Barbican Make! A season of Contemporary Craft in the Barbican Shop

  • Margaux Soland

A series of free and ticketed events on the theme of Contemporary Craft, taking place in the Barbican shop in spring 2018. The event season aimed to challenge people's preconceived notions of what Craft is, highlighting trailblazing makers in the industry and re-framing the retail space into a cultural, creative and inspiring environment. A timely subject, craft is having a bit of revival of late, challenging notions of faceless mass production by revealing the people, materials and skills behind objects we encounter everyday. The season spanned over 3 months, with over 50 events taking place inside the Barbican shop, with up and coming makers such as Phil Cuttance, Silo Studio, Stitch School, Kate Colin and more.. culminating with a week long, in-store live weaving demonstration by Christabel Balfour. I programmed and ran the season, working closely with the Retail Operations Manager and Retail team.