We made it
Karen Krizanovich
For the longest time, Waterford Crystal was hardly the coolest brand: something your granny might buy, or a wedding present to be put away for “best” and never used. Now, though, the company has updated their image – in particular with a range of whisky glasses inspired by the world of Mad Men – but managed to build on their Master Cutters' long-established traditions of hard-won skill. On the Bruichladdich site, Karen Krizanovich meets their designers and cutters to find out about the thinking and practice behind this meeting of old and new.
Jasper Rees
A few years ago I wrote a book about the French horn which was made into a stage play. The play had a minimal set design, so we decided to hang some horns from the lighting rig over the playing area. To do this we needed about a dozen instruments. I borrowed a couple, threw in my own, and we also bought a quartet of knackered old instruments. Collectively they looked splendid as a carefully lit constellation of coils and flared bells dangling from the ceiling.When the play finished the horns dispersed. All apart from one. It was a hand horn (aka a natural horn) – that is, it had no valves for Read more ...
joe.muggs
If there's anyone working today who can drag the idea of craftsmanship with wood away from the commodified safety and predictability of hipster cafes and “upcycled” furniture it's Leonard White, Jen Patterson and their Robots collective. Their 50-odd constructions over the past years, often on a monumental scale, are made from reclaimed wood and inhabit their sites like invading aliens. They have ranged from a griffon peering off the top of a Brooklyn warehouse, via a gigantic sloth climbing up a colonial era building in Quito, Ecuador, to a humanoid figure helping another up the side of the Read more ...