CAMAC's first greetings card range!!!!!

Newly launched at Top Drawer in January in conjunction with the Warner Textile Archive, CAMAC's  first greetings card range!

4 designs out of the 12 presented have been sold - it was a gamble with only 3 weeks to prepare before christmas.

Lets hope we can do it again.....

Check us out on the London Design Festival Blog . . . http://londondesignfestival.tumblr.com/post/31788106469/camac-design

Helping Students into industry - CAMAC Design announce Winners of the 4th Annual Student Wallpaper Design Competition

Today is your last chance to see the show at the Imago!

The Exhibition includes 28 selected Student entries from a total of over 80 submissions. Their brief was to take inspiration from great British Architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin in the year marking the bicentenary of his birth.

The Prizes . . . .
Prizes were awarded at the Imago Gallery, Mayfair, on the opening nights of the Competition Exhibition last week. See the work of the Winners of the 2012 Annual Student Wallpaper Design Competition as well as all the finalists * work by guest artists and designers.


The Zoffany work placement was awarded by Peter Gomez to Rachel Parker from Norwich for her work which they said showed . . .
“A colourful exploration of the relationship between pattern and space…”

Rachel Parker with her wallpaper (Photo Ben Taylor)


Michelle Ledward, Head of R&D & Nina Tayor Design Director at Graham & Brown awarded a work placement to  to Natasha Markham from Leeds for her work
“…marking Gothic design at St John the evangelist Catholic Church, Oxford…’

Michelle & Nina from Graham & Brown with prize winner Natasha Markham from Leeds (photo Ben Taylor)


Anstey Wallpapers gave a work placement, awarded by Clare Howlett, Design Studio Manager to Joel Wilson from Leeds  “A Futuristic archegram…”


The Timorous Beasties work placement was awarded to Emma Jane Sowerby from Leeds
“A botanical tribute inspired by Pugin’s furniture at Lotherton Hall, Leeds…”

Emma Jane Sowerby with her wallpaper (Photo Ben Taylor)


The Pugin Society Award was presented by Ralph Bowmaker and Judith Al-Saffar to Stephanie Rostron from Leeds
“… inspired by Pugin’s eagle lectern at St Giles Catholic Church, Cheadle…”
2nd Place went to – Li Shan Chong from LCC & 3rd Place to Fergus Dowling from Leeds with a Special Mention for Emma Michelle Williams from LCC, & her amazing sketchbooks

Stephanie Rostron with her award winning piece (photo Ben Taylor)


The Winner of the Wallpaper History Society Award was Rosie Stride from Leeds, presented by Matthew Meadows and Robert Weston
“… a Gothic ‘indulgence’ paying homage to artist Bridget Riley and weaver Alastair Morton – ideal for architectural open-plan spaces…”
2nd Place – Eppie Greenhalgh – LCC
3rd Place – Elizabeth Smith – Leeds
Well done everyone!!!!

The show at the Imago is on the WGSN Blog

The WGSN blog featuring Mark Amura's block printed wallpaper.

The show at the Imago is on the WGSN Blog . . . Follow this link.

http://wgsn-hbl.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/student-wallpaper-design-competion-2012.html

Corpus Cutis at the Imago

Corpus Cutis (Artists / Designers Esther Smith & Sue Westergaard) are showing two pieces with us at the Imago Gallery, Clifford Steet, Mayfair. 

As  this years competition was based on Pugin,

 it being his bicentenary, they decided to create pieces that built on their artistic concerns, but bring in pertinent aspects of Pugins philosophy & design ideas; things like the structure of the patterns they have created for these 'garments' are reminiscent of his, but they also thought about the society that he lived in & his belief that peoples lives could be improved by good design, by having 'beauty' in their lives. 

Corpus Cutis say 'We know that the average life expectancy in the mid to late victorian era was around 40 (Pugin himself died around that age), & that huge rafts of people had only the clothes they stood up in & worked incredibly long hours in terrible conditions. That's the sort of thing that was in the backs of our minds when we were making this work'.

The garments they have created aren't made to wear. They fit into a space between Fine Art & design. The fabrics are covered in pattern based on Pugin, but created from images of skin, blemishes & disease. They have an ethereal beauty but are also slightly stomach churning. 

See them at the Imago until the 20th September

Photos by Sue Westergaard

Block printed wallpapers - Duncan Harrison, Matthew Meadows, Mark Amura & Pugin!

Designer Duncan Harrison, who also lectures at Leeds College of Art, created these pieces using the very traditional process of making wallpapers - block printing. He had 3 huge wooden blocks made, the full width of the Wallpaper & printed them in the traditional way. 
These images hardly do them justice - the pieces in the flesh are so rich in texture & colour - a wonderful quality & sort of glow that you cannot get any other way than by using those materials & that process. 

They are in the same room as the original Pugin Block, & Pugins historic wallpapers printed from it. It is incredible to see them - the colour is so intense, so contemporary. 

In the same space at the Imago is Matthew Meadows vibrant red & green hand printed wallpaper. He too is a block printer & his piece has such an intensity of colour because of the medium, & his complete skill in using it. 
Mark Amura printed his metallic gold & red wallpaper using polystyrene blocks - a beautiful piece made using such an innovative process with everyday materials. 

Images of the other pieces to follow - but for the time being here is a taster of Duncan Harrison's work. Do come and see it in real life. The show is on at the Imago Gallery until September 20th as part of the London Design Festival

The Imago Gallery - Les Bicknell's windows

Les Bicknell has created site specific pieces for the windows of our Imago Gallery show.
Les says about the work . . .

'Whilst researching Pugin in the V&A’s study rooms a catalogue of designs for furniture and fittings in the gothic revival style became a starting point for an exploration of the repeat within Pugin’s work and the creation of excessive digital book objects.

The sculptural forms are derived from examining the book form. The work explores the idea of form as a content and manipulation as the narrative. The bookworks are positioned conceptually and physically between and within the idea of both sculpture and book. The hybrid nature of the pieces finds its roots in both forms – exploring and challenging both genres.'

Les Bicknell is an artist & also lectures at Norwich University College of the Arts.