Craft season launches with new commissioned artwork.

February 2015 sees Birmingham-based crafts development organisation Craftspace, in partnership with mac birmingham, launch a season of events and exhibitions as part of Craftspace Curates. The season explores the theme of craft in an expanded field and launches with The Closet Craftsman, an exhibition of work by Will Shannon, who combines the role of designer, maker, manufacturer and architect.

The exhibition, running from 14th February to 19th April 2015, includes Market Factory, a newly commissioned work for Birmingham. Shannon subverts the idea of a traditional market stall. Usually cheap to rent for selling wares directly to the public, he re-imagines it as a space in which to fuse making and selling. Using only simple hand tools Shannon goes back to basics using traditional joinery techniques and hand skill to craft beautiful limited edition chairs for sale.

The exhibition features a continuous and related series of 6 works made over seven years. Shannon says “Through my work I intend to promote conversation about the social issues around the designing and making of things. Addressing the challenge of being creative in urban environments, each artwork is an imagined making space and model workshop for absent craftsmen.”

For the realisation of each model making space, Shannon invents a fictional narrative in which he assumes a character and teaches himself a new skill. In Kiln House he becomes a potter designing a functional mobile workshop in which he produced the tiles used on the workshop roof, the light shade and other fixtures from local clay. In Cabinet Maker, a bicycle is adapted to become a portable workshop equipped with tools for producing papier mache furniture. The idea of making furniture in-situ often using local or discarded materials reduces the amount of energy used and engages directly with the user.

In Shanon’s gallery installations, the products made are displayed alongside the workspaces as though the craftsman has just stepped away from completing the process. “By setting creative challenges and teaching himself new skills, Shannon champions the idea of having a go, blurring the boundaries, making mistakes and re-writing the rules. His propositions raise questions and provoke us to think about how, where and why things are made.” says Deirdre Figueiredo, director of Craftspace.

The season continues at mac until Spring 2016 and will encourage audiences to experience the breadth of creativity associated with contemporary craft and making through a series of commissions and events, which include live performance, film, digital media and public art.

This free exhibition runs at the First Floor Gallery at mac birmingham, 11am–6pm Tuesday to Sunday, free admission. More details at www.craftspace.co.uk or follow @tweetcraftspace