Laura-Jane Atkinson
Joint Year Leader, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Laura-Jane Atkinson is a Lecturer on the Art Foundation course at Manchester School of Art.
Laura-Jane (L-J) graduated from Manchester School of Art's BA(Hons) Embroidery course in 2012. After graduating, she went on to work as a freelance Designer-Maker and a freelance practitioner for the Whitworth Art Gallery alongside starting her teaching career as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and Associate Lecturer at Manchester School of Art.
She went onto study a Masters in Design(Lab) between 2015 and 2017, where she developed her practice with material innovation, play and design through making.
She found her feet teaching on the Foundation course, teaching on Leeds Arts University's Foundation course between 2016 and 2021, before taking on a Permanent position at Manchester School of Art.
In her practice based research, L-J specialises in handmade interior accessories that challenge and re-appropriate the known application and behaviour of often under-celebrated materials. Her design process is rooted in design by making, allowing the personality of materials to drive the nature of sampling. She produces commissioned and batch manufactured statement products, that blend traditional craftsmanship with material innovation. 'Jewellery for the home'.
A central interest in L-J's research is capable futures and the relationship society have with materials and objects.
Her work has been featured in Creative Boom. Material Source and the London Evening Standard amongst others, and is stocked with Handmade in Britain, Pamono, Matter of Stuff and the National Centre for Craft and Design. She is a member of Design Nation, Material Driven and EDIT.
EXHIBITIONS:
20 Makers, 20 Objects, 2020
Beyond Paper with Material Driven for London Craft Week, 2019
Design Junction for London Design Festival, 2018
One Year in, 2018
Idea of North as part of the Great Exhibition of the North, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, 2018
PUBLICATIONS:
Fruitful Futures: Imagining Pomona
AWARDS:
Shortlisted for Kevin McCloud's 'Green Heroes' Award, 2019
Shortlisted for the GMCC Design Award Commission, 2017
PRESS:
Creative Boom
The Peep
Material Driven
London Evening Standard
House Beautiful
Material Source
Projects
HYBRID EMBELLISHMENT, 2012
Practice Based research into working with Textiles process and hard materials.. Details…
LINO LAB, 2018
A collection of work developed using Forbo Flooring's Linoleum flooring.. Details…
PUTTER, 2015
A practice based research project interrogating play as a method for material innovation.. Details…
RE-BALSA, 2022
A collection of work developed using dyed waste balsa wood dust.. Details…
TACTILE TOO, 2012
Handling resource developed for the Whitworth Art Gallery. The box consisted of several smaller samples of work which can be booked out by schools, colleges and organisations for handling. Details…
THE DESIGN BUILD BAR, 2018
Commissioned by 100% Design to design and make the Design Build Bar at the trade show in 2018.. Details…
WHITWORTH WEEKENDING PUBLIC BENCHES, 2013
Commissioned by the Whitworth Art Gallery for Whitworth Weekending in 2013. The surfaces of the public benches in the Whitworth park were reimagined, redesigned and remade for public use during the event. Details…
Research
Laura-Jane Atkinson is a member of the Art and Performance Research Hub.
Artefacts
Atkinson, L-J., 2022. 'Lino LAB'.