Collect 2026 | Knitigating Circumstances

Yesterday we went into London to attend Collect 2026, the annual International Art Fair for Contemporary Art and Design, hosted by the Crafts Council at Somerset House. It has been a few years since we were last there, and as always, it is a completely lovely and inspiring way to spend a day. My impression is that there was more textile-based art this year than previously.

I was blown away by this piece, Monument, by Studio Sumakshi Singh:

The exhibit placard reads, in part: “Copper zari is threaded onto water-soluble fabric to create a life-sized rendition of a column from Delhi’s 13th-century Qutab Minar complex. Using Indian braiding, lacemaking and other embroidery techniques, the base is then dissolved, leaving only the delicate structure in its wake.” The gossamer fabric it creates casts amazing shadows which flow and interact as people walk past the hanging. I took this photo to try to capture both the item itself and the shadows. It is a truly amazing piece.

Another stunning piece of textile art is The Life Above, by Kamila Ahmed:

It is hard to capture how vibrant the blues are. From the placard: “Drawing on heritage embroidery and Jamdani weaving, Ahmed combines hand-wrapped silk warps and embroidered surfaces to create dialogues between transparency and density, fragility and resilience.” Both of these pieces, which draw on heritage, culture, traditional craft, city landscapes and architecture, and highlight decay and beauty, destruction and resilience, seemed particularly powerful yesterday in the light of world events.

On a more whimsical note, I loved the lace-making of Jingyi Li, whose lace recreations of household items, were charming:

I completely adore this beautiful chair, also by Jingyi Li, which combines handmade filet lace and a vintage woven cane chair. It was one of my favourite pieces of the exhibition.

Looking at the photos we took, chairs were definitely a theme:

Here are some other photos from the afternoon:

It is so inspiring to see such beautiful craft. It gives me hope for humanity. Today, I am enjoying a quiet day with my own crafting, working on my Collar de Pilar sweater, designed by Kate Davies. Here is a progress photo taken this morning. Yay! It fits.