Stories We Tell: London Design Festival

Ruup & Form is pleased to present the works of Barbara Franc (London, UK)- textile sculptor, Bridget Harvey (London, UK)- repair maker, Saskia Saunders (Buckinghamshire, UK)- handwoven sculptor and Spriha Chokhani (Jaipur, India) material artist in an exhibition aimed to start a conversation about textile -titled ‘Stories We Tell’. The exhibition encourages us to revisit our understanding and perceptions of textile and it's usages. The makers represented in this exhibition have their individual take on this material. Barbara Franc and Bridget Harvey use recycled material to create their art, while Spriha Chokhani weaves with paper pulp and Saskia Saunders uses natural materials and yarns such as linen, hemp, and paper to create her serene wall sculptures. P R E S S R E L E A S E 3 0 . S E P T E M B E R . 2 0 2 0 Spriha Chokhani is an explorer of paper, experimenting with paper waste since 2010. She set up studio 'Pulp Factory' with aim to research and experiment with local and sustainable practices to create pieces that engages with the idea of nontraceability. Earlier this year, Ruup & Form showcased Spriha’s tapestry Moods of Monsoon at Collect 2020 For London Craft Week, Spriha Chokani’s has brought to life the DOODLE series. Woven with paper pulp, Spriha explains her inspiration, “ While weaving and spending hours with each piece, I wondered if doodles are really self portraits - an expression of our subconscious self . In this series I have experimented with the materiality of paper - pushing its boundaries by incorporating textile techniques like weaving, hand knotting and tapestry.”

Barbara Franc has always been fascinated by the sculptural forms of animals, presenting a never-ending source of inspiration to her. Over the years, Barbara has researched most of the techniques involved in her sculpture making, problem solving and developing. She uses a wide variety of media from metals to textiles. She prefers to use found, discarded or recycled material for creations. “This is not just for sound ecological reasons but also because she enjoys the challenge of transforming something with a past history into something new and exciting.” The exhibition, Stories We Tell will showcase three of Barbara Franc’s textile sculpturesTapestry Lurcher (2020), Hound of Artemis (2020) and Little Sitting Dog (2020). Tapestry Lurcher has been modelled after the makers’ own dog, Rufus, a Deerhound x Greyhound . The Hound of Artemis takes its inspiration from the piece of tapestry fabric that was gifted to Barbara, it features deer, antelope, rabbits and birds along with a dog or possibly fox in the design. She explains, “It seemed too good to not use as many of the images as I could to make this hunting hound for the Goddess of the chase, Artemis, one of my favorite characters from the Greek Myths. It is poised to run, glancing back at its mistress for her commands to chase her quarry.” The Little Sitting Dog takes its inspiration from one dog that the maker noticed sitting patiently behind its glass partition. The calm, patient confident demeanor struck with a spirit of hope to Barbara.

Saskia Saunders uses natural materials and yarns like linen, hemp, and paper for woven sculptures. Her holistic approach to making and creating with an intention to connect people directly to the positive energy of nature. About her work, Saskia Saunders says, “I want to create hand woven sculptures for people who want to use simplicity and space to create a tranquil sanctuary in their lives.” Her work invites a calm pause, a moment of contemplation for us to reconnect with ourselves, and the natural world around us. For London Craft Week, we present Subtle Nature (2019) by Saskia Saunders. Subtle Nature is inspired by the natural environment offering us peace, tranquillity and connection to ourselves. Subtle Nature offers a reminder of the simple peacefulness and acceptance of nature to them.

Bridget Harvey is a maker who investigates process, occupying a fluid space between craft and design, making and remaking. Her artefacts are hybrids of making, auto/biography and process, materialised to communicate discourses of repair-making, sustainability, and sharing. We showcased her various repaired ceramic plates at Collect 2020For the exhibition, we will be presenting Bridget Harvey’s Isolation Jumper (2020).

Note by Bridget Harvey on the Isolation Jumpers , 2020 "We locked down a week ahead of 23rd march - little did we know then where we would be now. Initially we just treated it as a break, but it soon became clear this was going to last much longer, and I saw my life changing. We settled into a rhythm fairly quickly - early morning walks, once a week to the grocers. And then home in our flat for the rest. My life started to revolve around a few tasks, my partner had to work full time and so the domestic mostly fell to me. Listing and stitching these activities was a soothing way to record what was going on, the repetitive act of stitching mimicking the repetative nature of my days. I decided to stitch over the activities i did the most to emphasise how these dominated my time - cooking and playing were my main activities. As lockdown progressed I started to have days where certain feelings seemed to hang heavily over days, and so i started to include these too. I called out to on social media for people to send me a few words about their lockdown experience too - these are starting to be stitched on to the black jumper in the pair. All those who responded identified as female, which might just be my social media bubble or maybe points to something else about the lockdown experience so far. Those were a mixture of responses - creative moments, frustrations and more. Neither jumper is “finished” yet - I am only about half way through each - (I managed to list the words on paper, but not keep up with the stitching) and as we seem to be entering another lockdown phase there is potentially more to be added. I am aware of my privilege in living somewhere secure, in a safe and happy relationship and in relative good health. My experience is not universal but seems to resonate with some.

About Ruup & From

Ruup & Form is a carefully curated collection of effortless aesthetics, simple luxuries and unique contemporary objects, working with artists and makers from across a wide spectrum. We are a platform for makers to showcase their narrative to a wider audience.Collaborate. Commission. Collect.

About London Craft Week

Join us for the sixth edition of London Craft Week with a citywide programme of over 250 events taking place from 30 September to 10 October 2020. Showcasing exceptional craftsmanship from emerging and celebrated artist-makers, LCW 2020 brings together art, craft, design, fashion and luxury brands to tell the stories behind some of the world's most beautiful objects through workshops, immersive experiences, popup stores and exhibitions.