This was the title of an interesting talk at the Crafts Study Centre this week by Professor Simon Olding. He started by talking about Robin Tanner and the commissioning of crafts for the home in the early twentieth century and then went on to consider the present trend for commissioning crafts for heritage buildings. This mirrors the shift in craft from the functional to the inquisitional. The National Trust and English Heritage have both supported programmes in which contemporary artists have responded to heritage properties and produced craft to challenge or illuminate these sites. We were shown several varied examples of such interventions, for example: Jilly Edwards’ tapestry weaving at Highcross House; Peter Freeman’s light installation outside Winchester Cathedral; and Sally Freshwater’s flower firescreen at Nymans. The contrast of sitting in the white cube space of the Crafts Study Centre surrounded by crafts while considering the placing of crafts in heritage properties gave the talk an added interest.
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