Featuring 6 world-renowned designers competing live in-store, the Great Heal’s Bodging Race promises to be a unique piece of retail theatre.
Putting their own modern spin on the traditional English craft of ‘bodging’, our illustrious guests will be making bespoke chairs throughout the opening week of the Heal’s Modern Craft Market. All of the one-off pieces will then go on sale, with the winning design, as voted for by you, put into production.
But who are these competitive crafters we hear you ask? Without further ado, let’s meet the designers…
William Warren
A self-described ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, Warren lives and works in London. Born into a ‘crafty family’ he began his career as a silversmith before moving on to design furniture such as the Deconstructed Windsor range for Heal’s.
Sarah Kay
Balancing her time between London and Ariège in the south of France, Sarah Kay is a designer and maker specialising in wooden furniture. Following her first contemporary range, commissioned by Heal’s Discovers, Kay has designed pieces for a variety of commercial and private clients.
Koji Katsuragi
Flying all the way from Kumamoto Japan especially for the event, Koji Katsuragi produces carefully crafted chairs and furniture. Having first worked in industrial design, he quickly switched to making his ‘favourite type of furniture’ falling for ‘the charm of natural materials’.
Chris Eckersley
Working from his studio in ‘deepest Herefordshire’, Chris Eckersley is a multi-disciplined artist and designer. With an ethos of ‘quiet design’, he produces furniture that places emphasis on ‘good proportion’ to create ‘longevity.’
Carl Clerkin
Renowned for his off-the-wall interpretations of everyday objects, Carl Clerkin is a furniture and homewares designer based in London. Honing this craft from his ‘mess of a shed’ studio, he believes his work is ‘unique in as much as they have their own special mistakes’.
Gareth Neal
Since graduating from Buckinghamshire University, Gareth Neal has embraced a ‘pallet of techniques’ to craft unusual designs from wood. Based at his studio in Dalston, Neal is surrounded by other makers, which he finds ‘handy for discussing ideas, practical advice, or just a cup of tea.’
The Great Heal’s Bodging Race starts Wednesday 4th February and the bodgers have 7 days to create their furniture.
The Heal’s Modern Craft Market runs from 2nd-15th February 2015.