Film and photography Morgan Eglin
Words Nell Card

This film and picture gallery are the first in a new series we’re calling The Crafted Home. Craft is something we’ve wanted to explore for some time, but it has taken us a while to work out how to do so. Naturally, we wanted to focus on the home, and so the search began for the UK’s handmade homemakers: the thatchers, the stonemasons and historic paint specialists that expertly keep our heritage buildings watertight and upright. But before long, our heads were turned by those who craft the objects that we carry with us from home to home – pieces such as Tessa Silva’s beautifully hand-smocked armchair, or a sculptural lampshade shaped from Japanese mulberry paper, or an intricately hand-chipped oak serving board. Each item tells a story; but how can we tell that story best?

Needless to say, if we were going to commission a series about craft, it would have to be beautifully crafted. That’s where director Morgan Eglin comes in. We kept returning to his film about his father’s artistic practice. Morgan and his collaborator Rob Norman shoot on film and there was something about the tactile quality of their visuals, the energy of the edit and the peculiarly satisfying sounds produced in the process that captured the spirit of what we wanted this series to convey. Of course, this being craft, things went wrong. The 16mm camera they shoot on malfunctioned and needed to be repaired. The shoot was delayed. But as any good craftsperson knows, patience plays a big part in the process.

Here, then, is the first in what we hope is a diverse and inspiring series about craft in, around and even on top of the home (Tom Allan, master thatcher, is up next). The one thing each craftsperson has is common is the peculiar ability to channel their own life stories through the materials they handle. Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin …