Stanley Picker Gallery is pleased to present Hemp, Earth + Politics by Studio Raw Origins. Visually exploring the connections between contemporary design, architecture, art, sustainability and nature, this exhibition seeks to foreground both the practical and political legacies of raw materials.
The exhibition investigates the overlooked ancestry of hemp, including its universal practical applications, both as a unique design and architectural material as well as an abundant underutilised food source. Hemp is a regenerative, biodegradable, soil-based fibre for textiles that simultaneously feeds into the soil-to-soil circular system.
Furthermore, through a foregrounding of the importance of soil and clay in construction and architecture, this exhibition investigates how earth blends disciplines, further imagining new futures for how these materials might be utilised across contemporary art and architecture.
The exhibition showcases new work from Ford’s Raw Origins Hemp range, alongside a series of installations, new research, historical artefacts, and soil chromatography.
Hemp, Earth + Politics is accompanied by workshops:
Workshop: Wed 28 June 12-3pm Earth Pigments: In this hands-on workshop, you will be introduced to the ancient craft of pigment making for paints, a primal method that ties us back to nature. Book this free workshop via Eventbrite here.
Workshop: Thurs 29 June 3:30-5pm Afterschool Children’s Botanical Plaster Casting: For children aged 7-11, this workshop will introduce the use of clay, plants, and plaster in the creation of a relief plaster cast tile. Book this free workshop via Eventbrite here.
Workshop: Sat 1 July 1:30-4:30pm Foraging and Cordage-making (wild string): This 3-hour workshop will introduce you to foraging for local invasive plants such as nettle, bramble, and dandelion. Book this free workshop via Eventbrite here.
Studio Raw Origins is run by Angela Ford, a multidisciplinary designer and educator. With a research-led practice, Ford’s work is rooted in investigating both the practical lineages and ancestry of sustainable materials and natural fibres. Drawing upon and working through these unique material histories, Ford’s work under Studio Raw Origins blurs the boundaries between disciplines—carving out its own unique conjunction between contemporary design, crafts and fine art. Ford is also a lecturer in Architecture and a Senior Technician at Kingston School of Art, where she also completed her MA in Product and Furniture Design in 2021.
Recent exhibitions include Raw Origins (2022) at the Stanley Picker Gallery, Green Grads (2022), London Design Festival. Ford was also the Winner of the Green Grads (2022) Impact Award.