibition of the finest Korean craft.

Held at Cromwell Place, South Kensington, the exhibition aims to introduce Korea’s cultural traditions to an international audience and highlight the region’s long history of working with materials.

Amongst the exhibitors is Choi Keeryong, a glass artist originally from South Korea and now based in Edinburgh. A finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2023, through his work Choi explores how different cultural groups perceive aesthetics through visual experiences and unfamiliar materials.

Exhibition: 'Fine Craft by Soluna', 15 - 19 May 2024, 4 Cromwell Place, London SW7 2 JE

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Image: 'Untitled Canvas' by Frances Priest, / Photography by Shannon Tofts

Frances Priest / Cavaliero Finn

In 2004, Juliana Cavaliero and Debra Finn curated their first exhibition as Cavaliero Finn in a home in South London. Now celebrating its 20th birthday, Cavaliero Finn returns to its South London roots at Stockwell Studio, featuring makers who have shown with the gallery since its inception.

Frances Priest, a maker specialising in ceramics and based in Edinburgh, is among those featured in the exhibition. Frances's passion for pattern and colour drives her exploration of cultural histories of ornamentation through studio ceramics and installations. Her work delves into the use of pattern books to document and share languages of ornament, reflecting upon the ever-changing interpretations of ornamental motifs and how they evolve between drawings and material forms.

Exhibition: '20 Years of Cavaliero Finn', 13 - 18 May 2024, Cavaliero Finn at Stockwell Studio, 1 Lorn Court, London SW9 OAB

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Image: Araminta Campbell / Photography by Claudia Rocha

 Araminta Campbell and Iseabal Hendry / The Fife Arms
 

The Fife Arms are hosting a panel discussion exploring the themes of nature and place in Scottish craft. Moderated by Hugo Macdonald of Bard, the event brings together textile designer Araminta Campbell, accessories designer/maker Iseabal Hendry and sculptor Gareth Guy. 

Araminta Campbell is a premium textile brand founded by Araminta Birse-Stewart and based in Aberdeenshire. As the largest employer of handweavers in Scotland, working with local mills, they create contemporary textiles that continue Scotland’s weaving lineage.

Born and raised in the Highlands of Scotland, Iseabal Hendry draws inspiration from traditional crafts like basket weaving and clinker boatbuilding. Working with vegetable-tanned leather, Iseabal combines individual segments by hand to create accessories that are both beautiful and functional. 

Horn carver Gareth Guy (McLean of Braemar) based in the Highlands uses antlers collected from estates to create his beautiful, collectable pieces. 

The focus of their conversation is the Scottish landscape through the changing seasons — how it inspires and informs their craft and their approach to harnessing the bounty of nature without damaging or diminishing it. At its heart, the discussion is a celebration of Scotland and the creativity and artistry that it inspires.

Event: How Landscape and Identity Inspire Scottish Craft, 15 May 2024, The Scottish Room, Mount St. Restaurant and Rooms, 41–43 Mount Street, London W1K 2RX.

Tickets for the talk can be booked through LCW

Image: Iseabal Hendry / Photography by Calum Douglas

Image: Mella Shaw / Photography by Findlay Macdonald courtesy of London Craft Week

Mella Shaw / Sarah Myerscough Gallery

Edinburgh-based ceramicist Mella Shaw will exhibit her work at the Sarah Myerscough Gallery as part of the 'Earthly Bodies' exhibition.

In addition to showcasing her work, Mella will take part in a seminar with fellow ceramicists Julian Stair and Jonathan Keep. The seminar will be moderated by curator Sarah Myerscough and will focus on the sculptural aspects of their work.

During the seminar, Mella will discuss her research into the overuse of marine sonar and its devastating effects on the sonic communication between whales. She will also describe her creative response and how her ‘Sounding Line’ pieces took shape based on whale inner ear bones.

Exhibition: 'Earthly Bodies: Speaking of Ceramics and Sculpture', 13 - 17 May 2024, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, 34 North Row, London W1K 6DH. 

Seminar:11am - 1pm, 18 May 2024

Learn more and book your tickets for Mella's talk.

London Craft Week (13-19 May 2024)

See full programme