Charlene Lam is a New York-London designer whose exhibition Someday...Longing in London (held at Craft Central) used paper, textiles and found objects to explore the relationship between cities and longing.
We catch up with Charlene (pictured, below) to talk about her work and relationship her favourite cities.
How would you describe your work?
The short version is that I explore the themes of longing, belonging, and belongings, using paper, textiles and re purposed materials.
I'm not a designer-maker in the traditional sense, in that I don't specialise in one area of craft, though I do have a degree in surface and textile design. Frankly, there are so many wonderful materials and techniques, I don't want to choose!
I grew up traveling, and I'm inspired by the things that define a place and identity: food, language, possessions, materials. As a Chinese-American transplanted to London, I'm enjoying exploring what's considered quintessentially British or English.
Since moving to London a year ago, I've been experimenting with illustrations, installations, and one-off artworks. I'm currently working on a collection of patterns for textiles and paper products, inspired by my love of cities and my transition from New York City to London. They'll debut at the One Day Interiors Sale at Craft Central in Clerkenwell.
What do you love about living in London?
New York is amazing, but for the textile aficionado, London is even better. When I was getting my textile design degree, we studied patterns from Liberty and William Morris. Now, to be able to wander Liberty's haberdashery floor and visit William Morris' home in East London – for free – it's quite exciting.
I'd never encountered the term "designer-maker" before coming to the UK. In New York, people just call themselves designers or artists; few would use the term craftsperson. But in the UK, there's such a rich history of craft, especially textile-based craft. I remember being so tickled that there was such a thing as the Embroidery Guild.
My impression is that there a lot of young people in London cobbling together creative lives with part-time and freelance jobs, while practicing their art or craft. They may not make a lot of money, but they're able to pay their bills. It's more difficult and arguably considered more radical to do that in New York, in large part because of significant health care costs and student loan debts.
(Part two of the Q&A will be posted later this week).
Find out more at: www.charlenelam.com and www.london.somedaysomeday.com – Charlene's blog about living in, and being inspired by London
Images © Charlene Lam
Lee is a 23 year old Award Winning Illustrator and Designer from his hometown of Sheffield.
