COLLECT 2020: Contemporary Fine Craft Contextualised and in Motion

Talks Programme, Kinetic Sculpture Installation & Sponsors at Collect 2020 Unveiled
Somerset House, 27 February – 1 March 2020

Visitors to the 16th edition of Collect: International Art Fair for Modern Craft and Design, presented by the Crafts Council, will be able to see new contemporary craft pieces in the beautiful Neoclassical rooms of Somerset House. Collect presents an opportunity to discover exceptional work produced in the last five years by living artists, much of which is made especially for the fair. The work of over 400 gallery-presented artists will be participating on a London stage that is instrumental in defining and growing the market for contemporary craft globally.

Expect to be enthralled and inspired by the Collect experience which, alongside representing a window to purchase and commission new work, also offers the opportunity to interact with experts and breakthrough work. The talks programme features luminaries such as interior designer, Kit Kemp, and ceramicist Carol McNicoll, and ‘new guard’ artists including several LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize laureates. A bespoke kinetic sculpture and VIP Lounge have been created as a homage to the rich history of Somerset House and the striking environment.

Excitingly, six artists will be showcasing their work for the first time since learning that they are finalists in the prestigious LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2020.

TALKS PROGRAMME
Media partner: Crafts magazine

Friday 28th February

12.00

Into the Client’s Hands

The marketplace and audience for craft is growing and changing at an unprecedented pace. Craft is no longer a ‘moment’ but a seismic trend, and thoughtful investment in crafted objects speaks of our recognition and responsibility to buy well.

Crafts Council Creative Director, Natalie Melton, brings together a diverse panel, including interior designer Kit Kemp, to explore how a rich understanding of changing patterns of consumption will develop the collectors of the future.

13:30

Tradition Redressed

In 2020, the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) celebrates its 30th anniversary. Trust Chair Nick Crean will lead a lively discussion with QEST maker-scholars around innovation in the use of materials, pushing their properties, discovering new ways of working and creating the unexpected.

15.00 

Maker’s Eye, Maker’s Voice

A prelude to a new exhibition and gallery space dedicated to contemporary craft. Maker’s Eye will be the inaugural exhibition at the new Crafts Council Gallery, opening its doors to the general public at 44a Pentonville Road, in London, on Saturday 28th March. Maker’s Eye will feature over 150 objects from the Crafts Council Collection - the largest-ever under one roof – selected by 13 leading makers. Freddie Robins and Michael Brennand-Wood are two of the artist curators and both will share with the Crafts Council’s Head of Exhibitions and Collections, Annabelle Campbell, what informed their personal selection of exhibits, their perspective on how craft has evolved and what it means today.

16.30

Jewellery as art, jewellery as metaphor

Daniella Wells, consultant and Galleries Liaison for Collect since it first opened sixteen years ago, brings together a panel of experts to discuss making wearable art today. Making art as an accessory, a statement and a collector’s item will all be explored.

Saturday 29th February

12.00 

Carol McNicoll In Conversation

Maverick ceramic artist Carol McNicoll has been an influential figure on the ceramic’s scene for over 50 years. She will discuss her life and work with art historian and Crafts magazine columnist Tanya Harrod in what promises to be an enjoyable, candid and colourful conversation with a true one-off.

13.30  

LOEWE FOUNDATION presents Where Craft Hides

President of the LOEWE FOUNDATION, Sheila Loewe, will introduce a conversation between Chairwoman of the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize jury, Anatxu Zabalbeascoa, and two Craft Prize laureates, Giovanni Corvaja and Kazuhito Takadoi.

15.00

Lightning Talks
A selection of artists showing at Collect will talk about their work in just ten minutes in this fun, fast-paced session providing a unique insight into the exquisite craft pieces you can see at the fair.

Sunday 1st March

12.00

Collect Open Makers In Conversation

Collect Open continues to draw together a cohort of exciting makers showcasing their large-scale and experimental works specifically created for Collect. Crafts Council’s Caroline Jackman talks to Collect Open artists, Tal Batit, Edmund Byrne, Lucie Gledhill, Jacky Oliver and Margo Selby about the journeys they’ve undertaken to get to this point and where they see it leading them.

14.00

Craft in 2020: looking back and looking forward
As the Craft Council approaches its 50th anniversary in 2021, Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Crafts Council Chair, brings together a group of current and past Maker Trustees to discuss how craft has been shaped in recent decades and its potential impact as we look forward to the next 50.

Note: Admission to all Collect Talks is included in the ticket price.

Collect is delighted to announce a new hanging sculpture by Daniel Reynolds, represented at the fair by Cavaliero Finn, to be placed within the West Wing at Somerset House. Incorporating the largest elements Reynolds has ever worked with, the artist’s dramatic, organic sculpture will be executed in his signature glass and ceramics. Rooted in his love of concrete architecture and inspired by mid-century British artists and architects such as Victor Pasmore, Reynolds' installation will be created especially for the fair. The impressive 2.25m x 2.50m, 18kg piece will react to the breeze and changing light of the space for which it is designed.

VIP LOUNGE TO SHOWCASE BRITISH DESIGN AND MAKING BY COX LONDON – CURATED BY AWARD-WINNING INTERIOR DESIGNER RACHEL CHUDLEY

Cox London is designing and producing a brand-new body of work especially for Collect 2020. The pieces will respond to, and contrast with, the classical proportions of the rooms at Somerset House. Organic and free-form pieces will disrupt its handsome symmetry and have been influenced by Rachel Chudley’s focus on how the building has evolved since its inception in 1547 and its maritime past. Highlights include a 2m wide ‘Magnolia Chandelier’ forged in iron and showcasing new lamp-making techniques and contemporary pieces of sculptural furniture juxtaposed with traditional upholstery. Rachel's concept for the space also features a custom colour palette of rich shades on the walls by New York’s colour consultant and paint artisan Donald Kaufman.

ARTISTS NOMINATED FOR THE LOEWE FOUNDATION CRAFT PRIZE 2020 EXHIBITING AT COLLECT

• Takayuki Sakiyama – Katie Jones, UK
• Bodil Manz – Oxford Ceramics Gallery, UK
• Naama Haneman – ESH Gallery, Italy
• Edu Tarín – Galerie Marzee, Netherlands
• Marc Ricourt – Ting Ying, China
• Peter Bauhuis, Gallery S O, Switzerland

A further nineteen LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize laureates will be represented at Collect 2020.

SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS

Collect 2020 is supported by a number of forward-thinking organisations whose values and ethos are shared by the Fair and the Crafts Council.

Sponsor: LOEWE FOUNDATION

LOEWE FOUNDATION, Associate Supporter

The LOEWE FOUNDATION was established in 1988 to protect cultural heritage in the fields of craft, design, photography and poetry. In 2016, it launched the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize inspired by LOEWE’s beginnings as a craft cooperative in 1846.

“We are proud to be supporting Collect for the third year running, particularly in this exciting moment when craft is being re-evaluated across the world. It gives us great pleasure to see so many LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize finalists on show at the Fair and we look forward to introducing our 2020 finalists.”

Jonathan Anderson, Creative Director of LOEWE

Sponsor: Cox London

Cox London, VIP Lounge Sponsor

Cox London are designers and makers of sculptural lighting, furniture and artworks. Their thriving London atelier champions the highest quality British craftsmanship and artistry. The 2020 VIP lounge will be furnished by Cox London and curated by award-winning interior designer Rachel Chudley.

“At Cox London, we are foremost artists and makers and, as such, we have an absolute affinity with Collect. From the handmade, soul-nourishing work it shows and promotes, to the extraordinary artisans it celebrates. For Collect 2020, led by Rachel Chudley's concept, we will be designing and producing eight completely unique one-off pieces for the VIP Lounge. These include Nelson’s Sofaman, where the architecture of traditional upholstery has been deconstructed to make visible jute, beech, webbing and wool and where visceral rope-like bronze elements all nod to maritime influences.”

Christopher Cox Co-Founder and Creative Director of Cox London

Sponsor: Sanlam UK

Sanlam UK, Collect Open Sponsor

With a heritage dating back over 100 years, Sanlam provides wealth and investment management services to over 40,000 customers across the globe. Their UK business provides financial planning and discretionary investment management services to private individuals and also manages a number of award-winning funds to institutions and pension funds. Their approach to managing money can be summed up in one simple word, Wealthsmiths. This is their commitment to managing customers' money with skill and care, crafting it into something of enduring value. Globally, 16,000 colleagues are proud to manage over £54 billion across Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.

 “The worlds of art and wealth management have one very important similarity – to craft something meaningful and of real value that lasts for generations to come. The same spirit that guides and inspires artists to create cultural wealth is what drives our wealth managers to grow and preserve clients’ wealth.

“The traits and characteristics typically associated with artists, such as inspiration, innovation, hard-learned skills, comprehensive experience, care and patience – even the need to take calculated risk at times – rings true for portfolio managers and financial planners and reflects our brand proposition, Wealthsmiths”.

Penny Lovell, Chief Executive Sanlam’s Private Wealth

Sponsor: Brookfield Properties

Brookfield Properties Award Sponsor, Brookfield Properties

Brookfield Properties is a fully-integrated, global real estate services company that provides industry-leading portfolio management and development capabilities across the real estate investment strategies of Brookfield Asset Management — a global alternative asset manager with over $540 billion in assets under management.

We develop and manage premier real estate with a focus on maximizing the tenant experience in addition to the investment and operational performance of the asset. We also integrate leading-edge real estate technologies which enables us to be at the forefront of innovation and sustainability – benefiting not only our tenants, residents and business partners, but also the communities in which we operate.

 “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the Crafts Council through our inaugural acquisition award, which will allow the Crafts Council to purchase a new artwork for their collection. This piece will be exhibited alongside a larger body of the artist’s works, at 99 Bishopsgate and Aldgate Tower in Summer this year. We are committed to transforming public spaces through art and feel that the Crafts Council reflect the energy and creativity of the City and its artists. We are really excited to see the artworks installed and hope it will inspire and intrigue our tenants and building visitors”.

Caitlin Warfield, Marketing Director of Brookfield Properties

For more information about our approach to operating and developing best-in-class real estate, please visit www.brookfieldproperties.com 

All information is correct at the time of sharing.

For more information, interviews and visuals for Collect 2020 and the Crafts Council, please contact:

Sara Jensen at sara.jensen@buttoncollective.com or +44 (0)7812 339 313

Melissa Byrne at melissa.byrne@buttoncollective.com or + 44 (0)7795 805 937

Molly Gretton at molly.gretton@buttoncollective.com or +44(0) 7970664807

www.collect2020.org.uk

#collect2020

@CraftsCouncilUK on Facebook + Twitter

@craftscouncil on Instagram

Collect Selected Galleries:

50 Golborne, UK	James Freeman Gallery, UK
Alveston Fine Art , UK	Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections, UK
Bullseye Projects, USA	Katie Jones, UK
Candida Stevens Gallery, UK	Lloyd Choi Gallery, South Korea
Cavaliero Finn, UK	London Glassblowing, UK
Collection Ateliers d'Art de France, France	MADEINBRITALY, UK
Craft Scotland, UK	maison parisienne, France
Cube Gallery, UK	Mint, UK
Cynthia Corbett Gallery, UK	North Lands Creative, UK
ESH Gallery, Italy	Officine Saffi, Italy
Flow Gallery, UK	Oxford Ceramics Gallery, UK
Galerie Kuzebauch, Czech Republic	Pi Artworks, UK
Galerie Marzee, Netherlands	Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust , UK
Gallery LVS & LVS CRAFT	Ruup & Form, UK
Gallery S O, Switzerland	Savoir-faire des Takumi, Japan
Gallery Sklo, South Korea	SEEDS, UK
Gallery WANNMUL, South Korea	Studio Pottery London, UK
Goldsmiths' Fair, UK	The Gallery by SOIL, Hong Kong
Han Collection, UK	Ting-Ying, China
Intoart, UK	Vessel Gallery, UK
jaggedart, UK	Widell Projects, Sweden

Collect Open 2020 artists:

Adi Toch and Edmond Byrne, UK A fusion of metal and glass.	Lorraine Robson, UK Ceramic installation. Removing object’s original function to create ambiguity and intrigue.
Annette Marie Townsend, UK Handmade wildflower sculptures, using traditional beeswax flower making techniques.	LOT. Sarah Pulvertaft, Jed Green & Beatrice Mayfield, UK Jewellery and embroidery. Transforming raw materials into beautifully crafted, wearable objects.
Jacky Oliver, UK A metalwork appreciation of ‘grow your own gardens’ in response to the environmental challenges we are facing.	Lucie Gledhill and Kasia Woznaik, UK Metal chain and photography installation.
Julia Griffiths Jones, UK ‘Tutto: Everything I saw in India’. Three-dimensional welded metal, printed enamel and large-scale textiles.	Margo Selby, UK Large scale textile installation.
Liana Pattihis and Sofia Bjorkman, UK A vertical jewellery garden installation, 3D drawings, enamelled chain, jewellery.	Paula Reason, UK Embroidered silk panel installation.
Linda Bloomfield, UK Lichen effect glazes on porcelain. Lichens indicate clean air; air pollution causes a decrease in the diversity of lichens.	Tal Batit, Israel ‘Ethnic Synthetic’. Ceramic Carpet wall installations.

Collect 2020 Opening times:

Wednesday 26 February:
Media view:                             13:00 – 14:00 (invitation only)
Exclusive preview:                  14:00 – 18:00 (invitation only)
Collectors’ preview:                18:00 – 21:00 (invitation only)

Thursday 27 February:         11:00 – 17:00

VIP early morning access       09:30 – 11:00

Friday 28 February:             11:00 – 18:00

VIP early morning access       9:30 – 11:00

Saturday 29 February:            11:00 –18:00

Notes to Editors

Advisory panel

Galleries and artists are selected by experienced advisory panels.

Collect 2020 Advisory Panel:

Andrew Bonacina - Chief Curator, The Hepworth Wakefield

Rupert Faulkner - Senior Curator, Asia, Victoria and Albert Museum

Beatriz Chadour-Sampson - International jewellery historian

Jo Le Gleud - Co-Founder of Maddux Creative

Natalie Melton - Creative Director, Crafts Council

Isobel Dennis - Fair Director Collect, Crafts Council 

Collect Open 2020 Advisory Panel:

Danielle Thom, Curator of Making, Museum of London

Anabelle Campbell, Head of Exhibitions & Collections, Crafts Council

Caroline Jackman and Katia Stewart, Talent Development Managers, Crafts Council

Isobel Dennis, Fair Director Collect, Crafts Council

About the Crafts Council:

The Crafts Council is the country's foremost authority on contemporary craft in all its forms. Founded in 1971, its role as guardian and champion of national craft practice has evolved to include exploring and enabling new possibilities, making methods and technologies. On 28 March the new Crafts Council Gallery will open to the public. The Gallery will host free world-class exhibitions exploring craft and making, alongside a lively programme of events, talks, and workshops. Visitors will be able to hear from leading makers, artists and designers, see objects from the national Collection and delve into our specialist archive of craft books and catalogues. The Gallery will also be a centre of exchange between makers and artists both in the UK and internationally. The Crafts Council is a charity. Its work is made possible by the support of trusts and foundations, individual patrons, and corporate sponsors, and through public funding by Arts Council England.

www.craftscouncil.org.uk

About Somerset House:

Somerset House is London’s working arts centre and home to the UK’s largest creative community. Built on historic foundations, we are situated in the very heart of the capital.

London’s working arts centre - www.somersethouse.org.uk