News
Made in London, Loved Worldwide
We are delighted that support for beautifully made designer craft is spreading far and wide. This year we are particularly celebrating the fact that work made in our London studios is becoming increasingly popular overseas – with around 60% of Cockpit makers now exporting, double the national average for craft makers. Also causing a big stir in our studios (and social networks) is news that the fabulous Mary Portas, a big champion of British made design, will be heading to our Summer Open Studios. Want to know what all the fuss is about? Come along in June and find out…
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Open Studios
This June all 165 Cockpit designer-makers will open the doors to their private work studios – offering you the rare opportunity to see behind the scenes and buy direct from the designers themselves. The work on show caters for all budgets from fabulous finds to all-out indulgence. You’ll also find live making demos, ‘makes’ for little ones, installations, pop-up cafes and more.
Holborn: 15-17 June
Cockpit Yard, Northington St, WC1N 2NP
Deptford: 22-24 June
18-22 Creekside, SE8 3DZ
Times: Fri 6pm-9pm, Sat – Sun 11am-6pm
Free Entry / Donations Welcome
Please put the dates in the diary and look out for more details in our June e-newsletter
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Jubilympics…
On 24 May Shop at Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) will launch ‘Made in London’ a collection of contemporary crafts created by Cockpit makers and inspired by the Jubilee, Olympics and London. Join us from 5pm-7.30pm for the opening or pop in from 25 May to 9 September. The showcase is part of a programme of celebrations at the ORNC, which will be the gateway to the Equestrian Olympic events held in Greenwich Park in August. They will also play host to ‘The Big Jubilee Lunch’ on 3 June – destined to be one of London’s longest street parties. The collection will include glass by Sue King and Apollo Stained Glass; ceramics by Timea Sido, Luna Lighting and Yoyo Ceramics; accessories by Zoe Miller, Elizabeth Radcliffe and Justin Oh; jewellery by Laura Gravestock and Allison Wiffen as well as toys by Terri Leahy and Laura Long of ‘Olympknits’ fame. All under £50.
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Bags of Talent
We have an absolute treat lined up for leather handbag and luggage lovers. Accessory designer Laura Amstein, winner of the Cockpit Arts / Leathersellers’ Award 2012, will be joining our Holborn incubator just in time for the Open Studios. Laura’s playful collection of leather goods uses the traditional technique of moulding leather and features bold colours and shapes. Her creative flair and craftsmanship bowled over guest judges including British leatherworker Simon Hasan and Geoff Russell-Jones of The Leathersellers’ Company. At only 28, RCA graduate Laura has recently worked for Burberry. She has also received a string of awards for her innovative work, including the prestigious Conran Award.
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Winning Weavers
At our Deptford incubator we are also welcoming six extraordinary weavers in time for the Open Studios. The winners of Cockpit Arts / The Clothworkers’ Foundation Awards 2012 were selected by judges including Mary Restieaux for their outstanding creativity and craft skills. As well as winning a place at Cockpit Arts, our winning weavers have also been provided with the use of shared looms. Laura Adburgham creates luxurious woven accessories and homewares, Soukaina Aziz El Idrissi up-cycles yarns from plastic carrier bags, Teresa Georgallis specialises in handwoven and Jacquard design cloth and Catarina Riccabona creates sophisticated sustainable fabrics. Cassandra Smith’s work incorporates fibre optics and Nadia Anne-Ricketts digitally translates music into fabric (work pictured). Read more on our facebook page.
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Jewellery Lovers…
Coming to Open Studios? Why not make it a day out and also head to The Goldsmiths’ Company Pavilion at nearby Somerset House. Open from 13-17 June, Fri 11am-6:30pm and Sat-Sun 10am-6pm. £5 Entry. This new jewellery exhibition features top design talent vetted and accredited by the Goldsmiths’ Company, which for centuries has supported craftsmanship and design among goldsmiths and silversmiths. Cockpit jewellers including Yen, Beth Gilmour (work pictured), Laura Gravestock and alumni Ornella Iannuzzi will feature. Also not to be missed – Goldsmiths’ Gold: Power and Allure, a free exhibition showing 4500 years of gold treasures from across Britain. Goldsmiths’ Hall, 1 June-28 July, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm.
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Subscribe
NEW Industry e-newsletter… As an award winning creative business incubator and social enterprise our support for designer-makers and model of working is considered to be (to quote The Guardian) ‘Blazing a Trail’. Others are keen to tap into our learning, to the extent that our consultancy services are now in demand internationally from Russia to Thailand and from Nigeria to Brazil. Not to mention China, Columbia, Chile, Finland, Sweden, South Africa, India, Vietnam…
Subscribers to our new annual Industry e-newsletter will be first to know about Cockpit’s organisational news and research. In our first issue we announce our new Chair of Trustees, latest report findings, features on our models of working in The Guardian and Arts Professional, news on our innovative new partnership with Ingenious and more. Click here and subscribe today.
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News Bites
# Spread the word! Our latest Award, The Cockpit Arts / The Clear Group Award 2012 is for designer-makers who have been in business for less than 3 years…
# For more exciting opportunities for ‘designer-makers who mean business’ subscribe to our Making It e-newsletter…
# We are now on Pinterest! Our first pinboard features summery products made at the studios…
# Our Open Studios will be part of Jewellery Week, more information coming soon…
# Check out the new issue of The Bite magazine, starring fabulous work by Cockpit jeweller Clara Breen & fashion designer Laura Thiess…
# For breaking news follow us on Facebook & Twitter…
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The Cockpit Effect
Ute Decker: Established artist-jeweller Ute Decker will have quite a presence this summer. This June she will be showing at Open Studios for the first time and exhibiting at The Goldsmiths’ Company Pavilion. She will also launch a solo show during the London Festival of Architecture in July. Described by the Financial Times as ‘the architectural jeweller’, Ute is renowned for her minimalist yet dramatic wearable sculptures in ethical precious metals. As well as working in recycled silver, Ute was among the world’s first jewellers to launch a collection in Fairtrade and Fairmined gold. Ute’s business has an international outlook. Attending our Making It workshops, she has tapped into the one-to-one coaching we provided through UKTI. She currently has stockists in Europe and exhibited in the US for the first time this year. Ute is listed in the prestigious ‘Who’s Who in Gold and Silver’ and sits on the Advisory Panel of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery in the UK. Budding jewellers can hear about her ethical business at our seminar at New Designers on 29 June.
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