At first glance it looks like a ghoulish chandelier of torture tools glinting in the light. It’s only with closer inspection that this unusual lighting fixture is revealed to be made from domestic accoutrements — graters, spatulas and wooden spoons — cast in low relief, white bone china.

The objects hang from S hooks on a white three-tiered frame, which mimics a pan rack. The idea is that they dangle, tinkling in the breeze, temporarily redundant — a welcome break from the monotonous grind of housework. It resembles a charm bracelet made of kitchen utensils.

The chandelier, named A Wee Bit of Light Relief, is the work of the artists Julia Douglas, Clare Waddle and Rebecca Wilson, who put their collective heads together to design the quirky piece for Craft Scotland’s C-Word campaign. The original has already been snapped up and orders for more are very healthy.

Douglas, Waddle and Wilson trained in very different disciplines — textiles, sculpture and ceramics respectively — but share a fascination with the home and crafts. Though not a collective, they plan to collaborate on several collections — creating works similar to Light Relief — for a series of exhibitions next year. They are currently developing a line of wallpaper inspired by the Shaker craze for hanging chairs on walls.

“We share a common theme — the household — so it made sense for us to share our knowledge and expertise with one another,” says Douglas. “A lot of the pieces we do cross between craft, design and fine art. We want them to have a concept and tell a story, but also be something that someone could quite easily live with. There’s no reason why craft can’t push these boundaries.”

While the group’s work harnesses traditional craft practices, from embroidery and knitting to hand- made ceramics, there’s there is a high-end elegance to their aesthetic.

“A lot of my references are traditional, like make-do-and- mend type principles, but I try to use it in a contemporary style,” says Douglas.

“I’d like to keep these skills alive in a way that’s funky rather than hippy. I think it’s sad that it’s getting lost a little bit, so I’m just doing my bit to keep them going.”

www.craftscotland.org

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