Barbara Keal

Hand felted garments by Barbara Keal to be worn/displayed as sculpture on purpose-built stands. Taking the desire to connect with the natural, animal world as a point of inspiration, the colours and textures of Sussex wool and alpaca fleece become eared or antlered hats and cloaks which evoke a beautiful, wilder, hairier existence.

Following its successful integration into the London Design Festival last year, Origin: The Contemporary Craft Fair will return to Old Spitalfields Market from 22-28 September 2011.
Origin offers a rare opportunity to see and buy a diverse range of high quality, original craft from over 200 makers in one convenient location. Disciplines range from ceramics, furniture, metalwork and glass, to fashion accessories, jewellery and knitwear. Entrance fee is £10.

Origin

Origin, the London craft fair has moved from Somerset House to Spitalfields market this year. I was lucky enough to win a ticket to last nights private view on Claire Loder's blog. It was a lovely evening with lots of inspiring things to see and people to meet. Thankyou Claire! The fair continues until 29th September and the entrance fee is £10.

Naori Priestly

Body (detail)

Naori Priestly's work is illustrative and strongly autobiographical. Her work employs humour to convey the darker, more sinister side of everyday life. Working with textiles, she employs domestic craft skills, such as hand-knitting, crochet, embroidery, applique and hand-felt, along with digital technology, like computerised embroidery.

Lina Peterson

Brooch, gold-plated silver, felt and thread.

I first saw the work of Lina Peterson at her graduation show at the Royal College of Art in 2006. 'The focus of my jewellery lies within the exploration of material qualities and combinations. Allowing room for playfulness to enter my work, I am interested in finding the balance between the controlled and the arbitrary. The use of textile techniques are combined with a range of other materials, such as dip-coated plastics and metals.'

Her latest works incorporating felt, stitch and wood are wonderful. If you don't make it to Origin this week, you can see them on her website.

Michelle Holden

Bookworm

Michelle Holden, 'As an artist – maker, my practice, which originated in embroidery, has evolved into paper and text based works where I combine my desire to hand craft and deconstruct the found object (books and maps) into original works of art through a combination of cutting and stitching.'

You can see more of Shellie's work on her website, Spool.

Julia Lohmann

Ruminant Blooms, preserved sheep's stomachs. 2008

Julia Lohmann uses unexpected materials to create magical pieces, engaging with contemporary issues. Her Ruminant Bloom lamps are made from preserved sheep's stomachs each with a unique structure. Her work is part of the Origin Intervention series which continues until Sunday in the Pavilion at Somerset House as part of the Origin craft fair. Looking through Julia's website I loved her series Growth Cocoons.

Jo Pond

Bookcover brooch

Jo Pond's work originates from a passion for old and discarded objects and a drive to create harmonious compositions. She constructs narrative content by utilising a collection of unusual materials and unconventional objects, being interested in the ambivalent perceptions of personal beauty and their consequential relationship to confidence, self-value and psychological health. Her aesthetic inspiration develops from the unintended details found in decomposition and changing materials. It is always a delight to see Jo and her beautiful work.

Jacob van der Beugel

Memento mori (detail)

Ceramics by Jacob van der Beugel. 'My installation pieces are very large, two or three meters long, and based on Dutch 17th-century still lifes, with themes, like memento mori and vanitas, which are often lacking in ceramics, and I hope give the work a depth.'

Laura Bennett

Nature of Fragility. Silver, plants.

Laura Bennett makes beautiful jewellery composed from natural found objects and fragile materials. Her pieces are designed to change and evolve with wear and tear and she transforms pieces that have disintegrated into new ideas and designs.

Adele Brereton

Form rings, wood, silver.

Adele Brereton makes organic and tactile jewellery, created using the traditional silversmithing technique of ‘raising’, which is to hammer a flat sheet into a hollow form. These are shaped in an instinctive and spontaneous way, taking inspiration from natural objects. Silver, gold and carved wooden forms are combined to construct unusual and individual jewellery pieces.

The good thing about visiting Origin is that you meet the makers and you can try the jewellery on before you buy it! I loved these rings by Adele Brereton.

Heather O'Connor

Drunk, six silver shot glasses, walnut stand.

Heather O,Connor makes hand-made contemporary silverware that is influenced by the use of space, structure, boundaries and composition within garden design and modern architecture. The precious metal is often combined with structural materials such as wood or concrete for a unique modern twist.

David Gates

Collector's cabinet, Silo. English oak, brown oak, eastern red cedar and cedar of Lebanon.

H1150 W550 D375mm.

I met furniture maker David Gates at Origin last week. 'These pieces are part of a new body of work that has its beginnings in a conversation on a train back to London from The Midlands. A desire to work more intuitively, directly with the material and to explore forms in a manner more akin to drawing, which has always been part of my design and make process. Whilst thoughtful, drawing is relatively fast, with the direct imagining of constructions - but then during making a huge slowing down and rationalization takes place; finality, setting in stone.' David is hoping to start a conversation on what furniture is and does. I think he has succeeded - I found these studies thought provoking and challenging.

You can see David's work at Contemporary Applied Arts until 17 October.

Rachel Scott

Rachel Scott is exhibiting her beautiful handwoven rugs at Origin this week. Rachel spins all her own wool and uses the natural colour of the sheep's fleece to weave her wonderful geometric designs. Rachel also makes stunning knitted patchwork upholstery.

Silent Voyage

Silent Voyage, glass and photogram 2008 Mathew Durran

It was a lovely suprise to find new work by Mathew Durran at Origin this year. He has made this piece for the Origin Intervention series. It is located in the Nelson stair at Somerset House.

Stamp stair

Untitled, pleated paper 2008. Richard Sweeney.

As part of this year's Origin, the Crafts Council and Somerset House have co-curated The Origin Intervention. Work by 9 artists in Somerset House and the Pavilion. This piece is by Richard Sweeney and it is located in the stairwell of the Stamp stair in Somerset House.

Louise Frances Evans

Girl: vintage shoes, handmade felt, abraded fabric transfer.

From the installation 'What are little girls made of'

Louise Frances Evans

Emily Jo Gibbs

Silver Birch (detail)

Emily Jo Gibbs

Miho Saeki

Felted wool neckpiece

Miho Saeki

Laura Anne Marsden

Eternal lace - created using waste plastic bags.

Laura Anne Marsden

Aiko Machida

Aiko Machida