Crafts Council Gallery

This is the Crafts Council Gallery in Pentonville Road. For quite a long time it has been closed while renovation work was in progress. Tigger noticed that it finally opened today and proposed that we pay a visit. The current exhibition is entitled Maker’s Eye: Stories of Craft.

As is usual these days, even though admission is free (and photography is permitted), you still need to reserve tickets, to prevent overcrowding. However, we were fortunate in arriving at a quiet time and were admitted almost immediately.

A tantalising glimpse

During our brief wait, we sat in the lobby from where we had a tantalising glimpse of the exhibition. Very soon we were able to pass through the door and view the exhibits.

I’ll be honest and say the crafts are not my bag and that I did not really pay close attention to the exhibits. The fact that not everything was labelled was also a discouragement to close attention. Most of the photos are therefore general views of the exhibition.

View including “St Sebastian”
Photo by Tigger

This view by Tigger includes a knitted one-piece suit that includes a non-detachable head covering. It was suspended from the ceiling and rotated slowly back and forth creating, to my mind, a rather sinister tableau, an effect increased by the fact that it was transpierced by a number of knitting needles, a clear reference to St Sebastian. I think this is an example of “crafts meet art”. You will find the creator’s explanation of the work here.

Oversized coffee mug

There was an oversized coffee mug (about 4 feet tall) and…

A giant glove

…a giant knitted glove, which I estimate to be about 3 feet long from the cuff to the end of the middle finger. These are obviously exhibition pieces to demonstrate the skill of the makers, not practical products.

Jointed wooden snake

As usual, my attention was caught by animal shapes. If I could have taken one object home, it would have been this one.

Chairs

Here is an easy chair and some stacking chairs, surrounded by a bewildering collection of objects in all kinds of materials.

A Whatnot

This large and somewhat strange object naturally produces the reaction “What’s that?!” The answer, according to the label, is that it is a “Megatron – Whatnot – Étagère”. I think that means that you can put things on it to keep them and/or display them. It was made in 1985 by Fred Baier.

I might add that much of the space on the walls was occupied by shelves continuing books in sufficient numbers, I think, to deserve the title “library”. Presumably, visitors can consult these books to learn about crafts.

Sunshine in Claremont Square

Tigger was hoping that the gallery boasted a cafe but in this she was disappointed. Instead, on leaving the gallery, we headed in a predictable direction, passing through this familiar square upon which the sun was now shining.

At Myddelton’s

We betook ourselves to Myddelton’s deli (as you no doubt guessed) and found a table outside.

Watching the pigeons

We watched the pigeons and…

Drinking our coffee
Photo by Tigger

…of course, drank our coffee.

St Mark’s Church

Then we returned home and my last photo was this one of St Mark’s Church lit with afternoon sunshine.

Today is once more cloudy with a promise of rain.

Cloudy skies

We went out for coffee followed by a local walk. Ever and anon we felt rain drops on our face or hands.

Looking across Amwell Street to River Street

We took our coffee at a table outside the deli. I took this photo and the two following ones, views from where I was sitting. Need I say again that I have come to love this neighbourhood and feel happy looking around me?

Amwell Street and the Lloyd & Son dairy

Amwell Street is intermittently busy with traffic using it to connect main roads. When it’s quiet, it gives the impression of a village high street, into which the old Lloyd & Son dairy (currently a hairdresse’s) fits perfectly.

Lloyd Baker Street

All three views are from our table outside the deli. This one shows Lloyd Baker Street and a row of smaller Georgian-style houses.

I had to use a walking stick

I had to use a walking stick today. This is because when I woke up this morning I found I was suffering severe back pain. I have suffered this before, though some time ago, and it is disappointing that it has occurred again.

Entering Cumberland Gardens

After our scoffee break we went for a local stroll. Here we are entering Cumberland Gardens.

I have mentioned that a window box competition has been arranged in the neighbourhood and below is a selection of boxes we saw today.

Some are more ambitious, and perhaps more “expert”, than others, but all are welcome as they brighten up the houses and the streets.

New growth for the tree stump

And so back to the title of this post, “Never give up”. I was saddened when this tree in Inglebert Street was cut down though I expect that there was a good reason for this. When we passed by it today, we saw that the stump has grown new branches with leaves, showing that there is life and determination in it yet. If one needed an illustration of fortitude in the face of adversity, this is surely it.