The Festival of Making which recently took place in Blackburn was a huge success in uniting all levels of making and manufacturing within the City. Following the map we toured the city, discovering the creative diversity of the region, whilst learning about it's rich industrial heritage.
The highlight for us was The Art in Manufacturing project which saw 9 multi-disciplinary artists collaborating with 9 of Lancashire's most innovative world leading manufacturers. With the buzz of the festival still in the air we thought what better time to share our own recent collaboration with North West based Arts and Crafts suppliers & manufacturers Scolaquip!
It's a special thing being invited to see the ins and outs of a factory at work. Meeting the people behind the products we buy, understanding the processes, materials, time and energy involved at every stage of production. They are busy places, valuable places and often go unnoticed by those that live on their doorstep. How did I get to 30 without knowing that the Rainbow Crayon was made in the next town!?
So thank you Scolaquip for inviting us in, giving up your time and helping us turn our idea of making crayon table legs into a reality!
Our latest side table series in red was Inspired by Kenya Hara's suggestion that “the box of twelve crayons we are given to draw with when we are small children shapes our perception [of colour] for better or for worse”. We used the side table as a framework to explore our interaction with colour by combining two distinct materials. The marquetry tops were assembled using a single coloured wooden veneer, which we randomised to create subtle tonal movements as the viewer moves around the surface. In contrast, with the skill and expertise of the team at Scolaquip, the legs were cast in wax crayon.