Spectactular Craft

Well, there certainly hasn't been very much spectacular crafting from me lately, but the duck needs breaking, so I shall report on some spectacular craft I merely looked at.
Aaaages ago (no really, ages), Flatmate Alice and I took ourselves off to a Friday Late at the V&A, along with Bluestocking Abby. This was principally for the very fab workshops and demonstrations laid on in honour of the Golden Age of Couture, and most excellent they were too.

However, we also had a good nose around the Spectacular Craft exhibition, which is still in situ (and will be until the 17th February). It is a wee round-up of some pretty amazing pieces of art made using craft techniques, under the auspices of the Crafts Council.
The two photos above are both of Anne Wilson's "Topologies", an amazingly intricate sculpture made of tiny bits of thread, crocheted and otherwise tangled into minute artifacts or beasties, pinned out to be admired. It's enormous, covering a huge white table.
The picture below is of Annie Cattrell's "Conditions", a series of glass blocks with delicate wisps of cloud etched within. I have no idea how she gets the etchings into the blocks, but she does, and the effect is far more beautiful than my picture of it is!


I didn't get a picture of my absolute favorite part of the show: Susan Collis' works. They don't look like much on first glance (a battered table in a corner, a dust sheet dropped on the floor- at first impact you assume you've wondered into a bit of the show that is not ready yet). But when you get in closer, what at first glance looks like dirt is tiny, perfect embroidery. Paint splodges are marble inlays, scratches are ever such fine lines of gilding. Even odd screws in the wall are bejewelled. Perfect.

Which just left time for a pit-stop in the shop (where we spent as least as long as we had in the exhibition...).
Right, I'm going to post again on Friday. You see if I don't!