Events, Pop-Ups and Partnerships
Current & upcoming events
Vessels by Ash & Plumb
The Cotswold Curated Craft Fair at Daylesford
Heritage House, Daylesford, Kingham GL56 0YG
26-28 September
Helen was delighted to be invited by Lady Bamford to curate the first ever craft festival at Daylesford this autumn. When she wrote ‘Craft Britain: Why Making Matters’, with David Linley she was determined to include all aspects of craft from endangered heritage skills to collectible designs. When curating this prestigious fair, she wanted to include the same mix of master craftsmanship – here you will find the practical but beautiful crafts of bridle making, millinery and skep making alongside limited-edition and unique pieces that blur the boundaries between craft and art. The thread that unites them is that Helen is personally passionate about every maker and every object shown here. In addition, the gallery will be showing work by Geoffrey Preston MBE, Object Studio, Alison Crowther, Ash & Plumb and Roome London/Marrikur.
Book here with our exclusive exhibitor ticket bookings link and use our unique discount code HELENCHISLETT to provide 20% off for your audience.
Selection of panels by Geoffrey Preston MBE
Dovetail in New York
Helen has also been working hard on the launch of Dovetail in New York (13- 31 October). Dovetail is a new craft and design initiative founded by Helen and Nick Wiltshire, with support from the Interiors Academy, that aims to support British interiors businesses in global markets, beginning in the USA. The name Dovetail has been chosen to illustrate the close connection between British design and British craftsmanship. Each participating showroom will showcase a unique piece of master craft – Helen’s curation for this event focuses on selected makers who are either QEST Scholars, QEST Assessors or alumni of The King’s Foundation. Supported by the Department for Business & Trade, the British Consulate General NY, the Met Museum, the New York Design Centre, Firmdale hotels and Design Leadership Network, Dovetail aims to spotlight the values and unique worth of British design and craft. Participating showrooms include Colefax & Fowler, de Gournay, Savoir beds, Farrow & Ball and Drummonds, plus a host more.
For more information and a copy of the Dovetrail – the map that shows where each showroom can be found – please contact Helen direct.
Previous events
Downtown Design, Riyadh
Downtown Design is the Middle East’s leading fair for contemporary and high-quality design. Helen represented the very best UK designers at this inaugural high profile event in Riyadh.
Helen represented artists included Thomas Heatherwick, Object Studio,
Roome London x Marrikur Studios, Relative Distance and Tom Faulkner.
Tempo by Tom Vaughan
Bringing Spaces to Life
The gallery was invited to show work by Tom Vaughan at the Bringing Spaces To Life exhibition at the John Martin Gallery in Mayfair in September 2024.
Curated by art adviser, Vanita Barany of Artroom London, this comprised a wide variety of work across contemporary art and design. It highlighted the collaborative synergy between artists and interior designers, featuring art, sculpture, lighting and furniture that breathe life into domestic spaces.
Nord Tawny and Ostfriesia Distraction Bowl by Michèle Oberdieck
Nina Campbell for London Craft Week 2024
For the tenth anniversary edition of London Craft Week, the gallery partnered with legendary interior designer, Nina Campbell. Helen has been proud to support LCW since its inception in 2015. This city-wide festival celebrates exceptional craftsmanship from around the world, attracting more than a quarter million visitors.
Nina invited Helen to curate a show in her new flagship Pimlico Road showroom.
This included work by eight artists and makers – four of whom are part of the gallery’s permanent line-up and four of whom are artists whose work Helen greatly admires. Between them they encompassed furniture-making, textiles, decorative plasterwork, embroidery, quilts, silver, porcelain and glass.
Gallery artists included Emily Campbell, Geoffrey Preston MBE, Jacky Puzey and Tom Vaughan of Object Studio. Guest artists were Aiveen Daly, Lucille Lewin, Wayne Meeten and Michèle Oberdieck.
We are grateful to Nina, Alice Deen, Max Konig and all the lovely and supportive staff at the showroom for hosting us with such grace and generosity.
Chaise Longue by Riccardo Monte
Chelsea Flower Show
Helen approached landscape designer, Sophie Parmenter, to suggest a collaboration with the gallery for Chelsea Flower Show 2024. This resulted in Sophie inviting Riccardo Monte to apply his signature timber charring technique to the garden she was creating at Chelsea on behalf of the National Autistic Society (NAS). Riccardo began exploring timber charring after firing the bottom of wooden posts that propped up swathes of grape vines he planted on the grounds of his home in Piedmont. This technique is typically used to prevent insects from attacking the vine.
As well as creating a charred chaise-longue for the garden, Riccardo applied his method to the posts and totems that held the screens that were part of the garden’s structure – these were also a metaphor for ‘masking’ – a strategy used by some autistic people, consciously or unconsciously, to appear non-autistic in order to fit in and be accepted in society.
Chelsea Flower Show heralded an exciting new chapter for the gallery and already we very much look forward to collaborating with garden designers in the future.
Bespoke For A Book design by Lock & Co.
Bespoke For A Book
Helen Chislett has organised many successful events to promote the work of British makers. The Bespoke For A Book initiative was inspired by the launch of her book, Craft Britain: Why Making Matters. Makers featured in Craft Britain generously offered to create unique boxes to contain a single signed copy of the book, using the materials and skills of their craft. The aim was both to raise funds for The King’s Foundation, which does so much to encourage new generations of makers, artists and designers into the craft sector, while also showcasing a wide variety of master craftsmanship across all sectors. Each unique creation was akin to a one-off artwork.
The first edition of Bespoke For A Book was held in December 2022 at The Garrison Chapel, Chelsea Barracks. The second was hosted by the Swaine London flagship store on Bond Street during London Craft Week 2023. The third took place at the Theo Fennell flagship store at Chelsea Barracks in December 2023. The project was generously supported by the Michelangelo Foundation of Creativity and Craftsmanship.
Participating makers ranged from centuries-old, Royal Warrant Holders, such as Lock & Co. Hatters to those that utilise digital technology alongside traditional hand skills, including works by Gareth Neal and Tom Vaughan. Materials ranged from wool, wood and willow to neon, embroidery and leather. On show for the first time at Theo Fennell’s was an orrery book box – a world first. We are delighted that a five-figure sum was raised for the Foundation.