In partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), Fortnum & Mason will be hosting a series of exhibitions in their Piccadilly store to celebrate the wealth of talent across food and crafts, culminating in a handmade unique one-off Platinum Jubilee hamper.
WOOD – GLASS – PAPER 11th April – 8th May
I am delighted to have been selected to take part in The Art of the Exceptional at Fortnum & Mason this spring. My ash splint packbasket and Devon stave basket will be on display during the second week at Fortnum’s flagship store in Piccadilly. The exhibition is free and will showcase the best in British craft so is definitely worth visiting.
Full press release:
FORTNUM & MASON HOLDS FOUR MONTH EXHIBITION
TO CELEBRATE CRAFT, CREATIVITY AND MAKING,
CULMINATING IN AN ICONIC ONE-OFF JUBILEE HAMPER
To mark the anniversary of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Fortnum & Mason have partnered with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) to host four exhibitions in the heart of their flagship store in Piccadilly. From March to June, the exhibitions will celebrate the best of British creativity, crafts and making, and conclude with the creation of a one-off Jubilee hamper of artisan products made over the four months.
The exhibition series ‘The Art of the Exceptional, a Jubilee Celebration of Makers’ will take place across Fortnum’s third floor, demonstrating their ongoing commitment and passion to crafts and making. Focusing on materiality, the exhibitions champion the extraordinary diversity within craftsmanship, with each having a different theme, from ‘Wicker – Clay – Thread’, ‘Wood – Glass – Paper’, to ‘Leather – Metal – Cloth’. In addition, ‘Typography & Illustration’ will be showcased throughout the entirety of the series, as the two key elements represent Fortnum’s brand visual identity and packaging.
Each exhibition will introduce three of the makers commissioned to produce objects for the hamper, alongside a selection of their work and other QEST scholars within their field. The events are a chance for guests to meet exceptional creatives, see their work and be inspired by the back stories that underpin this joyful celebration of all things British and handmade.
To strengthen the position of British crafts across this Jubilee year, Fortnum & Mason will have a dedicated selling space on the third floor for fellow Royal Warrant-holding businesses to showcase their products. Having also been recognised by the Royal Family for their exceptional quality of work, Fortnum’s has handpicked those companies that have similar products and skills to those being showcased at the exhibitions.
The series will end with the Jubilee Hamper reveal, which will hold products created across the four months, in parallel with the ‘Scent of Summer’ exhibition
Starting with some fresh silver birch logs, we split, axed and carved out sine wonderful cooking spoons, each with their own unique character.
