Radical Acts

An exhibition currently on at Harewood House in Yorkshire, bears the title “Radical Acts”. This grand stately home, surrounded by gardens and an estate, was built on money from West Indian sugar plantations and was, as information around the house freely admits, bought on the backs of slaves. Indeed in 2021 the black actor, David Harewood, discussed the entwined family histories of his family with David Lascelles, the Earl of Harewood’s own ancestors.  In the current biennial exhibition, Harewood House showcases a number of crafters, designers and makers whose work provokes the viewer to consider a number of important challenges.

The first room encountered is dominated by a long table, on which are laid out clothes from staff working for the Harewood Trust. Each piece has been beautifully darned by Celia Pym, a textile artist who explores stories of damage. The results of this mending lend a uniqueness to each garment transforming the mass produced into bespoke pieces.

The theme of clothing is picked up in a later room, where banners and a video present the work of Community Clothing, a social enterprise started by Patrick Grant, known for his appearances on the Great British Sewing Bee. The initiative uses factories from around the UK to manufacture each of the garments that it offers and sources the materials used from other factories, including spinners, weavers, knitters, dyers, finishers, embroiders and textile printers. The aim of the enterprise is to re-invigorate a highly skilled industry which has suffered from the move of manufacturing to outside of the UK. All of the manufacturers working for Community Clothing receive 60% of the final cost of the garment, rather than the industry standard 25%. The creation of quality clothing that is designed to last, rather than be discarded after a season of wear, is seen as critical for both environmental and social sustainability, and the mission of the enterprise is to encourage fewer, more considered, purchases with long life spans, and, as Celia Pym’s work shows, even when garments are worn they can be given new life.

The exhibition also questions product design, with, for example, work from Korean designer Eunhye Ko, which considers alternative, more sustainable materials for electrical and electronic products for example a wood, wicker and leather vacuum cleaner and a ceramic and hair dryer. Ko questions how products are valued, stating that crafted objects are valued more than mass produced ones and seeking to reimagine objects so that their true value is seen.

 

Michael Marriott’s work issues a similar challenge, with reinvention, reuse and upcycling of materials, for example a lampshade made from a builder’s bucket and classic Windsor chairs revamped in bright red. His installation “Kioskö” is a mix of his products plus a collection of other useful objects including tools, foodstuffs, books and clothing.

The work of Retrouvius, Maria Speak and Adam Hills, who salvage architectural materials for reuse and recycling is shown through the creation of new table extensions made out of wood reclaimed from shelving at the old Patent Office. The contrast of the inserted pieces, patterned by the variation in colour of the materials, is striking and demonstrates how a combination of design and craft skill can create value from the seemingly valueless.

The sustainability of food and the issues with commercial farming that degrades the environment and has social consequences for traditional farming communities are addressed by the work of Fernando Laposse who has worked with indigenous communities in Mexico to plant colourful heritage corn and to transform the corn husks into marquetry panels.

Alongside the exhibits discussed above are a number of other contributions which comment on the history of Harewood and its links to slavery. Among these is one from Mac Collins who created an elegant set of silver dominoes, representing a popular Caribbean game. He presents these on a black table, in front of an Adam’s fireplace in the Cinnamon Drawing room, giving the game prime place in a room created with the money from slavery.

Likewise, the juxtaposition of oxidised copper vessels by Francisca Onumah against the backdrop of the state bedroom displays vessels reminiscent of a family group, reminding the viewer of the human cost of the finery that frames them.

Overall this is a good collection of work which gives some insight into the depth and breadth of designing and making and the concerns of makers. Importantly it serves as a provocation to discussion of a wide range of issues which should be of concern to all designers and makers. The extent to which an exhibition can educate and raise awareness, when held within such a rarefied setting as a stately home, must be questioned, but none-the-less it is a bold statement of commitment and intention which will, hopefully, have an impact on those who engage with it. The question we must all ask as designers is how radical are our acts?

To learn more and to watch films and listen to podcasts from some of the featured makers go to this page:  an introduction from the curator, Hugo MacDonald can be found here


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