Flair 11th February - 10th April 2011
Design Factory and Ferrers Gallery present an inspiring and eclectic selling exhibition showcasing 20
contemporary designer/makers from the East Midlands.
Design Factory
Design Factory is the regional creative development agency that promotes and supports the innovative and thriving craft and design sector within Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland. We are a not-for-profit organisation that works to create new opportunities and encourage the development and growth of new and established craft and design businesses.
Our online directory boasts a high-quality range of unique and award-winning products, designed and made by local makers from the East Midlands. From furniture and lighting to ceramics, jewellery and textiles there is sure to be something to tempt everyone. As well as internationally marketing the talent and innovation that is created in the region, Design Factory works to support the long-term development of creative businesses. Our market development programme creates new opportunities, facilitates collaboration, and ultimately innovates and encourages the growth of new and established businesses. Design Factory is working with hundreds of selected designer/makers from across the region to help them achieve their ambitions. If you would like to find out more about membership, visit www.designfactory.org.uk to download an application pack and find out how Design Factory can help you!
In partnership with Ferrers Gallery, Design Factory is delighted to present 驶Flair始, the latest in a series of exhibitions that showcases selected members of Design Factory at a range of prestigious venues across the East Midlands. Tel: Email: Website:
01529 414532 info@designfactory.org.uk www.designfactory.org.uk
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk 2
3
Alison Yule
Alison is an award winning textile
designer creating hand woven fabrics that fuse contemporary design with traditional fibres and techniques. Products can include wall panels, rugs, cushions,
throws and window hangings. The quality hand woven fabrics are richly textured,
but with a simplicity of design, and sit very comfortably in a contemporary setting.
Anne Menary
Anne works by hand creating unique
textile collage pictures which illustrate the pressing questions of our time such as: What are we to make of String theory? How do we find our way round Space-
Time? Can we stitch into the Fabric of the Universe? Each piece is stitched using recycled fabrics and trimmings and
presented ready to hang on the wall.
Ashley Thomas
Ashley is a freelance designer and
illustrator and launched her range of
conversational designs after graduation. Ashley produces beautiful handmade interior accessories from humorous
designs and whimsical illustrations in a
graphical, yet quirky style. Incorporating a range of techniques including silkscreen
printing, collage and digital manipulation.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
4
Debbie Bryan
Debbie Bryan is a designer and maker of
knitted and resin accessories specialising in designing and producing distinctive pieces through technique innovation. Based in Nottingham始s Lace Market,
Debbie始s distinctive lambs-wool scarves,
corsage brooches and resin jewellery are inspired by heritage and nostalgia.
Gillian Lee Smith
Gillian Lee Smith's love of storytelling,
character and history has led her to create characters and adornments which reflect the memories and dreams of a whirling
imagination. Graduating from Edinburgh College of Art in 2006, Gillian has since
been developing her artwork and teaching workshops as well as working in
reminiscence work with older people.
Helen Brown
As well as observing the subtlety of
relationships Helen takes inspiration from the environment and the natural world.
Helen likes to play around with the effects of scale and proportion. Recently Helen
has begun exploring more representational sculpture, finding satisfaction in the more technically involved modelling process.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
5
Jeanne Roberts
Nottingham based Jeanne Roberts
introduces fine art to ancient felting
techniques creating unique textiles to
compliment and inspire public and private spaces. Jeanne has developed a
distinctive approach to the Japanese
Nuno felting tradition to produce exclusive textiles with intricate detail and
astonishing fluidity and depth of colour.
Kate Bajic
Inspiration for Kate始s designs comes from natural structures and elements. Pieces
are made in silver, 14ct and 18ct gold and
may incorporate gemstones. The jewellery is all designed and produced, by hand, as
limited edition or one off items. Collections of work include rings, drop and stud
earrings, wrap-over necklaces, bracelets, pendants and brooches.
Katie Almond
Katie produces hand-painted porcelain jugs, cups, cake stands and brooches.
Inspired by nostalgia, old paper ephemera and vintage textiles, Katie focuses on
pattern and detail using mixed media to collage and juxtapose the found and
made. The pieces represent 驶one off始
pieces that explore nostalgic themes, scale and hand painted decoration.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
6
Krishna Madana
Balakrishna Madana is a textile designer and artist. He creates exclusive fashion
and interior pieces, combining distinctive
signature prints and hand embroidery. His designs are all about the celebration of
pattern and colour combined with hand crafted creativity.
Lorna Syson
Award winning designer Lorna Syson
creates hand made textures for home
interiors which include wall flowers and hearts, framed and unframed and her
cushions collections. Her work is strongly influenced by nature in both the design
and materials used, her work has been
tagged as a 驶one to watch始 by Homes and Gardens magazine.
Lucianna Gallucci
Lucianna始s work allows her to combine a
love of drawing with ceramics, focusing on slip-casting and press-moulding creating
unique vessels. Lucianna始s collection has a nostalgic quality, remembering finding
wild flowers as a child and keeping them in jam jars. By working on the surface
with hand-made stamps and transfers,
similar forms grow individual identities.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk 7
Lynn Baker
Lynn始s work revolves around the themes
of 驶movement and change始. Also drawn to
geometric form, optical illusion and sacred geometry, much of her work is symbolic; in the optic forms the square comes
together with the circle, a symbol of the self and the relationship between man
and nature. The forms are in constant flux, evolving from one to another.
Mary Johnson
Mary Johnson makes earthenware pottery
decorated with coloured slips and sgraffito designs. She uses traditional techniques
in a contemporary way with surprising and humorous results. Sketches are drawn
directly onto the work. These pots stand up for the unpopular creatures and
objects that we try to hide from view behind the shed.
Nicola Lidstone
Nicola始s work reflects a curiosity into the
appearance and personalities of animals.
Inspired by folklore, stately homes and the Derbyshire countryside, Nicola screen-
prints her drawings directly onto porcelain using ceramic pigments. She then gently shapes the characteristics of the animal through handmoulding from underneath the clay.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
8
Phiona Richards
Phiona Richards creates interactive book sculptures and jewellery using traditional needlework techniques. "Having been
brought up with a ʻmake do and mendʼ mentality I tend to collect and gather
materials including books near the end of their existence and regenerate them into
pleasing tactile structures using a variety of folding and needlework techniques.”
Rachel Carter
The nature of Rachelʼs work is to create sculptural pieces for the garden or
landscape setting, using mild steel and
willow. Working to commission and through community-based work as a visiting artist, inspiration comes from trips to Botanical
gardens and English countryside. Nature creates beautiful fluid shapes and this finds its way into her sculptures.
Rob Fogell
Robert trained as a Sculpture Conservator. His work is concerned with the geometry of sculpture, the balance that occurs in nature and the universe. Symmetry,
asymmetry and positive and negative
mass are explored and expressed. The investigation of scientific and artistic
dialogue, understanding where, science, mathematics and art merge.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
9
Sam Robinson
Samantha works with a combination of
ceramics, metals and textiles to produce a fresh and exciting take on unnoticed
aspects of commonplace objects. By
adding a subtle stitch, a hint of colour or a
glint of metal, attention is drawn to what is usually overlooked. The blend of
techniques and materials provides a
range that appeals to a wide audience.
Steve Leaning
The work is a continuation of Steve始s
Urban Decay series which he has been developing over the past three years.
Originally based on crumbling graffittied walls, the colours of faded plaster and
wallpaper on half demolished buildings to
the latest work which uses classical forms and shapes as reference, but distorts and subverts the object.
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
10
be red... inspi Bringing together and supporting the very best designer/makers from the East Midlands. Get involved‌ let us help you create a bigger future.
2011 Membership application deadlines: 1st April 1st August 1st December
www.designfactory.org.uk
For more details of these and other members of Design Factory visit
www.designfactory.org.uk
11
www.designfactory.org.uk
DF8117/RT
www.ferrersgallery.co.uk