Hidden Art Cornwall Design Fair 2008
Saturday 23 - Monday 25 August, Godolphin House
Opening times: 11am-6pm (8pm Saturday)
Tickets: £6 adults, £2 National Trust members, accompanied under 16s free
Thanks to new owners, the National Trust, the Hidden Art Cornwall Design Fair returned to the glorious setting of Godolphin House over the August Bank Holiday weekend. For the third year running, the Design Fair celebrated the quality and diversity of contemporary Cornish design in historic surroundings and attracted over 4,500 visitors from across the country.
The Hidden Art Cornwall Design Fair presented contemporary design from over 100 designer-makers, offering the public the opportunity to buy a wide range of furniture, accessories, ceramics, glass, lighting, jewellery and textiles direct from the maker.
There was something for all the family, from individual designer-maker stalls filling three marquees to the Hidden Art Curated exhibition inside Godolphin House, a work-in-progress showcase of the Arts Council funded project, Making it Digital, design-led games for children, a raffle of stunning clocks designed by members and friends of Hidden Art Cornwall and a charity auction. Old swivel chairs were given an unusual face lift and were auctioned in aid of the Precious Lives Appeal.
Participating designer-maker, Cindy Ashbridge, is a jeweller from Par, Cornwall. Her designs reflect patterns of natural forms, pierced and etched into silver and gold. She says, “The Design Fair exceeded my expectations, I was overwhelmed with fantastic comments and made lots of contacts and new customers. I felt people would definitely remember me and my work and return next year.”
Click here for the full list of exhibitors in 2008
Hidden Art Curated
As well as individual stalls by designer-makers in the grounds of Godolphin, the Design Fair again encompassed Hidden Art Curated, an exhibition presenting contemporary design in an unconventional context – the historic rooms of this ancient manor house.
This year guest curators from a range of backgrounds were invited to collaborate with Hidden Art Cornwall on the project. Each curator selected a room or exterior space at Godolphin and developed their own brief for the project, inspired by the setting of Godolphin House.
Click here for full details of the curators and the selected exhibitors.
To view images from last year's show, curated by
The Crafts Council, click here.
The Venue
Godolphin House (c1475) is one of Cornwall’s oldest homes. It is a grade-one listed mansion, set in rare and ancient gardens. Visit
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/godolphin for more information.
Award sponsors:
