Space Craft: Architecture meets Making

‘Wearable Architecture’ in sustainable materials by Ute Decker
featured in new Crafts Council exhibition that explores craft and architecture

Curated by architecture and design writer-editor Grant Gibson Space Craft: Architecture meets Making features the work of ten creative practices: makers who are inspired by architecture and a new generation of architects that put the physical act of making at the heart of their work.

This thought-provoking new exhibition is timed to coincide with COLLECT at the nearby Saatchi Gallery. Work will include the ‘architectural jewellery’ in sustainable materials of acclaimed sculptural jeweller Ute Decker; a steel tower by celebrated ceramicist and author Edmund de Waal; public realm interventions on stilts by 'psycho-geographically-inclined' Studio Weave; artist-sculptor Laura Ellen Bacon’s uncanny nest-like willow forms; and an extraordinary, entire cityscape model Grimm City inspired by the titular Brothers' fairy stories, by young practice FleaFollyArchitects.

One of the first jewellers in the world to launch a collection in certified Fairtrade gold, Ute Decker is renowned for her minimalist yet bold pieces in sustainable materials including recycled silver and bio-resin. From the mindful choice of the materials’ provenance and the meticulous hand-crafting of each individual work in her studio, to the experience of wearer and viewer, and the fostering of a discourse with her ‘conversation-pieces’. The visually dramatic and engaging one-off and small series wearable sculptures created by Ute Decker inhabit an ambiguous space between political engagement, art, exquisite craftsmanship and beauty. It is an invitation to make connections.

This summer Ute Decker also opens her studio doors in Bloomsbury during the vibrant bi-annual Cockpit Arts Open Studios, 7 – 9 June to show new work alongside a selection of classic pieces.
Timed to coincide with the Masterpiece fair in London, Ute Decker will be exhibiting at the Hallmark Salon, a new selling fair of contemporary jewellery and silver objects , 26 – 29 June at Somerset House.