Craft Emergency 2016: Makers Announced

The main aim of the competition is to champion contemporary craft by emerging makers from across the UK and beyond, increasing exposure for their work, and encouraging further professional development opportunities. Earlier this year the gallery launched an international open-call in association with Making Space, Havant.

Eleven makers were selected for inclusion in the show by a panel of judges including: Annabelle Campbell, Head of Exhibitions and Collections, Crafts Council; Lynne Dick, Director, Making Space; Thomas Appleton, letter-carver and stonemason and Joanne Bushnell, Director, Aspex.

From the shortlist of makers included in the exhibition, one will be selected to receive the prize of a solo presentation of new work at the gallery in 2018, which will include a fee of £1,000.

Previous winners have included letter-carver and stonemason Thomas Appleton and ceramacist Malene Hartmann Rasmussen, whose show ‘Waldeinsamkeit’ previewed in early 2016.

Director of Aspex, Joanne Bushnell said of the selection for 2016,“We are delighted to be presenting the group Craft Emergency show in the gallery’s Main Space for the first time. We were really impressed by the range and quality of work submitted and are thrilled that a number of the submissions came from across the South of England. This is testament to the thriving arts community that has developed right along the South Coast.”

Meet the makers:

Carol Hunt
Delicate gold and sterling silver jewellery, responding to the concept of memory. Hunt believes that jewellery becomes a symbol of people and places.
Based in Trowbridge.

Hannah Robson
Woven metallic structures, drawing from natural forms such as spider webs and seashells.
Based in London. 

Jacky Puzey
Detailed embroidery inspired by the juxtaposition of nature and new urban environments, constructed out of fur, feathers, tweed and organza.
Based in Bristol.

Ben Branagan
A collection of ambiguous artefacts formed out of paper pulp from abandoned books. Inspired by traditional methods of storing cultural knowledge.
Based in London.

Helen Snell
Mixed media sculptures constructed from paper, steel fabric and plastic, exploring the relationship between modern technology and traditional craft.
Based in Devon. 

Jessie White
An exploration of human expectation and perception, experimenting with traditional materials such as leather and wood to create unique sculptures.
Based in London.

Kate Haywood
Tactile ceramics establishing a non-verbal dialogue about ritual, ceremony and adornment.
Based in Cardiff. 

Peter-Ashley Jackson
A visual interpretation of traditional literature, such as Ulysses, through detailed and deconstructed ceramic structures.
Based in Gateshead. 

Sarah Brown
Brown documents interaction between people and their environment using delicate glass drawings, enabling the viewer to uniquely perceive a location.
Based in Gloucestershire. 

Sue Paraskeva
Dramatic porcelain vessels referencing the human condition through growth, conflict and mortality.
Based on the Isle of Wight.

Tessa Eastman

Eastman explores the contrast between symmetry and disorder through “microscopic organisms” formed from clay.
Based in London.

www.aspex.org.uk