‘Homo Faber’

London Craft Week

Presented by Michelangelo Foundation

Scenography by Apsara Studio

Noel Donnellan & Mike Byrne, Jackson Byrne & Sasha Sykes, Jackson Byrne & Sasha Sykes, Richard Butler & Stephen O’Briain, Claire Mooney & Séamus Gill, Karolos Vlachiotis & Akis Goumas, Clara Coujaty & Tom von Kaenel, Giannis Zois & Shokhrukh Rakhimov, Emily Criddle & Nicola Cliffe, Sebastian Klein & Tom Evem, Cedric Lamballais & Leandre Le Bail, Matéo Laurent & Julien Vermeulen, Soraia Santa & Tomás Viana, Yaroslava Shkurat & Vanessa Barragão, Andreia & Manuel Pinto, Corentin Fossemo & Alzira Antunes, Alba Fernández Castro & Isabel Martins, Sofia Lausero & Camila Puya de Arcos, Dan Benveniste & Guillermo García, Jose Luis Sánchez & Gonzalo Cuevas, Ramón Recuero & David González.

13th – 19th May 2024, 4 Cromwell Pl, South Kensington, London SW7 2JE

Sasha Sykes & Jackson Byrne, Giannis Zois & Shokhrukh Rakhimov and Nicola Cliffe & Emily Criddle. Photography Christian Sinibaldi.

We’re excited to announce that Apsara Studio has been selected by Homo Faber to create the scenography for their London Craft Week 2024 exhibition at Cromwell Place, London.

Presented by the Michelangelo Foundation, this exhibition celebrates the creative results from craft talents collaborating with master artisans across Europe during the first edition of Homo Faber Fellowship, a life-changing programme which facilitates the transmission of knowledge and skills from one generation to the next.

Inspired by an Art Deco theme chosen by supporting partner of the programme Jaeger-LeCoultre, 20 co-creations tell the stories of each duo’s creative journey and showcase the possibilities which arise when a young vision meets with the experience of a master. The international fellows spent six months in the workshops of their paired master artisans across Europe, following a month-long creative and entrepreneurial masterclass certified by ESSEC Business school at Joana Vasconcelos Studio.

Discover a diverse range of crafts, from bicycle building to featherworking, stone sculpture to basketweaving, and see first-hand how innovation and tradition blend to bring to life original objects. Admire a giant dome lamp handcrafted using basketry by a Portuguese duo or a wall-mounted headboard decorated with real flowers cast in natural resin created by an Irish duo. Be inspired by the stories behind the co-creations and even get the chance to meet some of the young talents and hear about their experiences in a master’s workshop.

During the exhibition, you can explore Homo Faber Guide, a digital platform which allows users to discover contemporary craftsmanship worldwide, offering a new way to visit travel destinations. A tailor-made London craft itinerary reveals the best artisan workshops and craft-related experiences across the city.

The Michelangelo Foundation aims to make craft professions socially, culturally and financially appealing and viable to the younger generations through its Homo Faber NextGen programmes. The two programmes seek to develop the employability of young artisans and equip them with effective tools for them to develop thriving workshops in the future and continue transmission from one generation to the next.

Tom Von Kaenel & Clara Coujaty. Photography Christian Sinibaldi.

Tom Von Kaenel & Clara Coujaty, Ramón Recuero & David González, Stephen O’Brian & Richard Butler, Mike Byrne & Noel Donnellan, Alzira Antunes & Corentin Fossemo. Photography Christian Sinibaldi