Weaver-artist Christabel Balfour is currently showing a collection of her woven work at The Showcase, Craft Central. Simple Cities - the name being a play on 'simplicity,' is an investigation into London, the nature of repetitive work and the discrepancies between a craft so old and known and an unproven, detached and urban environment.
This may read like a craftswoman who only has time for the past and is precious about its qualities. However, in a typically blurred and intricate fashion, Balfour's entire process straddles the ancient and modern from beginning to end - many of her pieces begin life as photographs taken on her mobile phone and yet her woven technique is entirely traditional.
It is genuinely hard to pinpoint whether this show leaves the viewer with a better understanding of the past or the present. Balfour does not consider 'craft an antidote to modern malaise,' and consequently poses a lot more complex and difficult perspectives. A must for anyone with an interest in weaving or fine art, living in London.
Simple Cities: A Showcase of Weaving by Christabel Balfour
The Showcase, Craft Central, 33-35 St John’s Square, London EC1M 4DS
25 May 2015 to
31 May 2015, 9am-6pm
