Park Royal Design District x LCW 2023
A look at some of the latest additions to the Park Royal Design District programme for London Craft Week.
London Craft Week is delighted to be working with Park Royal Design District, home to an emerging cluster of creative talent and one of the Mayor’s newest Creative Enterprise Zones. This unique landscape has inspired a particularly eclectic mix of disciplines, many finding inspiration from reclaimed materials and repurposed offcuts from their industrial neighbours. These recurring themes of circularity and resourcefulness, combined with high-tech future-looking innovation can be seen in ceramics, leatherwork, sculpture, millinery, screen-printing and small-scale fashion brands throughout the area.
Visitors can expect to browse an array of beautiful goods in a central marketplace, take part in hands-on workshops, as well as panel talks, live demonstrations and open studio tours. There’ll also be two exhibitions – Park Royal Clay, which explores the work of 8 different ceramicists working with raw clay sourced from a local excavation project, and Future x Craft which reveals craftspeople working at the intersection of ancient practices and modern technology.
Hear from the innovative creatives of the Park Royal Design District | Talks to book now
In this series of talks and demonstrations, discover the inspiring journeys that have led Park Royal’s artists and makers to master their chosen crafts, learn about new techniques in natural and sustainable materials, and watch live showcases of 3D printing, bookbinding, welding and more.
The Craft of Fashion: Sustainable and Future Facing
13 May 2023, 13:00-14:00
A panel talk of local makers on the importance and output of sustainable fashion.
Alistair O’Neill, fashion historian, curator and Professor of Fashion History and Theory at Central St Martins will chair a talk with local designers; milliner Pip Hackett, denim designer By.Wuzzy and designer, Timothy Gibbons. They will be discussing the merits of small-scale fashion production, raising ideas about craft, knowing your customer and designing within a locale.
Re-Imagining Material and Architectural Design
12 May 2023, 15:00 – 16:00
Architectural studio Retrouvius in conversation with artist Henry Krokatsis and Author Ruth Lang.
Join Maria Speake (Retrouvius Design Studio and practice) and Henry Krokatsis (artist, sculptor and owner of Queensrollahouse) in conversation with Ruth Lang (Author of Building for Change: The Architecture of Creative Reuse) discussing their individual practices of reusing and reimagining materials to create new spaces.
Bill Amberg and Danny Lane, In Conversation
12 May 2023, 13:00-14:00
Bill Amberg Studios, famous for luxury leather goods and interiors and Danny Lane, a sculptor and interior designer of glass will discuss the specialisms, passions and intricacies of these most everyday materials and how their knowledge elevates their products. They will be chaired by Becky Sunshine, Interior, Design and Lifestyle Journalist.
Re-using London’s Clay | Exhibition & Tour
Park Royal Clay brings together a collective of Park Royal based artists and ceramicists working with raw London clay, extracted from almost right beneath their feet. Working with a variety of scales, techniques and experimental processes, the exhibition reveals the versatility and beauty of this abundant natural material. Includes work by: Absolute Beginners, Tom Hertz, Grace McCarthy, Victor Pedrosa, Pati Starsykowski, David Samuel and more.
Over the next six months, over 800,000 tonnes of London Clay will be excavated from hundreds of metres beneath the surface of the HS2 construction site at Old Oak Common. 8 tonnes of this clay has been delivered to the Re-Made in Park Royal hub hub to share with their creative community to understand how the clay could be re-used, supporting the local circular economy. These pilot projects by artists based in Park Royal will work to understand the opportunities of the material, producing prototypes and experiments which will be displayed during London Craft Week as part of Park Royal Design District.
Exhibition
12 May 2023, 10:00 – 20:00; 13 May 2023, 10:00 – 18:00
Guided Tour
13 May 2023, 11:30 – 12:30
Join Sarah Mann (Senior Arts and Culture Manager, HS2) for an exhibition walk-through, meeting some of the artists, ceramicists and makers transforming raw London clay into works of art and everyday products.
Please refer to the Park Royal Design District ‘Featured Project’ page for full details of all events taking place as part of London Craft Week.
