Ten Hands Crafts Showcased in Hangzhou

Shen Xiaopeng

From November 1st to 5th， 2018， the China Craft Week was held in Hangzhou， the capital city of Zhejiang Province in eastern China， to showcase works by international masters. Ten Hands Crafts， a group of ten crafts masters from ten different districts of Ireland， presented their latest inspirations in Hangzhou. The opening day of the event coincided with the launching of Hangzhou Creative Design Center， which served as the venue of the show.

The event featured domestic and international customized brands： including 6 from UK and 16 from Italy. The most eye-catching group of artists was “Ten Hands Crafts” from Ireland， headed by Angela Brady. Founded five years ago， it is a group of ten members of the West Cork Craft and Design Guild of Ireland， representing ten different crafts using different materials.

弗朗西斯科在現場制作項鏈。Francesco， an Italian craft master， makes a necklace at the exhibition.

安吉拉·布萊迪專門為此次展覽設計的藝術作品。An artwork made by Angela Brady exclusively for China?Craft Week in Hangzhou

Angela Brady used to be an architect. It was by chance that she learned about the craft of hot-worked glass and became an accomplished artist. November 2018 was her second visit to Hangzhou. In 2017 Angela Brady and some other members of the Ten Hands Crafts visited Hangzhou and other places of Zhejiang. They visited a bamboo-weaving artist in Lishui in southern Zhejiang and were deeply impressed by the woven bamboo baskets made by the old craftsman. These baskets were stored in the attic and brought down from the attic for the visiting Ireland artists to see. The Irish masters found the baskets looked like those made in Ireland about 200 years ago for carrying potatoes around. Another similarity these artists found in Lishui was： only through sustainable commercialization can a craftsman keep a craft alive and only through the effort of a new generation lf craftsmen can a traditional craft survive. Angela Brady talked about the trip in 2017 in a press interview during the event in 2018.

In November 2018， Angela Brady brought her 17-year-old son to attend the China Craft Week in the hope that he would a better opportunity to appreciate the value of handcrafts at the event. “Millennials must understand why handicrafts are so valuable，” observed Brady.

Francesco and Giovanni， brothers from a family of craftsmen in Italy， embrace what Angela Brady said about young people. They are of the fourth generation of a family which owns and operates a jewelry brand Sanna Gioielli based in Italy. The brand was created by the parents of the brothers. The two young craftsmen are carrying on the family tradition and adding new elements to the tradition. “Only fashion can safeguard tradition totally. Only introduction of fashion elements to tradition can a time-honored craft survive，” commented Francesco.

It was the brothers first visit to Hangzhou. Visitors at the event were deeply impressed by their demonstration.

Shy， petite， slightly plump， and ginger-haired， Una Burke， the youngest member of the Ten Hands Crafts， did not look like a multi-award winning luxury leather designer and artist who makes both seasonal fashion collections and sculptural art pieces. In an interview with us， she became talkative when it came to the leather pieces she made. She said gift and passion made what she was. From a family of farmers in a small village in the west of Ireland， she learned from her mother how to use a sewing machine at the age of five. Her great grandparents were shoemakers. “Ive inherited the value of the craft running in the five generations of the family，” claimed Una Burke.

She studied at Limerick School of Art and Design before she took a graduate course at University of Arts London. Her graduate collection RE.TREAT won an Off Catwalk Award for Design in 2009. She said she liked leather because she liked things from nature thanks to the life and the environment of the village where she grew up. Her leather pieces attract attention of international celebrities. Among them are Lady Gaga， Madonna， and Rihanna.

Caroline Groves， a high-end shoe designer of UK， was also a key craft master who attended China Craft Week in Hangzhou. With expertise of 25 years working in the field， she is one of the worlds few shoemakers specialized in manually making shoes for special clients. She began leatherworking in her 20s. After an apprenticeship with a saddler and a former Lobb shoemaker， she started out on her own in 2004. She makes no more than 100 pairs of shoes a year. She designed a set of three pairs of shoes for China Craft Week. Two pairs displayed Yin and Yang as theme. Another pair presented traditional Chinese embroidery. The high-heel shoes attracted a lot of young women at the event.