Welcome to the Material Mind exhibition at Great Western Studios, 25th April – 1st May

Great Western Studios will be hosting the Welcome to the Material Mind exhibition at the end of April, showcasing work from five of the finest craftsmen of functional art and furniture – David Gates, Alun Heslop (chaircreative), Ian Spencer (Yard Sale Project), Charlie Whinney and Simon Yates.

The exhibition will explore functional sculptural form for the living environment, focusing on how an artist can translate a thought, an inspiration or an abstract expression into a manifest object – one that’s often far more than then the sum of its parts might suggest. The exhibition will consider what makes a work – hewn from wood, metal and glass – unique, enthralling and captivating?

David Gates is winner of the Jerwood Award for Contemporary Making 2010 and the Wesley-Barrell prize in 2011, and designs and makes furniture that has a relationship with architecture.

Award-winning design artist Alun Heslop of chaircreative specialises in the design and creation of sculptural chairs and seating; the chaircreative studio produces large scale site-specific exterior installations for public and private spaces.

Ian Spencer and Cairn Young comprise the South London-based Yard Sale Project, which creates one-off and small batch pieces of furniture that combine their unique talents.

Charlie Winney’s Design Workshop seeks to explore the relationships between materials, people and the environment, using materials sourced locally from his workshop in Beck Head, Cumbria.

Simon Yates makes individual items of furniture that emphasise structure, balance and the idea of movement and texture, whilst also challenging the normal preconceptions of furniture making.

The exhibition will be open 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday (weekends by request), with a talk and private view on 24th April (6pm – 9pm).

For more details on the exhibition, please see www.materialmind.co.uk.

Welcome to the Material Mind
25th April – 1st May 2014
Great Western Studios
65 Alfred Road
W2 5EU
www.greatwesternstudios.com