Midsummer Festival of Making 2020
Midsummer Festival of Making 2020
Friday 19th – Sunday 21st June 2020
Online
Cockpit Arts introduces the Midsummer Festival of Making – everyone is invited!
From London to the world, featuring 65 events with over 80 makers, the Festival of Making takes place online, on Instagram, Facebook and Zoom, over the midsummer weekend of Friday 19th – Sunday 21st June.
The packed programme features workshops, panel talks, live demonstrations and studio tours all led by some of London’s leading makers and designers – ceramicists, leatherworkers, weavers, printmakers, jewellers, glass engravers and more.
Many of the events have a midsummer flavour with makers reflecting on new work, made under lockdown, inspired by the natural world. There’ll be intimate conversations as well as essential discussions on such topics as inclusion in contemporary craft, unconventional career journeys, mental health and wellbeing, and juggling family responsibilities whilst growing a creative business.
Nine makers take on The Big Make challenge to create a complete object from start to finish over the course of the Festival weekend. Kicking off on Friday morning, we’ll be checking in on their progress throughout the Festival with a finale on Sunday afternoon.
Alongside live programmed events, there’s a raft of films on demand to catch at your leisure – and watch out for impromptu events and special guests across the Festival by following #festivalmaking.
All events are offered free of charge in this summer celebration of making.
Cockpit CEO Annie Warburton said
"Put together in just few days, this Festival is a celebration of imagination and ingenuity. Running a small independent, creative business is a challenge at the best of times. Yet during lockdown, Cockpit makers’ creativity has flourished. Not only have many turned their hands to making PPE and running local Scrub Hubs, they’ve also found time to reflect, slow down and develop amazing new work. Now we can’t wait to share it with you.
Normally, we’d be throwing open our studio doors at Midsummer. This year we’re warmly inviting guests to join us in our virtual festival where you’ll find hands-on workshops, intimate conversations and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours. We’re looking forward to seeing you.”
Festival Features
Hands-on Workshops from your home At the heart of the festival are pre-bookable hands-on workshops.
Sharing her passion for recycling through craft, designer Maria Spetlova will show how to create your own version of her signature upholstery patchwork textile, set to be featured in Vogue India.
Textile artist Richard McVetis will introduce the art of hand embroidery, Esna Su will lead a workshop on traditional Turkish techniques of weaving and twining, and leatherworker and Yussico founder Yusuf Osman reveals how to make an origami handbag.
On Sunday, there’s a family workshop with ceramist Annette Bugansky, a paper marbling workshop with Lucy McGrath of Marmor Paperie and a masterclass on geometry in art with Amber Khokhar – all ideal Father’s Day activities.
Friday Night Late
Our Friday Late is hosted by Nadia-Anne Ricketts of BeatWoven, an award-winning woven textiles art studio. She’ll be inviting you to chill out and tune in to a live virtual immersive, meditation sound bath.
In Conversation Drop in on a series of intimate conversations on making, taking place live on Instagram and Zoom, with plenty of chances to ask questions of your favourite makers.
In a timely and essential conversation on inclusion in craft, Jasmine Carey and Yusuf Osman will share their career paths and explore what makers and brands can do to be allies for black people and people of colour in the craft space.
A trio of jewellers will reflect on juggling family life whilst running a creative business, sharing tips they wish they'd known before embarking on that adventure. There’ll also be discussions on making and wellbeing with jewellers Olivia Creber and Maya Selway; making for the luxury sector with milliner Elise Gustilo; and a midsummer collaboration between Paige Denham and Onome Otite.
Live Demonstrations
Discover the secrets of master craftspeople through live demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Leatherworker, author and John Smedley collaborator Candice Lau will demonstrate how to make a bum bag in an exclusive live demo. See hand embroiderer Ekta Kaul in action as she stitches a new embroidered map kit that will be launched during the Festival weekend.
There’ll also be demos from jewellers Kelvin Birk, Lukas Grewenig and Will Odell. Sally Lees will print an aluminium postcard, and knitter and designer Olivia Holland will open a window onto the processes of making a tie.
Studio Tours
Lockdown meant that many makers had to relocate their studios temporarily. Our series of live studio tours include makers returning to their Cockpit studios in Deptford and Holborn, as well as films from temporary home studios, from East London to Taiwan. Watch out for Kendall Clarke’s Sunday special where she’ll reveal how you can find local colour on your doorstep in her introduction to natural dyes from summer plants.
The Big Make
Nine makers have taken on the challenge to make a complete object from start to finish over the course of the Festival. Starting at 10:30am on Friday, we’ll be checking in on their progress each day via Instagram, with a finale on Sunday at 5:30pm.
Participating makers include four jewellers: Emma Calvert, Emily Kidson, Lucy Martin and Ejing Zhang, along with Maria Hatling (textiles & painting), Vanessa Hogge (ceramics) and Joost Pasman (leather).
The Big Make also features two artist printmakers running mass interactive print projects. Kethi Copeland will create a ‘museum of hand-crafted treasures’ whilst Amanda Ross will make a botanical print from start to finish, using pressed flowers and leaves sent in by her followers.
Films on Demand
Juggling work and family life means that not all of our makers can join us live over the weekend – but there’s still a chance to catch them in action via films on demand.
Our programme of 17 films includes an insight into a new range inspired by nature developed under lockdown by Aimee Furnival of Another Studio, Anthony Scala’s film on glass engraver Katharine Coleman MBE, Esna Su’s When the Nest Falls created for National Refugee Week, Deborah Levy’s film Liminal featuring dancer and jeweller Sarah Warsop, and Yawen Chou filming from her temporary home studio in Taiwan.
Impromptu events throughout the weekend And there’ll be more! Follow the Festival hashtag #festivalmaking on Instagram to catch unscheduled contributions from many more Cockpit makers across the weekend.
