“Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters” at Harewood House Reiterates the Relevance of Craft
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Contemporary craft has been woven into the grand interiors of Harewood House, Yorkshire, as part of its first craft and design biennial. Through an exhibition titled, “Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters,” the biennial explores the relevance of craft in t“Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters” at Harewood House Reiterates the Relevance of Craft
Contemporary craft has been woven into the grand interiors of Harewood House, Yorkshire, as part of its first craft and design biennial. Through an exhibition titled, “Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters,” the biennial explores the relevance of craft in the present digital age. The exhibition is on view through September 1, 2019. As per details provided by Harewood House, a country estate in Yorkshire that was built in the 1780s as a show home, the exhibition “showcases work created by 26 makers based in the UK. The exhibitors range from small independent craftspeople working in solo practices, to companies that hand-make products on an industrial scale.” Describing the exhibition that has been curated by design critic Hugo Macdonald, the website states, “Launching the very first Harewood Biennial, the exhibition aims to challenge preconceptions about the role craft can play in culture, identity, and society.” Spread across the house’s state floor and below-stairs level, each room hosts a different exhibitor. Interestingly, the exhibits in each room are in some way related to their particular location. For instance, paper crafts have been displayed in the library, and garden tools in the Garden Room of the estate. Next to each display is a passage of text written by the designer that explains why they think that craft is still relevant today. As curator Macdonald explains, “From jeans to pocket knives to reclaimed furniture to glass sculptures, every exhibitor has a story to tell. This is why we have asked each craftsperson to respond to the statement: why craft matters to them and today.” The exhibition will also display three site-specific installations by designers Max Lamb, Anthony Burrill, and Faye Toogood that were commissioned by the biennial authorities. Lamb’s 24-square-meter rug made up of interconnecting amoebic shapes is displayed in the drawing-room; while outside the house, Anthony Burrill has erected a four-metre-high Tyvek-wrapped scaffold tower that answers the exhibition’s central question of why craft matters with the words: ‘We are who we make,’ ‘We are what we make,’ ‘We are when we make,’ and ‘We are how we make’ written on each of its four sides. Toogood, who was tasked with filling the 76-foot gallery space that extends across the whole west end of the house selected 30 pieces from her extensive archive of fashion, product, and furniture design to display across a huge industrial steel shelving unit. Apart from the commissioned works, the exhibition displays several other interesting pieces of craft such as leather vases by Simon Hasan; series of glass vessels by Edinburgh-based designer Juli Bolaños-Durman; and brightly colored and upholstered chairs by upcycled furniture designer Yinka Ilori, which are inspired by real-life characters from the designer’s childhood. “Useful/Beautiful: Why Craft Matters” will be on view through September 1, 2019, at Harewood House, Harewood, Leeds LS17 9LG. https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more