Karen Richmond

S O I L Plant Fest
Bath Spa University
Coordinator: S-O-I-L symposium
Questioning the post covid relationship artists and designers have with plants and whether this informs their practice and wellbeing?

Speakers Michael Smythe, Jacob Krznowski, Chrystel Lebas and Lukus Robbins. Large scale plant workshop led by Botanica Studios. Developed in collaboration with: Hugh Sanders, Jonathan Kelham, Amanda Goode, Claire Loder and Jess Macpherson.

Funded by Bath Spa University Research HFCE funding.

Beijing/London & Design/Craft Programme
Design & Creative Lead for a 6-day educational programme designed for The China Fashion Association’s visit to London, introducing contemporary models of UK small-scale urban luxury/craft production.
33 master craftsmen, government officials, fashion specialists and economic reform experts from NDRC Beijing.

An educational programme built around workshops, lectures and visits to UAL, V&A, Cockpit Arts and British Council were an-mongst the UK participants. An invitation to meet with cultural officials and tour six small-scale factories in central Beijing followed. 2012 supported by Tim Parsons, V&A education, British Council, Cockpit Arts, UAL Special Collections.

Design Explore <> Morocco
Educational Design Consultant for: British Council UK/Morocco
Developed and directed an 18-month design education project with Evonne Mckenzie and Farah Fawzi, focusing on Moroccan small-scale manufacturing, economic resilience, traditional craft and contemporary design. Design Explore involved the creation of new products and the promotion of young Moroccan designs for retail.

The project was supported by workshops from Fabien Cappello, Harry Richardson, Studio Silo, Thorsten Van Elten, Jemma Ooi, Oscar Siaz. Exhibition catalogue: Hato, catalogue stand Peter Marigold.

Moroccan designers: Meryem Abouloufafa, Ramia Belaadel, Khalid El Bastrioui, Achraf El Kouhen, Karima Elkhider, Mehdi Ghinati, Salaheddine Jbari.

Bins of Bristol | Design Academic | Joint Lead
Joint co-ordination of design education project commissioned by Bristol Waste to address the ‘wicked problem’ of designing solutions for household waste on the streets of Bristol.  A human centred design project in collaboration with Leafield Environmental, Bristol Waste and BSU undergraduate design students – 2019.

Fabricating Things London
Research lead for ‘Fabricating Things’ a project supported by Creative Industries Network London (AHRC). Working with six medium-scale urban manufacturers in London, including Diespeker Terrazzo and Kaymet aluminium trays. The project set out to map urban manufacture and communicate key information to designers.  A cycle tour of urban manufactures was run  as part of the London Design Festival, supported by Tokyo Bikes 2014-15.

Portable Place Bath
Co-lead for ‘Portable Place’ at the Holburne Museum in Bath; an exhibition, salon and small publication, showcasing products developed to explore a sense of place through investigating local materiality and history – 2018.

LUIP & UKTI India
Project Lead for LUIP & UKTI Exhibition, Design and curate exhibition of Indian artists and designers, graduated from UK universities. The exhibition sought to engage with Indian industry partners. Held in the High Commissioners garden Delhi, then moving to the Queens Gallery, British Council, Delhi launched by UK foreign secretary – 2012.

Wentworth Industry Project Sheffield 
Industrial Enterprise project with Wentworth Pewter in Sheffield; Collaborating with The Worshipful Company of Pewterers, Ernest Wright Scissor manufacturer Sheffield, V&A, and design at UAL. Exploring traditional manufacturing processes for new products and audiences, focusing on changes in material context, reconfiguring existing production processes, functionality and provenance. Products were made for production, exhibited at the V&A and presented to a range of manufacturers – 2012.

Design Residency at Tokyo Wondersite Japan
Practice based research exploring relationships to objects post 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. Collaborating with a Kreo Space to facilitate public workshops. Visiting traditional craft makers. Exhibited at Tokyo Wondersite Japan and 798 Gallery Beijing China.

Festival of Britain 60th Anniversary Celebration London 
Love Plates
Commission to design and make 600 commemorative plates in collaboration with Our Flour Studio . People ‘in love’  were invited to the Royal Festival Hall to have their portraits taken, on the day of the Royal Wedding (William & Kate) . The plates were exhibited as part of the Festival of Britain 60th Anniversary celebrations at the Southbank Centre, London 2011, afterwards to be hung in the homes of the ‘people in love’.

Design for Health. Guys & St Thomas Hospital
Guys & St Thomas Hospital/Future Cities/UAL: Design and manufacture a Drip Stand Design 2015- 16.

Thingness
Co-curator with Maiko Tsutsumi  of ‘Thingness’ exhibition and symposium  exploring , object language and meaning, through materiality and process.  Camberwell Space, UAL. Workshop co-ordinator and exhibition Department of Repair with Maiko Tsutsumi and Bridget Harvey. 

Craft Lab
Workshop in collaboration with Fabiane Lee-Perrella of  Flour Studios – commissioned by the Craft Council’s Collect Art Fair. Introducing hands-on dip coating to visitors.

White Horse Arts (WHA)
A founding  member of the community facing WHA collective, whose aim is to create an arts hub in Devizes, Wiltshire. A place where the local creative community can meet, work, exhibit, exchange ideas and participate in outreach projects. A place serving the community of Devizes and the surrounding area – hello@whitehorsearts.co.uk

Born in 1973. Graduated from Kingston University BA Sculpture, 1996. Royal College of Arts (RCA) London UK Design Products, 2000. The Bartlett, UCL, PhD Research, Architecture by Design 2008. Betonica School of Herbal Medicine- Clinical Herbal Medicine 2021-2025

I am interested in how people learn through an object, how an object speaks of its making, a time a place.

How do todays objects telling us about the society and culture we live in and can this sharing create some sense of reflection and common good in communities and society for the future?

Through observing what we cherish we may find how to sustain a world of meaningful objects and a future that is more in harmony with objects.