I went to the open studios at
Cockpit Arts, Deptford, on
Friday. They are open today as well.
Cockpit Arts Deptford
18-22 Creekside
London SE8 3DZ
16-18 June. Sunday 11am - 6pm
Free entry
The studios house up to 170 designer makers in Holborn and Deptford. Cockpit describe themselves as the UK's only business incubator for craftspeople, supporting those at the start of their careers and those
who are more established. They
began in 1986. In the early 1990s, I worked with them as part of my job in
economic development at Camden Council.
The standard of work on display at Deptford is very high
indeed. Partly due to the efforts of organisations like Cockpit and the Crafts
Council, but mainly because of a more discerning public, the
quality of craft production has improved There is more demand for personal products and a connection with the maker, and at the same time an expectation that the quality and finish of
hand-made goods will be as high as that of machine-made goods. The old idea that you
found a generation ago, that crafts had to prove that they
were hand-made by being rough, has vanished. The increased number of designer
makers (Cockpit estimate there are 25,000 in the UK with a combined turnover of £3.4bn)
also raises the bar, with the best challenging the not-so-good.
On Friday, I paused to speak to a few makers in crafts other
than my own, always interesting.
Charles has developed a range of items exploiting the
qualities of top-grade leathers. Those he displayed were all in black, simple
in outline, highly practical and a little severe. They are adaptable and would suit people with either classic taste or modern taste. He said he supplied retailers
and also took commissions. I pointed to the briefcase shown here: "Would you make this
in bright orange if a customer asked for it?" He gulped. "Oh, yes," he said.
I admired Stephen's small, neat workshop. His tools were ranged in order, his drills stood in a block of hardwood. (Mine are flung into a tin.) The bows, seen
close-up, are beautiful objects in themselves. The materials come from around
the world: the wood from Brazil, the horsehair from China, the mother-of-pearl
collected by Stephen himself on the Essex coast, and the finish of the handle in
bone or mammoth ivory - yes, you read that right, mammoth ivory.
Maria's workshop is a work of art. Bespoke cases stand on
her parquet floor to take her tools and materials. They are on wheels so that
they can be moved around the studio or even taken elsewhere: Maria, a graduate
of Cordwainers College and the RCA, has the idea that she might be a
peripatetic shoemaker. He sandals are exquisitely made and have that combination
of beauty and utility that marks out the best craft products.
Dovile makes jewellery in a starling combination of silver
and resin.
Wood turning is a staple of village craft shows and tends to
be the redoubt of retired gents with more lathes than artistic judgement. Eleanor Lakelin's
wood products are on a different level. Many of them don’t look
like wood at first, so wide is the range of colour, contour, texture and making
methods.
Of course, I had to see a potter. Matthew Warner's work is a
tour de force. He is inspired by 18th century tableware and produces refined
objects that, once again, combine beauty and utility. He has a range of soft
coloured glazes and a successful combination of outside colour and clear glaze
inside on a cream clay body, reminiscent of Wedgwood.