Alison Bailey Smith

My craftwork is made from foraged urban materials - from my household waste, from the mechanics next door to the studio, washers pick up on walks.  It always reflects changes - parts transformed from one original use to another, respecting the material's inherent nature rather than its original purpose. Metal, plastic, and fabric are combined to create distinctive structures. The motivation behind my work comes from being the child of post war parents, Scottish thriftiness and an avid watcher of Blue Peter! My need to re-use, re-develop and re-create can be seen in my wide use of ordinary materials with extra-ordinary results. My staple ingredient in my work is wire that I reclaim from old televisions, the older the better.

Read more on her website: www.abscraft.com

Alison will be leading a workshop with things people find en route to the class or in the surrounding areas. (start up/backup items will be provided) I would like people to bring one thing no larger than 5cm that they have found in the week before - maybe a rusty washer, a broken key ring, and one item of clean waste from home - tomato puree tube, a shiny plastic foil wrapper, an eye from a broken doll.

We will be making a brooch or pin in the workshop. 

Tools and Pins will be provided but feel free to bring your own tools if you have any - such as pliers, tin snips, rubbish scissors (we can use on metal).

This will be a part of our CRAFTBAR launch event on the 24th March. You can get a free ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/559539235917