23 May, 2013

Live crafting: Hermes Festival Des Metiers exhibition

Hermes-Festival-Des-Metiers-London MAIN

What’s all this talk about craft fatigue? What a load of nonsense, I’ve only just got started! Some might say that the thrill of seeing the skills at the heart of the world’s most luxurious handbags, scarves and watches is starting to tire but I hope that’s not the case. I love getting the inside secrets to age-old processes and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you visit the Hermes Festival Des Metiers exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 2 Comments Brands, Design, Events, Trends accessories, craft, exhibitions, Hermes, The Saatchi Gallery, trends

20 May, 2013

Last chance for Lichtenstein

lichtenstein-masterpiece1

Yikes, where is the time going? This week is the last chance to see Lichtenstein – A Retrospective at Tate Modern and I managed to get my eye in fashionably late last week. If you love his classic dot artworks, this is a chance to see them in huge scale which is really not to be missed. Most people are familiar with the War and Romance era, the comic-book style ‘WHAMM!’s and melodramatic close-ups of women in distress. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 0 Comments Art, Books, Events, News art, books, exhibitions, Matisse, pop art, Roy Lichtenstein, Tate Modern

16 May, 2013

Workshop visit: The Hermes silk scarf workshops in Lyon

Hermes-Festival-Des-Metiers

“It takes two years to make and two minutes to buy!” So says Kamel Hamadou, the affable communications manager of Hermès silk, hosting a rare tour of the company’s silk printing facilities in Lyon. Two weeks ago I was invited on a whirlwind trip to learn the many meticulous stages of making one of those familiar silk ‘carrés’ of which I’m the proud owner of a few, neatly folded and stored in their equally familiar flat orange boxes.

My most astonishing discovery? The utter complexity of printing involved in a silk scarf of many colours. The average scarf has around 30 colours, of which each shade has its own precise mixing process. The printing itself has to be seen to be believed, but next week, you’ll have the chance to see it all when Hermès’ Festival Des Metiers lands on the London leg of its world tour. (more…)

Disneyrollergirl 6 Comments Brands, Design, Events, Technology accessories, behind the scenes, craft, exhibitions, factory visit, heritage, Hermes, how it's made, long read, luxury, scarves

11 May, 2013

Hormazd Narielwalla’s pieces of a pattern

Showing at the Saatchi Gallery this weekend is Collect, the annual international art fair from The Craft Council, now in its 10th year. Go up to the top floor and you’ll find the Project Space, an area highlighting the conceptual work of eleven artists whose work bridges the gap between art and craft. Among them is Hormazd Narielwalla who is exhibiting five ‘Love Gardens’ sculptures, based on discarded military suit patterns. (more…)