Y H B H S (card catalog) selection 12

India Carpenter, artist, London
"It's such a simplistic statement that it's almost embarrassing to admit, but every time I look at it, I can't help thinking about the people 500... 2000 years ago who sat down and made these objects, with their hands and their knowledge, and with such skill and such elegance."























Two Thousand Years of Oriental Ceramics



India Carpenter writes: "It was quite an easy choice to be honest. It's a big book. The shelf it lives on is pretty rickety. I know it's going to cause an accident and I will be the victim. But, in the meantime this is what I have to say about it........

My book is Two Thousand Years of Oriental Ceramics printed in 1961 by Thames and Hudson.

It lives within easy reach on a shelf above my desk in my studio. It's an exquisite and epic book, thick heavy pages full of large black and white prints and beautiful hand mounted colour plates.

The objects in this book really do blow me away. Each piece, without exception has been created with such immense skill and refinement. They are quite intense objects, just beautiful and full of soul. It's such a simplistic statement that it's almost embarrassing to admit, but every time I look at it I can't help thinking about the people 500... 2000 years ago who sat down and made these objects, with their hands and their knowledge and with such skill and such elegance. It's pretty wondrous. I find it enormously inspiring."















India Carpenter is an artist living in London. Go here to see more of her work. Or follow this link to read a previous YHBHS interview with India Carpenter here...

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India Carpenter

YHBHS Interview:
India Carpenter
new work.

I was recently introduced to India Carpenter's furniture, colorfully geometric screen prints, and exquisite hand stitched fabrics through a friend here in Los Angeles.
He showed me this small , folded book, I believe made by the artist.
I was silently intrigued.


There is something about India Carpenter's work, a feeling that these
chairs have always existed in some London flat, and somehow
we are just lucky enough to discover them. I adore them.
Her works remind me how much I love the artist Ruth Laskey. She makes sublime
works using linen, and hand dying. They also bring to mind Anni Albers, and many
other great artist.

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After months of thinking about these chairs, the screen, and the fabrics,
I bugged my friend for her email so that I could find out more.

For those in London, India Carpenter's work will be up
the first week of July at Studio 6, Rossetti Studio in London.

Where do you work? city?

North East London.

In a past life, you were?

A Zig Zag Wanderer

Your work is: art, or furniture, or who the fuck cares? So many people have the debate over this all the time (which i find a bit exhausted) but honestly, your chairs are so detailed and beautiful, that I would almost be afraid to sit on them!)
I'm firmly in the 'who the fuck cares' camp...I think that any form of categorisation is reductive and therefore unhelpful... People should have the balls to let work speak for itself. As for being too scared to sit on them.. well, I know what you mean, but you get over that pretty quickly. They are surprisingly robust... and wear can be good!

Detail of WHITE TWIN
Hand Stitched Ardalanish Wool
(Unique though sold as a pair with Black Twin)

What inspires India Carpenter?
Ecstasy of Gold by Ennio Morricone
(need to hear this song right now?, click here!)

SHUTTER

Screen Printed Sand-washed Silk Lacquered Mahogany

Your new screen is a color explosion! Brilliant colors. Are these one of a kinds, or being put into production?
This is my first (finished) screen, but there will be more following shortly and I'm pretty certain they will be 'one offs'. Each panel of silk is screen printed by hand, which takes a surprisingly long time. But you get a depth and texture to the colour that is totally lacking in a digital print. I do the printing myself and work fairly intuitively, tweeking the colours and composition as i go... I can't imagine wanting (or even being able) to make exactly the same thing twice.

DARK CURVE
Hand Stitched Ardalanish Wool

Upcoming projects to look out for!?
I have an exhibition opening on the 1st July at the Rossetti studios in Chelsea, London. See my website for details.

Morning or nite person?

Far too fickle to commit to either. It depends whats on offer!

Wig Wag

Screen Print (Unique)
425gm Cotton Paper

Thanks India!
go to her site here
for more info...





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YHBHS Interview:
India Carpenter
new work.


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