"Power of Making" London trip

We went on a really great trip to London a couple of weeks ago. It was productive even though I was trawling around London on a horribly wet and surprisingly busy day (think that this was due to half term so not fantastic timing) besides the point!

So I started off by tubing it over to Convent Garden where Emily and I hit the contemporary Applied Arts which had a fantastic display of jewelry pieces using a wide range of media by a range of artists including Bettina Dittlmann whose contemporary pieces are very original and uses a range of bright, cheery colours and Stacey Bently who had designed some delicate broaches which were very intricate and 3D.

We then walked over to the Contemporary Ceramics Center which contrary to the map we had in had - not so easy to find! Anyways once we did find it, it was totally worth it as it has some really great ceramics, including an interesting exhibition by Bowen and Bowen.

From there a quick tube over to the V&A where The Power of Making exhibition was on (think it finishes on the 2nd January 2012) which was really interesting and well worth a visit with loads of great new and innovative ideas!

These lovely loose porcelain pieces Ikuko Iwamoto are really nice. I like everything about them from their wobbly shapes to the pimples covering the little pots with little pin pricks of colour!

I like the idea of creating really quite structural pieces even in their original forms like Sasha Wardell.

Really like the organic shapes that Penny Fowler uses.

This work by Sophie Cook was also nice I liked that she has a range of different shades of one colour but then also didn't glaze all of the ceramics giving them different dimensions!

I also really liked the work by Susan Disley and how the little jugs didn't have a handle and you just had to pick them up by the jug. It makes you question weather you needed a handle in the first place!

These functional porcelain pieces made by artist Lara Scobie have lovely form, I particularly like the little handles that they have, I think it gives then a really quirky feel.

However on a closer look its actually made out of porcelain carefully wrapped together whilst still wet. Having done some research into this technique i believe that paper is covered in porcelain slip formed into the desired shapes and left to dry out. Once dry the moulds can then be fired in a kiln where the paper inside would just burn away leaving the porcelain where the artist Valeria Nascimento could then construct this lovely piece.

This decorative sculpture gives you the impression that its a delicate piece made out of a material like paper.......

Walking through London we came across some lovely murals - exciting! This one was particularly nice as you come around a corner in Convent Garden you come into view of this full scale painting taking up the entire side of the building.