So after months and months of having finishing my first year at Uni (and attempting to write a regular blog- which you can see hasn't been going too well!), I decided it was about time to knuckle down with some serious work on our summer project. Whilst I wasn't feeling overly inspired by the task sheet given to us by our lecturers, the theme of AFRICAN ARTISAN intrigued me. I don't know much about African culture, or design, but been as I enjoy looking to other cultures for inspiration, this seemed like the perfect theme!
Whilst Google is all good and fine for research, you can't beat a bit of real life, first hand inspiration- and whilst I'm not the poorest, there's no way I could afford to go to Africa anytime soon! So after a cheeky bit of research (of which Google was very good for!), one of my course mates discovered an African Market in London. The Old Spitalfields Market to be precise.
It turns out the market is held on the last and first Saturday of every month, and is filled with authentic market stalls covered in beautiful bright colours and patterns!
Whilst some of the stalls are ran by Africans, and sold beautiful designs and items hand crafted on the continent itself, others were designed by those living in the UK.
We were lucky enough to meet a fellow Textile Designer, called Rachael. I was initially drawn to her stall because of the beautiful lino printed tote bags lying on the table. Lino printing was something I always enjoyed trying at A-Level, and something I'm yet to explore at Uni! The bright colours and patterns are beautiful, and gave me loads of ideas for my own work! Give her an Instagram follow- @rachy_boos - she's defo worth checking out!
We also got to meet the lovely guys from Plush too! (They're also worth an Instagram follow- @plushventuresltd) Their designs are all original prints designed by ladies and gentlemen in Africa! I brought a gorgeous tote bag from them- not just because of the beautiful print, but also its perfect for all my sketchbooks!
The other stalls had a lot to offer as well- plenty of bright colours and bold designs.
So after an interesting morning inspo-gathering, it was only right we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Camden for a bit of street food...
So after a great day- all that's left now is to crack on with our sketchbook work!
Bethan Rose x
