Stacey Hunter

The Suttie Art Space in Aberdeen commissioned me to create Treasure. In this exhibition I explored Japanese design culture and how the experience and memory of travel can be captured, memorialised and celebrated.

Following a two month residency in Tokyo and Arita in early 2019, I reinterpreted traditional and contemporary design objects collected from temples, open-air markets and shrines during my journey around Japan.

The final exhibition was presented 29 June – 22 September 2019 - to read my curatorial statement please visit the exhibition page at Grampian Hospitals Art Trust.

The invitation for Local Heroes to place a selection of Scotland’s most interesting, innovative and well-crafted design into not only the Scottish Parliament, but First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s personal office is a reflection of the strength of Scotland’s vibrant design industry.

The ten pieces of work I have selected represent the best of contemporary Scottish creativity. To be rotated on a rolling basis, the pieces will act as talking points for visitors and guests of the First Minister. 

The collection provides an opportunity to promote the industry, process, place and people behind Scottish design. As a changing collection it is intended to be an evolving environment that demonstrates Scotland’s diverse, modern and world class design community.

The project was featured by Dezeen - the world’s most popular and influential architecture and design magazine, with an audience of 2.5 million visitors each month.

“Scotland is home to world class artists and designers and I’m proud to be able to support the sector through the Local Heroes project. I welcome visitors from both home and abroad and across the public and private sectors to my office at parliament and it’s a privilege to help raise the profile of Scotland’s exceptional design expertise. The initial collection has already been positively received, with well-deserved praise from visitors. I look forward to welcoming further collections in the future.”
– Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister

A talk event at 2016/ Shop in Arita, Japan about contemporary design and traditional craft culture. I’ll be joined by 2016/ branding manager, Hiroko Jinnouchi and one of 2016 product manufacturers. 2016 Corporation is a new contemporary porcelain tableware brand from Arita established in 2016 with 16 internal leading designers.

Saturday 16 February 2019

14:00 start at Arita Sera, Arita, Japan.

Poster design by Martin Baillie

At the beginning of 2019 I was invited to be Design Curator in Residence in both Tokyo and Arita with Arts Initiative Tokyo and Creative Residencies in Arita. I was one of the first participants in the Scotland/Japan Residency Exchange Programme developed collaboratively by Cove Park, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and Hospitalfield with key partners in Japan. The programme marks the British Council’s UK/Japan Season of Culture 2019/2020 and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

I’m grateful to AIT, CRIA, British Council Scotland and Creative Scotland for their support and to the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Saga Prefecture International Affairs Division and the Agency of Cultural Affairs, Japan.

My summer show Made in Glasgow by Local Heroes – was a temporary design exhibition and shop at 58 Albion Street in Glasgow’s Merchant City produced to coincide with the Berlin/Glasgow European Championships 2018.

The work of 20 designers (19 from Glasgow and 1 guest exhibitor from Berlin) were included; 12 of which were special commissions. Every exhibit was for sale in-store and online.

Featured in Dezeen, It’s Nice That and Design Week.

A pop-up design exhibition I conceived and developed for Scotland's Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016.

The inaugural Local Heroes exhibition presented contemporary design to a global audience spanning 120 different locations and three continents. It was seen by over 0.5 million people and covered extensively by national and international press including Vogue, The Skinny, BBC, We Heart, Design Week, The Future Laboratory, and The List.

The shop featured specially commissioned products by designers based in Scotland whose work exemplifies outstanding quality, originality and design thinking.

A partnership project produced with Edinburgh Airport, Creative Dundee and Creative Edinburgh funded by Creative Scotland and EventScotland.

Read more at the project website.

Re(a)d Bed Exhibition, City Art Centre, 12 May – 8 July 2018

With the support of NHS Lothian's Art & Therapeutic Design programme, I completed a mentoring residency with Ginkgo hosted at Edinburgh’s Alt-w LAB.

My exhibition explored the implications of healthcare environments for patients in terms of their identity and sense of self and considered how design can positively counteract the depersonalising effect of clinical environments.

Beginning with a design object – the ‘vanity' my research considered the accoutrements we surround ourselves with to sustain our 'best self’. My exhibition featuring the work of 17 practitioners, including Isabel Quiroga – whose vanity ‘Treetable’ is pictured – was included as part of the Re(a)d Bed exhibition at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre.

My instagram series displayed every piece from the show throughout May and June 2018.

In August 2017, V&A Dundee announced me as one of their Design Champions saying:

"We’re proud to welcome Stacey to V&A Dundee’s Design Champions, in recognition of her passion for championing Scottish design around the world – and how she’s creating opportunities for designers to work on new commissions, in meaningful and more radical ways."

To find out more, please visit the V&A Dundee website.

#VADchampions

The second of my articles on Modern Craft for The Skinny this autumn centres on craft discourses and motivations. In my latest article, I interview five contemporary practitioners in Scotland to ask for an insight into their practice. The impact of making by hand on wellbeing has emerged as a key motivation or end result for designer-makers.

As Catherine Johnston of Object Company (pictured) puts it "The sensory, often meditative state that making objects by hand offers contributes hugely to my overall wellbeing.”

For the full article please click here