Added Value?

Is craft a new language for luxury?

White Sequins, Tracy Kendall, 2012

Source: Photo: Nick Moss/Crafts Council

White Sequins, Tracy Kendall, 2012

This is the question posed by the forthcoming Crafts Council exhibition Added Value?, looking at how the desire for authenticity and craftsmanship has turned the idea of craft into a desirable luxury.

Featuring work from makers including fine artist and jeweller Zoe Arnold, food artists Bompas & Parr, shoe-makers carréducker, product designer Simon Hasan, wallpaper designer Tracy Kendall and fashion accessory designer Oliver Ruuger, the show aims to examine how and why we value certain objects.

Thinking Earrings, set of three, Zoe Arnold, 2011

Source: Photo: Nick Moss/Crafts Council

Thinking Earrings, set of three, Zoe Arnold, 2011

Arnold creates jewellery installations that focus on the materials of the works and how they are used, while Ruuger looks at the idea of traditional skills in his work, which includes a project that has seen him take familiar items, such as briefcases, and look to increase their value through traditional processes such as leather working.

Night at the house of Epicurus, 2012, Studio Oliver Ruuger

Source: Photo: Nick Moss/Crafts Council

Night at the house of Epicurus, 2012, Studio Oliver Ruuger

Jelly-mongers Bompas & Parr are looking at the idea of ‘experience’ for the exhibition, showing how the marriage of food and art can be used to create a sensory, experiential environment.

St. Pauls Cathedral Jelly Mould, Bompas and Parr, 2009

Source: Photo: Nick Moss/Crafts Council

St. Pauls Cathedral Jelly Mould, Bompas and Parr, 2009

The ‘brands’ strand of the show is represented by a collaboration between product designer Simon Hasan and luxury fashion house Fendi. In 2011, Hasan was commissioned to create bespoke mannequins, made using traditional craft methods, showing the increasing  importance of craft to high-end brands.

Mannequin for Fendi, Simon Hasan, 2011.

Source: Photo: Nick Moss/Crafts Council

Mannequin for Fendi, Simon Hasan, 2011.

Added Value? runs from 31 January – 24 March at The Civic, Hanson Street, Barnsley S70

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