Cockpit Open studios in Deptford is now on till Sunday 23rd June 2024. Cockpit is an award winning social enterprise that has been nurturing talent since 1986.
The last time I was at Cockpit arts studio was precisely 12 years ago.
I was excited to go again after all these years for a preview, and glimpse behind the scene of some of UK’s most remarkable new talents in craftsmanship.
First up, is Matthew Warner’s studio. Matthew specialises in pottery and porcelain, and his work is inspired by the eighteenth century.
The pieces he creates are beautiful with their simple elegant silhouettes and classical aesthetic.
I was indeed tempted to buy his capped teapot in green.
These stunning floral porcelain vessels are by Vanessa Hogge.
Their compositions are intricate and detailed.
They are works of art, and must have taken considerable time and patience to craft.
It was a pleasure to meet Izzy Letty at the Cockpit Open Studios.
She had some beautiful ceramics on display and in particular these gorgeous candlestick holders.
I particularly love the ones with the red rims.
This ceramic sculpture is by Danish born Anne Lykke Nielsen Kudsk. Her works transcend the realms of symbolism and surrealism to create narratives.
For the Open studios, she had also created a series of beautiful Japanese tableware, including Sake sets.
You can see what I bought from Anne’s collection in my next blog post.
Patrizia Sascor is a talented basket maker from Italy. She weaves many of her creations from sustainable Willow.
Her pieces are sculptural yet functional for everyday use and as decor.
The above Buff willow bag with leather handles was a special one off , and is available for purchase at the Open studios.
Now to shine the light on some wood craft talents.
Introducing you to Jason Lock who creates his wooden sculptures using a traditional wood lathe.
The large Elm burl vase he created above has been made to look like an excavated Egyptian vase, with a naturally broken away body.
Darren Appiagyei self taught himself wood turning whilst at Camberwell College of the arts. He uses a burning technique design on the wood known as Pyrography.
He gave me a little demonstration of his technique above.
Here are some of his work on display. The organic feel and texture of the pieces are both a visual and tactile delight.
I do love attending Cockpit Open Studios because you get to glimpse into the workspaces of creatives.
This corner of Lara Pain’s workspace caught my eye. I was drawn to her stunning large textile art work on display.
Lara is a textile designer and handweaver who trained at Central Saint Martins. She has made numerous bespoke pieces for commercial and residential projects.
Next, a look at the gorgeous leather and wood work by Jessie White.
Unsurprisingly she had worked with Bill Amberg studio, an industry leader in bespoke leather products.
Her pieces are calming, sculptural and contemporary.
The marbled wood and leather piece above is her collaboration with fellow artisan, Craig Black.
Finally, last but not least is this beautiful leather pot, sitting modestly on the top shelf by Jesse Noy of Noyau.
This is but the tip of the iceberg, check out some of Jesse’s other amazing projects here. She works across all industries from fashion to interiors.
Jesse very kindly gave me cuttings of her colourful plants which I will show you in my next post.
Hope you have enjoyed my little whistlestop tour of cockpit Open studios Deptford. There are at least 80 creative studios with their doors open today, so do pop in to explore.
You can buy your tickets here.
( All photos are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell).