Rainy days and a love for Lesley Craze

As part of my ‘exhibition project’ and what I like to call my ‘gap filler Fridays’, I went to visit the gorgeous and inspiring Lesley Craze Gallery just off Clerkenwell road in Farringdon. 

As soon as I entered the gallery which was cheekily tucked away in a blanket of cagey scaffolding, I was suddenly soaked up in a large cabinet of curiosities.

Looking around, I was surrounded by a unique collection of the latest contemporary jewellery, metalwork, and silversmithing. Yum - that is just what the doctor ordered, forget about apples.

I was teased by translucency, frazzled by folds and seduced by somewhat sculpture.  

The first thing that caught my eye was the works of Jeremy May. I loved how he used jewellery to memorialize the beauty of words. His unique laminating process of paper was also captivating, but the re-inserting of his jewellery works into their excavated space is what really got me. Using the originating book as display and storage is just pure genius!

Jo Hayes-ward was another designer that tickled my fancy. Her cubist-style pieces looked like little wearable pixel worlds. 

The dewy droplets of Craig Macauley's work were also simple but effective. Apparently the designer used nylon threads and dropped resin down them until they solidified. They reminded me of slight sparks and fireworks.

As I walked around, I could already really appreciate the unique hand on display. It made me realize how truly talented and great people can be in this world. Individuality is so important, so rich and so palpable (evident especially in this venue). 

Korean artist and designer Min-Ji Cho had my heart a flutter with her stripped rubber-glove neck pieces. They were very light in weight and oh so wearable.

Michelle Griffiths' jewellery looked like white-spiked flowers or dreamy seas urchins. They were in fact made from silk and toothpicks. 

At this point, my mind was in a buzz. The avant-garde pieces, the unheard-of techniques and the wide range of materials used here were just incredible to witness. 

Nylon, concrete, titanium, rubber gloves, putty, leather...I am now convinced that there is nothing you cannot use to make jewellery.

I ended my gallery tour (accompanied by the wonderfully soft background noise of drifting rain) on Polly Horwich's spindles of colour and form. 

As a jewellery student I found it reassuring and inspiring to see a place like this still open. 

It made me so happy to see a gallery encourage it's clients to be just as experimental and bold as it's featuring designers. I dream of the day when people decide to become more daring and less scared of trying something new. Why can’t we all be less afraid of being different and wear more creative and expressive pieces like these?  It floors me... 

Ultimately, despite walking the streets of London in all its rainy wonders on a Friday afternoon, an outing like stepping inside the friendly atmosphere of the Lesley Craze Gallery proved to be just what I needed… a quick, warming arty fix and one way to keep my make-up weather proof!

I truly and hugely recommend taking a peak for yourselves...