For its installation for Clerkenwell Design Week 2014, Studio Weave recognizes Clerkenwell’s long history of blacksmiths, bookbinders and leather makers through a pavilion at St. John’s Square named Smith. Smith takes visitors to the craft trades that used to dominate London’s central district.
The pavilion, which the name is taken from an English word that means manufacturer or maker, is the venue for craft workshops until May 22, 2014.
According to Je Ahn, co-founder of Studio Weave, this installation is their way of giving tribute as to how smiths established their craft in the area. “We wanted to celebrate the heritage of Clerkenwell, where the people were making things- artisans making leatherworks, bookbinding, frameworks, watchmaking. Now here we are at the center of the design world,” Ahn said.
The pavilion has a saw-tooth profile which resembled an industrial factory. The team used corrugated plastic panels to let light seep through every step of the ceiling while the panels are made from ribbed fibre-cement panels which they got from UK-based manufacturing company Equitone. The result is a subtle pattern that runs in the surface of the pavilion. The interior are also made up of angled panels using the same material where pictures of historic trades done in Clerkenwell are posted.
For three days, the workshops vary. On one day, a printing press was placed for visitors to experiment with and on the next, students from Goldsmiths University were demonstrating their skills in handicraft. On the last day, the pavilion will exhibit 3D printers as a modern take on print making. Ahn said, “We wanted to bring people who make with their hands, and show people that these products don’t just come out of thin air.”
The Smith pavilion faces St. John’s Gate.
