VER NACU LAR 19–22 SEPTEMBER
Plate 02
THE EVOLUTION OF A LANGUAGE ANN MULROONEY CURATOR, VERNACULAR 2013 is an important year in Irish design; it marks 50 years since the Kilkenny Design Workshops (KDW) were set up in Ireland, in response to a design audit commissioned by the Irish Government and led by Kaj Franck. This innovative project – the first ever state sponsored design agency – brought international designers together over a period of 25 years to the Kilkenny Castle stables complex, now home to the National Craft Gallery of Ireland. Figures such as John Jenkins, Richard Eckersly and Holger Strøm operated from this rural periphery, and iconic products such as Strøm’s IQ light were born in Ireland. This year, 50 years on, the National Craft Gallery and the Crafts Council of Ireland are exploring the legacies of KDW through a series of seminars and events, including the presentation of this exhibition, Vernacular, at London Design Festival 2013. One of the successes of KDW was in its uniting of European Modernism with indigenous and traditional materials and processes, developing new idioms in Irish material culture as a result. It focused on the strengths of what existed already, vernacular forms in natural materials; local clays, glazes, wools and woods were investigated and developed into prototypes and products, retaining an intrinsic simplicity and authenticity that was materially embedded. Vernacular is a tribute to this, Ireland’s ‘Bauhaus Movement’. We are a small island on the periphery of Europe; of necessity our culture and language has always been shaped by influences and journeys, both inwards and outwards. The word ‘vernacular’ means our own language; our mother tongue; honed by history and formed through conversation, exchange and relationship. As the title of this exhibition, it describes our ability as a small island nation to assimilate influences in the creation of a distinct, expressive and authentic language. The myriad people and influences and trajectories of KDW formed the bedrock of expression from which this exhibition emerges. It is by no means the entire story of Irish design, but 50 years on from KDW’s inception, it is an opportune moment to reflect on this particular, formative chapter.
THE EVOLUTION OF A LANGUAGE
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Plate 03
Plate 04
INDIVIDUAL REPETITION STEVEN MCNAMARA EXHIBITION DESIGNER, VERNACULAR An exhibition with the title Vernacular suggests that the exhibition design should be honest, both in how it is made and in what it implies. The challenge is to develop a design that is visually striking and sparks the curiosity of the observer, enhancing the viewing experience. My research was underpinned by Irish craft’s strong relationship to the landscape. I was drawn to images of willow beds, which had an elegant simplicity with their long, straight and coloured stems, that resonated with the objects selected. Each willow stem, with its distribution of buds and colours ranging from muted brown to vibrant red and yellow, is distinct, despite their apparent uniformity. Such individuality is similar to the batch-produced craft object, as by virtue of makers using indigenous processes and materials, each object created is unique. While designing this exhibition, it became clear that willow could be used to add an element of discovery. Willow beds, by their nature, function like screens; obscuring views, yet still allowing light to filter through. Depending on the positioning of the willow, one can control how the space is experienced, in accordance with what is exhibited. Simultaneously the willow works as a backdrop, highlighting how the colours of the objects are related to the Irish landscape. The idea of using repetition to create willow screens inspired the design of a modular plinth. The plinth, made of birch plywood, can be assembled to either hold the willow stems or display the craft objects. Embracing two different processes was part of the appeal of using the willow and the plywood together; the willow left untreated, harvested and assembled by hand; the man-made plywood, drawn in a computer programme and cut using a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine. Using these two processes together openly acknowledges both the accessibility and the potential effects of new technologies on future crafts. However, the implication is not that this is a threat to tradition, but an opportunity for the story of the Irish cultural vernacular to continue to evolve.
IND IVIDUAL REP ETITION
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REFORM AND ADVOCACY: THE KILKENNY DESIGN WORKSHOPS (1963–1988) DR. LINDA KING The Kilkenny Design Workshops or KDW (1963–1988) was, as a wellknown saying goes, an Irish solution to an Irish problem. Conceived by William H. Walsh – General Manager of the Irish Export Board (Córas Tráchtála Teo) – it was a subsidiary of this state-run organisation and was established in response to concerns as to the quality of indigenous design and governmental focus on developing economic opportunities arising from the manufacturing of Irish goods. KDW was founded in 1963 and the Ormonde stables in Kilkenny, formerly part of Kilkenny Castle, were converted to house Walsh’s vision for a centre of design excellence and advocacy. The project comprised a series of workshops that were formally opened in 1965 with a highly ambitious remit that spanned prototyping, retailing, training and advocacy in design across ceramics, glass, metalwork, textiles and graphics. As the project matured, industrial design was added as a discipline which became more clearly defined as product design or design linked to engineering. From the outset KDW was conceived as an interdisciplinary, collaborative design consultancy, a means of artificially stimulating design activity in a county where, for historical and political reasons, design activity had not developed to the same extent as other European countries. Ireland’s relative lack of industrial manufacturing had ensured that the country was ill-equipped to embrace the ‘art for industry’ pedagogies that swept across Europe and the US in the early 20th century or the promotion of design as cultural and economic capital, through exhibitions, awards and councils, that defined the post-WW2 period. KDW was established as a state-sponsored agency to assist Ireland in ‘catching up’ with standards of design in the rest of Europe. While there had been calls for Irish design reform since the 1930s and modest attempts at design advocacy in the 1950s by the Arts Council of Ireland, the project could not have been conceived any earlier than the 1960s. It was formed against a backdrop of rapid social and economic reform, at a time when the focus of the Irish State shifted from insularity to modernisation and greater international engagement.Central to this change was Ireland’s application for EEC membership in 1961, a move that sought to bring economic benefits to the country through greater access to international markets. With the backing of government, Walsh approached the challenge of design reform with evangelic zeal. In 1961 he organised a visit from a group of leading Nordic designers, educators and architects who surveyed standards in Irish design and made recommendations for reform and
REFORM AND ADVOCACY
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REFORM AND ADVOCACY: THE KILKENNY DESIGN WORKSHOPS (1963–1988)
modernisation. The group comprised Kaj Franck, Erik Herlow, Gunner Biilmann Petersen, Eric Chr. Sørenson and Åke Huldt and they spent two weeks surveying factories, museums, shops and educational facilities. In looking to Northern Europe for evaluation, Walsh acknowledged international opinion as to the high quality of Nordic design with its combination of functionality and indigenous natural materials, but also recognised the region’s successes in adopting traditional craft practices to design and mass manufacturing as providing a strategy for Irish economic developments. On a broader level his decision acknowledged that Ireland’s status as an island confirmed the need to solicit new strategies where geographical limitations had impacted on the organic flow of new ideas. The observations of the group, published as Design in Ireland (1962) – but commonly known as ‘The Scandinavian Report ‘– became a landmark and highly contentious document and a catalyst for necessary change. In every discipline but textiles it included harsh commentary on the weak standards of Irish design and observed low levels of design awareness amongst manufacturers and the general populace. It aligned these deficits to poor education provision and emphasised the need to establish training in industrial design, which post-WW2, most countries considered a principal influence on economic recovery. The report’s observations and recommendations were not the sole reason behind the establishment of KDW but did endorse Walsh’s ambitions for significant design reform, a vision that was further expanded by a visit to Norway’s Plus workshops in Fredrikstad in 1962. Here craft workshops produced items for sale but also accepted commissions from local industries. KDW was built on a similar model, emphasising design as collaborative practice and focusing on the creation of sustainable links with local manufacturers and the adaptation of traditional practices to mass production. Within KDW’s output there was a strong emphasis on domestic items, in part a reflection of Walsh’s rather Arts and Crafts philosophy that good design would enhance the lives of all citizens, but also because these were recognised as the most attractive items for export markets. Design advocacy took the form of design awards for industry and education, the organisation of touring exhibitions and opening of retail outlets on-site (1966) and in Dublin (1976) where KDW craft products were displayed alongside the best of contemporary Irish and European design. Ireland’s limited design expertise required that a significant number of European designers were employed by KDW. These included British ceramicist David Reeves, Dutch ceramicist Sonja Landweer, Finnish silversmith Bertel Gardberg, Danish textile designer Rolf Middelboe, German silversmith Rudolf Heltzel and Danish furniture designer Peter Hiort-Lorenzen. Despite public criticism, the systematic importation of
10
expertise was a familiar solution to Irish design deficiencies. Between 1926 and 1929 Siemens relocated hundreds of German workers to County Clare to design and build Ireland’s first hydro-electrical station at Ardnacrusha, while throughout the 1950s Dutch graphic designers were head hunted by Dublin advertising agencies to work on high profile accounts including the national airline, Aer Lingus, and the State’s tourist authority, Bord Fáilte. Although controversial, KDW’s decision reflected an established practice of acknowledging and filling gaps in Irish experience that ultimately informed an emergent generation of Irish designers who became skilled in marrying creativity to mass production. KDW work did not embody a single style but its designers did have a common approach that favoured the integrity of materials and the simplicity of form. Yet, there is a distinct thread running through much of the output where Modernist and vernacular forms were fused to create a new visual language. Hiort-Lorenzen’s adaptation of the traditional Súgán Chair for the Ardee Chair Company (1968), Gardberg’s wooden serving dishes (1967), and Oisín Kelly’s candleholders (1966) are emblematic of this synthesis. The simultaneous referencing of heritage and modernity was particularly evident in the output of the graphic design workshop where it was used to communicate the abstractions of modern infrastructure. Damien Harrington’s logo for the Office of Public Works (1973) – referencing the concentric markings found on Irish Neolithic tombs – and Peter Dabinett’s logo for Telecom Éireann (1984), the State’s telecommunication company – employing indigenous type forms – can be interpreted as emblematic of contemporary cultural change, a synthesis of past and present that led to KDW’s foundation in the first instance. KDW was closed in 1988 as a consequence of a number of factors, some financial, some ideological. However, its legacy is very much evident today not just in Ireland but across the globe. The model was exported to developing nations, including the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Barbados and Lesotho, as an exemplar of how to stimulate and accelerate design activity and a number of ex-KDW employees were active in setting up these international projects. Many of KDW’s international collaborations remain well-known including Helena Ruuth’s textile designs – manufactured by Birr Fabrics – for Terence Conran’s Heathrow Airport seating system (1966), Nick Marchant and Raymond Turner’s overhead projector for the US company Bell and Howell (1978) and Holger Strøm’s iconic IQ Pendant Light of inter-locking translucent plastic pieces (1972) which continues to win design awards. In terms of a national legacy KDW raised standards for Irish design across all disciplines and became a benchmark against which markers of good design could be tested. It influenced the establishment of other design advocacy organisations including the Crafts Council of Ireland (1971) and
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REFORM AND ADVOCACY: THE KILKENNY DESIGN WORKSHOPS (1963–1988)
the Institute of Designers in Ireland (1972). KDW helped to professionalise design activity and its twenty-five year presence contributed to public discourse on educational reform. When KDW closed, its expertise dispersed into numerous craft studios and design practices around the country; some of its practitioners also became educators, ensuring that its ethos still resonates within Irish design teaching. Many of the original immigrant designers settled in Kilkenny and the surrounding environs, which has contributed to the city’s vibrant craft and design culture; this has been strengthened by the relocation of the Crafts Council of Ireland to the original site of the workshops in 1997 and the establishment of the National Craft Gallery as its flagship exhibition space in 2000. In ethos and in practice KDW reflected a rapidly changing political and economic environment and became symbolic of a cultural balancing act that embraced both international and national concerns. But its most enduring legacy is an output that encompassed everything from kitchen utensils to street furniture, food packaging to bath towels, office equipment to home furnishings. KDW designs were ubiquitous and omnipresent, quietly visible yet strongly persuasive, part of the very fabric of everyday Irish life. The ultimate testament to KDW’s success is that many of these are still evident within the contemporary Irish visual landscape.
BIOGRAPHY Dr. Linda King is an educator, researcher and writer on Irish design. She is Programme Chair of the BA (Hons) in Visual Communication Design at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dun Laoghaire, Dublin where she lectures in design history and theory. Her co-edited volume (with Dr. Elaine Sisson) Ireland, Design and Visual Culture: Negotiating Modernity, 1922–1992 was published by Cork University Press in 2011. FURTHER READING Marchant, Nick and Addis, Jeremy, Kilkenny Design: twenty-one years of design in Ireland (London, 1985). Quinn, Joanna (ed.) Designing Ireland: a retrospective exhibition of Kilkenny Design Workshops 1963–1988 (Kilkenny, 2005).
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Plate 05
Plate 06
AILEEN ANNE BRANNIGAN
CUSHENDALE WOOLLEN MILLS
JACK DOHERTY
WWW.AILEENANNEBRANNIGANSTONECARVER.COM
WWW.CUSHENDALE.IE
WWW.DOHERTYPORCELAIN.COM
maxandaa@eircom.net
info@cushendale.ie
Jack.doherty@virgin.net
+353 (0)87 771 0248
+353 (0)59 972 4118
+44 (0)17 3679 9703
Aileen Anne is a stone carver specialising in hand carved
Set on the River Duiske, Cushendale Woollen Mills is
Jack trained in Ceramics at the Ulster College of Art
lettering using a hammer and chisel and working in
a family-run business in rural Kilkenny that stretches
and Design, Belfast and worked at Kilkenny Design
traditional methods in her own unique style. Using
back 5 generations, crafting natural-fibre textiles in
Workshops before establishing his own studio. He
locally quarried limestone and black marble, she creates
mohair, Irish wool and merino lambswool. The company
was Chair of the Craft Potters Association for 10 years,
ranges of quietly dramatic stone bowls, candleholders,
dyes, cards and spins their own natural fibre yarn.
founder and Chair of Ceramic Art London from 2008 to
bookends and decorative pieces. She also produces larger
The pure water supply taken from the river Duiske is
2013 and the first Lead Potter and Creative Director at
individual work to commission, often incorporating
the mill’s most valued natural resource and one of the
the restored Leach Pottery from 2008 to 2013, where he
beautifully hand-drawn and hand-carved text and
principal reasons why they can produce textiles of such
developed Leach’s new range of contemporary tableware.
ornamentation.
distinctive colour and texture. They support Irish sheep
He has exhibited his distinctive soda-fired vessels widely
farmers, selecting their finest wool to produce a natural
internationally, and is presenting his new Café Ceramics
Irish product that stands the test of time.
range as part of Vernacular.
alison@greenwoodbaskets.co.uk
DEREK WILSON
THE IRISH HANDMADE GLASS COMPANY
+44 (0)28 3889 1 486
WWW.DEREKWILSONCERAMICS.COM
WWW.THEIRISHHANDMADEGLASSCOMPANY.COM
studio@derekwilsonceramics.com
irishhandmadeglass@gmail.com
+44 (0)78 6053 3681
+353 (0)51 858 914
coloured willow stems on the shores of Lough Neagh – once
Belfast-based, Derek graduated from the University
Founded by four former-Waterford Crystal workers with
a flourishing centre of basketry – she was inspired by their
of Ulster in 2007 with an MA in Applied Arts. He has
a combined 130 years of experience in glass-making,
lightness, beauty and pliability. She makes hand-woven
exhibited extensively throughout the UK and Ireland
the company specialises in coloured, cut and blown
baskets in her Co. Tyrone workshop using sustainable
and was recently selected and featured in Wallpaper*
glass. They use new cuts and contemporary designs to
methods and materials. Working with several varieties
magazine’s ‘Handmade’ Milan exhibition. His practice
create affordable giftware that is handmade on their
of locally grown willow, she experiments with shape and
as a ceramicist draws inspiration from a diverse range
premises in Waterford City’s historic Viking Quarter. For
pattern, while retaining a robust, tactile functionality
of sources - from mid-century British Constructivism
Vernacular, they have created glass bottles based on the
in all her pieces. Fitzgerald specialises in frame baskets,
to the history of the ceramic industry in Europe and
traditional milk bottle.
emphasising the ribbing and playing with subtle
Asia - with an aim to push the boundaries of a traditional
gradations of colour.
and diverse art form through playing with its aesthetics,
OVIS DESIGN
materiality and processes.
WWW.OVISDESIGN.COM
ALISON FITZGERALD WWW.GREENWOODBASKETS.CO.UK
Alison was first drawn to basket making after moving to Northern Ireland in 1980. Noticing the slender, brightly
MAKERS AND DESIGNERS BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ANDREW CLANCY
ovisdesign@gmail.com
WWW.CLANCYMOORE.COM
DESIGNGOAT
info@clancymoore.com
WWW.WEAREDESIGNGOAT.COM
+353 (0)87 652 6212
hello@wearedesigngoat.com
Andrew studied architecture at University College
Dublin, graduating in 2001. He established Clancy Moore
+353 (0)87 911 3106 – Cian
+353 (0)83 307 1666 – Ahmad
Ovis (meaning “of sheep”) is a collaborative venture between industrial designer Ben Harris and
designer and feltmaker, Jamie Lewis. The two share an appreciation for sustainable materials and have combined their skills to produce a hand crafted,
Architects with Colm Moore in 2006. Since then the
Designgoat is a Dublin-based industrial design studio
production-repeatable felt table that innovatively utilises
practice has gained significant attention and awards
set up in 2011 by Cian Corcoran and Ahmad Fakhry. They
the integral strength of the material. The removable
both domestically and internationally. The work of the
work on a broad range of projects, creating experiences
wooden table top is supported by 100% natural wool felt
practice is concerned with examining craft and other
with products, spaces, furniture and food for local start-
which is rolled into a cylinder and “stitched” together
traditions of making and using these to create a unique,
ups, established companies and international clients
with rope. It is a simple, contemporary side table and
place-specific way of constructing buildings. The Strand
as well as doing private commissions and their own
storage container.
Lamps result from one of these collaborations, and were
bespoke products. A part of Vernacular, Designgoat are
originally envisaged as gifts for a builder and client on a
unveiling Gray Chair 5.12, inspired by Eileen Gray’s 1926
SASHA SYKES
project.
Non- Conformist Chair from a prototype commissioned by
WWW.FARM21.CO.UK
the National Craft Gallery of Ireland.
sasha@farm21.co.uk
COLM MOORE
+353 (0)86 871 1901
WWW.CLANCYMOORE.COM
DONNA BATES DESIGN
info@clancymoore.com
WWW.DONNABATESDESIGN.COM
+353 (0)1 478 9152
donna@donnabatesdesign.com
Colm studied architecture at University College Dublin
+44 (0)28 4482 8740
Sasha established Farm21 in Co. Carlow, Ireland in 2001, designing and making contemporary rural furniture that combines contemporary processes with traditional crafts and materials. Using acrylics and hand-cast
and established Clancy Moore Architects with Andrew
Donna is a lighting and furniture designer based in Co.
resins, she embeds found objects and collected organic
Clancy in 2006. Since its inception the practice has won
Down. Her Parlour Lighting range is inspired by growing
materials such as wildflowers, thistles, mosses, lichens,
numerous awards, most recently the Architectural
up on a rural Irish dairy farm where she would assist
seaweeds and shells. The resins accentuate the colours,
Association of Ireland’s Downes Medal for excellence
her father in the milking parlour. She has reworked the
textures and forms of the material, highlighting their
in architectural design and the RIAI house of the year
mouth-blown glass vessels used in the milking process,
fragility and also their stage in the cycle of life.
award, 2013. The work of the practice has been exhibited
keeping the milking scale and gently sandblasting the
internationally including at the 2012 Venice Architecture
bottom half of the jar to symbolise the milk collected.
Biennale. Colm teaches at Queen’s University, Belfast and is
These limited edition pieces are handmade to exacting
a fellow at Westminster School of Architecture, London.
standards in collaboration with local craftspeople.
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SUPERFOLK DESIGN STUDIO
JERPOINT GLASS STUDIO
CATHAL LOUGHNANE
WWW.SUPERFOLK.COM
WWW.JERPOINTGLASS.COM
jcloughnane@gmail.com
info@superfolk.com
enquiries@jerpointglass.com
Cathal is Creative Director with Design Partners, and
Superfolk makes simple, poetic objects for affordable
+353 (0)56 772 4350
central to evolving their unique approach to industrial
and everyday use. Established by Gearóid Muldowney
Jerpoint Glass Studio is a small family-run glassblowing
design, merging craft techniques with advanced
in 2008, this independent design studio’s heart lies in
studio in the southeast of Ireland in the Kilkenny
computer aided technology. Cathal has a passion for
the craft of production, both handmade and industrial.
countryside. The company was established in 1979
storytelling; through his work he strives to create
Referencing a way of life rooted in the patterns and
by Keith Leadbetter, a master glassblower, and wife
meaningful connections that resonate with people’s
rhythms of a place, its animals and its weather, Superfolk
Kathleen, a self-taught artist who is passionate about
lives. constructing narratives around a potential object’s
aims for the sensitivity and sustainability of the
aesthetics and design. The company is committed to
life, its place in the world and its connections with the
vernacular approach. The studio is focused on working
producing hand-finished glass for the table in the 2000-year-
life being lived.
with locally sourced sustainable materials and innovating
old tradition, when the blowing iron was first introduced
in its approach to natural resources such as wool, wood and
to glassmaking.
PETER SHEEHAN design@petersheehanstudio.com
leather. For Vernacular, Superfolk are showcasing their new FALLING DANSU & THE HISTORY CHAIR
+353 (0)86 834 2797
In a unique series of collaborations, originally initiated
Peter has recently established Peter Sheehan Studio
31 CHAPEL LANE
by Joseph Walsh, this project seeks to explore the dialogue
taking a wide angle view of design, making, craft
WWW.31CHAPELLANE.COM
between various disciplines, craft, design, art and architecture,
and art. He seeks to create engaging, highly resolved,
mail@31chapellane.com
in order to realise intelligent, beautiful and high-quality
everyday objects for people to discover and bring into
+353 (0)87 753 9872
objects. In the first series of collaborations two pieces have been
their lives, merging purpose with aesthetic resolution
31 Chapel Lane provide beautifully crafted, organic
realised; Falling Dansu and the History Chair.
and story. Peter has worked for over 20 years in design
range of simple and functional vessels.
linen products using sustainable, high quality materials traditionally woven in Ireland. Established by Cavan native Damien Hannigan and partner, Australian Joy Fu, they source their materials from a handful of the
FALLING DANSU A contemporary reinterpretation of the bureau desk designed by O’Donnell + Tuomey.
consultancy for international brands. His past work has been exhibited at MoMa San Francisco & New York and includes product design, brand strategy, creative direction and design team leadership
remaining linen and wool weavers throughout Ireland,
O’DONNELL + TUOMEY
approved by the Irish Linen Guild. Each collection is a
WWW.ODONNELL-TUOMEY.IE
THOMAS BERNEY
small capsule of limited edition pieces manufactured in
info@odonnell-tuomey.ie
WWW.BERNEYBROSSADDLES.COM
Ireland and celebrating the beauty and quality of pure
+353 (0)1 475 2500
+353 (0)45 481 228
Irish linen.
O’Donnell + Tuomey are one of Ireland’s most significant
Thomas is continuing a family craft tradition at a small
and highly acclaimed architectural practices. Based in
saddlery workshop in Ireland’s equestrian heart in Kildare,
WOODENLEG
Dublin, their work has helped to shape contemporary
established in 1880. Age old skills have been passed on
WWW.WOODENLEG.EU
Irish architectural identity. Fundamental to their
through the generations maintaining craftsmanship and
anna.strzelecka.com@gmail.com
practice is a critical understanding of craft and materials.
quality, whilst also innovating in terms of design and
robertskoczylas.eu@gmail.com
O’Donnell + Tuomey have been selected for many
understanding the needs of both horse and rider.
+353 (0)83 0089 016 – Anna
national and international awards and commendations
+353 (0)87 316 1717 — Robert
over the past 25 years. They are the architects for The
DC ARMCHAIR
This Dublin-based design studio was established in
Photographers’ Gallery, Soho; and the New Students’
Designed by O’Driscoll Furniture as a tribute to KDW and
2009 by Anna Strzelecka and Robert Skoczylas. Both
Centre at the London School of Economics.
upholstered with Donegal Tweed by Molloy & Sons. O’DRISCOLL FURNITURE
were born in Poland and studied architecture in Krakow. Their practice encompasses product design and
THE HISTORY CHAIR
WWW.ODFURNITURE.COM
development, spatial, conceptual and research-related
An outcome of the long standing collaboration between Design
simon@oddesign.com / tadhg@oddesign.com
projects, all linked by their focus on simplicity, utlity
Partners’ current creative director Cathal Loughnane, and
+353 (0)1 671 1069
and quality. They create objects that are easy to use, but
former partner and creative director Peter Sheehan, aided by
O’Driscoll Furniture is a dynamic Dublin based company
that convey personality and meaning, and are often
Design Partners’ engineering manager, James Lynch.
that has been designing contemporary furniture for
capable of surprise. Each work is created to be distinct,
DESIGN PARTNERS
over fifteen years. They work in partnership with
relevant and thoughtful.
WWW.DESIGNPARTNERS.COM
manufacturers to produce a wide range of furniture,
COLLABORATIONS↓
+353 (0)1 282 8913
lighting and accessories for architects, interior designers,
WATER CARAFE & GLASS
Based South of Dublin, Design Partners was founded
corporate and domestic clients. Designs are simple yet
A Makers&Brothers collaboration with Jerpoint Glass Studio.
in 1984 and has grown to become one of the world’s
distinctive, combining the best of natural and man-made
foremost industrial design consultancies. Every designer
materials – contemporary classics, made to a client’s
becomes involved in the hands-on creation and evolution
individual specifications.
MAKERS&BROTHERS WWW.MAKERSANDBROTHERS.COM
of prototypes in the in-house workshop, fostering an
jonathan@makersandbrothers.com
environment of creative collaboration.
+353 (0)1 663 8080
MOLLOY & SONS WWW.MOLLOYANDSONS.COM
Makers&Brothers is an online retail venture developed
info@molloyandsons.com
by two brothers, Jonathan and Mark Legge, founded
+353 (0)87 986 1306
on simple things; the handmade, objects of integrity,
Located in Ardara, Co. Donegal, the Molloy family has
contemporary vernacular and a curation of everyday
been in the textile business since the 19th Century,
design and craft. They define craft as a process: a
and the father and son team is synonymous with what
production by hand or machine. As well as offering an
great craftsmanship is today. Yarns are spun and dyed
array of products by designer and makers from all over
locally while colour matching, designing, warping,
the world they regularly collaborate with local makers to
weaving and dispatch are all done in-house. Inspiration
produce new work.
surrounds them from the dramatic natural beauty of this region famed for its tweed production.
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Plate 07
Plate 08
LIST OF PLATES
THE NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY
01. HISTORY CHAIR
05. SCIATHÓGS
Established by the Crafts Council of Ireland in December
Designer: Peter Sheehan / Cathal Loughnane /
Designer: Alison Fitzgerald
2000, the National Craft Gallery is Ireland’s leading centre
Design Partners / James Lynch and Thomas Berney
Company: Greenwood Baskets
for contemporary craft and design. We play a critical role
Material: Ash and leather
Material: Natural Willow
in building understanding of craft and material culture.
design@petersheehanstudio.com
www.greenwoodbaskets.com
We exhibit Irish and international designers, artists and
02. CAFÉ CERAMICS / WATER PITCHER
06. STONE BOWL / CAFÉ CERAMICS
the making process. We inspire appreciation, creativity
Designer [café ceramics]: Jack Doherty
Designer [stone bowl]: Aileen Anne Brannigan
and innovation through our exhibition and education
Company: Jack Doherty Porcelain
Material: Kilkenny Limestone
programme, and along with our touring programme we
Material: Porcelain
Dimensions: D 20cm ◊ H 12cm
reach an audience of over 100,000 annually.
www.dohertyporcelain.com
www.aileenannebranniganstonecarver.com
Designer [water pitcher]: Derek Wilson
Designer [café ceramics]: Jack Doherty
THE CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND
Company: Derek Wilson Ceramics
Company: Jack Doherty Porcelain
The Crafts Council of Ireland is the champion of the craft
Material: Thrown porcelain
Material: Porcelain
industry in Ireland, representing all craft disciplines.
Dimensions: Height 26cm
www.dohertyporcelain.com
It strives to foster the commercial strength and unique
makers who push boundaries in their engagement with
www.derekwilsonceramics.com 07. LEADED STRAND LAMP – SHORT 03. WATER CARAFE & GLASS
Designer: Andrew Clancy
Designer: Jerpoint Glass Studio /
Company: Clancy Moore Architects
Makers&Brothers
Material: Copper and brass tubing
Material: Clear glass
Dimensions: Short H 35cm ◊ W 17cm
THE NATIONAL CRAFT GALLERY Dimensions: Carafe H 20cm ◊ D 13cm
www.clancymoore.com
Glass H 9.5cm ◊ D 7.5cm
identity of the craft sector, and to stimulate quality, design and competitiveness. It is funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation through Enterprise Ireland. VERNACULAR PROJECT TEAM CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND Head of Market Development: Brian McGee
www.jerpointglass.com
08. ZWARTBLES BLANKET
EXHIBITION
www.makersandbrothers.com
Designer: Philip Cushen
Curation and Creative Direction: Ann Mulrooney
Company: Cushendale Woollen Mills
LDF Project Administrator: Ann Dack
04. BEAKER / MILK BOTTLE
Material: 97% Pure New Zwartbles Wool with
Gallery Assistant: Brian Byrne
Designer [beaker]: Gearóid Muldowney
3% Pure New Irish Wool
Education and Outreach Officer: Susan Holland
Company: Superfolk
Dimensions: 230cm ◊ 230cm (queen size)
Exhibition Design: Steven McNamara, www.rojidesigns.com
Material: Locally sourced Irish clay, vitrified
www.cushendale.ie
and glazed
www.superfolk.com
Designer [milk bottle]: The Irish Handmade Glass Company
Material: Clear Glass
Dimensions: Approx 20cm
CATALOGUE
ADDITIONAL BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES
Concept and Art Direction: David Smith and
Shot on location at Jerpoint Glass Studio,
Lara Hanlon, Atelier
Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny and Cushendale
Design: an Atelier Project, www.atelier.ie
Woollen Mills, Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny.
Photography: Peter Rowen Photographic Assistant: Jason McCarthy Print and Production: Print Media Services, Dublin
www.theirishhandmadeglasscompany.com
National Craft Gallery Castle Yard Kilkenny, Ireland www.nationalcraftgallery.ie info@nationalcraftgallery.ie + 353 (0)56 779 6147