Crafts #299 - The Alchemy of Making - Autumn Winter 2024

Crafts #299 - Autumn Winter 2024

In the Autumn/Winter 2024 issue of Crafts we learn some wizardry from incredible craftspeople, and celebrate their skill in transforming all kinds of matter into captivating works.

On the cover, Turner Prize-nominated artist Delaine Le Bas shows us her creative life at home and explains why fabric is a perfect medium for expressing ideas that cross boundaries. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Gibson lets us in to his New York studio, talking to Glenn Adamson about Native American craft and the significance of this year’s US pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Also in the issue: Zandra Rhodes reflects on her star-studded career in fashion, we investigate what it means to have a hobby in the hustle era, former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas pens an essay on Englishness for our This Country programme, and Bharti Kher has a revelation with plaster casting.

Makers with roots in Jamaica tell us about reclaiming their narratives, we learn not to be sheepish about working with wool, Dharma Taylor opens a new chapter in life and career, and insects give us a novel material to craft with. Giles Tettey Nartey’s furniture puts West African rituals in the frame and Lindsey Mendick opens up about mental health. Elsewhere, the secret history of clay, Carlo Scarpa’s exquisitely crafted buildings and a critique of ‘artisanal’ as a beauty buzzword. Finally, we turn a spotlight on performance – going backstage to study the making of puppets, ballet shoes, the epic wigs of Bridgerton and more.

About Crafts:

Crafts brings together a dynamic global community of makers, curators, collectors, thinkers and cultural influencers pushing the boundaries of making.