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Lustre at the Lakeside
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Lustre, Nottingham’s annual contemporary craft fair, is back with flair at Lakeside Arts Centre this weekend. Forget being dragged by your parents to musty, old church and community halls before Christmas when you were little; Lustre is all about refined art, extravagance and beautiful things that will make you break at least two of the seven deadly sins: Lust at the plethora of things that you just have to have for your gaff and envy for the sheer talent of the artists involved and the skills they possess which you don’t.
In its ninth year now, the curatorial team involved must have had a difficult job choosing the fifty-five exhibitors but they have pulled a blinder and the contents for 2009 is diverse, accessible and exciting. There is so much on display that it is spread across two rooms in DH Lawrence Pavilion and two rooms in the Djanogly Arts Centre.
Lustre also supports newcomers to the genre with a collection from twelve up and coming makers from East Midlands Universities (three of whom graduated from Nottingham Trent University), The Young Meteors. Their work is located in the Djanogly Arts Centre and includes jewellery, glass work, ceramics and sculpture.
So, if you’re in any way fond anything shiny, soft, pretty or tactile then whiling away a few hours will be right up your alley. Even if you’re not in the market for spoiling yourself, with Christmas just around the corner this is a great place to find some unique and special gifts or just somewhere to go to be inspired.
Here’s a rundown of some of my favorites from this years exhibitors:
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Lustre at the Lakeside
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Suzanne Potter
Suzanne’s jewellery are all hand crafted in silver, either polished or oxidized, with simple, elegant designs that are bound to be timeless. The incorporation of hand-cut felt into many of her designs gives them the edge to become statement pieces.
Stuart Akroyd
A locally based glass crafter, Stuart’s pieces range from bowls and dishes to bottles, starfish and baubles. Experimenting with many technique and shapes and using vibrant colour, his pieces aren’t only functional but aesthetically lovely.
Massey & Rogers
A range of screen printed designs that you could place in any home. Their pieces, including wallpaper, interiors and fashion, show a love of gentle colour, nature and simple lines. Their woven recycled map lampshade is definitely worth looking out for.
Linda Marie Young
Exquisite is the only way to describe Linda Marie’s boxes – they are hand and machine sewn fabric boxes with paper detailing. The intricately hand-cut fabric gives every box a unique look.
Kitty & Dude
This pair of artists have a range of kitsch ceramic goods that are decorated with original designs and also classic chintz, Chinese and retro patterns. From a spin on the old flying ducks of the fifties, they have ceramic flying pigs as well as grown up bath ducks, Russian dolls and the cutest inedible cupcakes.
Margo Selby
Award-winning British designer, Margo Selby, creates textile piece that are bold and tactile. Having recently collaborated with People Will Always Need Plates for a project based on Notting Hill’s Trellick Tower, a listed block of council flats, she has brought some striking pieces along from the project.
Louise Miller
Louise’s hand crafted jewellery is unique in that she encases papers from around the world in resin to create delicate, ornate, jewel like pieces. With inspiration from places like the Orient and the Middle East, her work has a richness to it that you wouldn’t expect from paper.
Vanessa Larmond
Vanessa’s work is all about wood and natural fibres. Whittling and carving wood that has naturally fallen from trees, she then adds more character by wrapping naturally dyed cotton to areas of her sculptures.
Lustre was open from 7-8 November 10am-6pm.
