Cockpit Arts in London is an organisation that provides studio space to crafts people and business incubation support to those makers within its fold. It has two sites in Holborn, central London and in Deptford in the south east. I first became aware of them back in the late 1990s when working at the Crafts Council and we would visit their open studios - then at their first and only site in Holborn.

When I came back to the applied arts after several years working in the textile and fashion industries, Cockpit again became a regular fixture in the calendar on their two annual open studio events in the summer and just before Christmas (at both sites). Over time I gradually developed a working relationship with them and have participated in several mentoring and business support programmes over the past few years. They do amazing work and the network of makers it reaches has extended beyond its own walls through various arts support initiatives.

One of the many makers I have had the great pleasure to meet and work with through Cockpit is Tania Clarke Hall. She is based at the Holborn site and makes beautiful leather jewellery - an example of which is below. I had previously bought a pair of ear studs from Tania as a gift for my Mum (actually there lies another blog series - the many pairs of earrings I have bought her from different craft jewellers over the years).

When visiting the open studios pre-Christmas a few years ago, I spotted this brooch. Well it was too good an opportunity to miss as it was the last of its kind and so at a very reasonable price - the perfect Christmas present to self! It features Tania’s trade mark coloured edging - just about visible in the image below - and her cutting at regular intervals to help the leather mould and shape. It’s a joy to wear; it’s very unusual and I love that it challenges the norms of what is considered ‘precious’ in jewellery (i.e. it is not constructed in a ‘precious’ metal or feature gem stones).

This is precious - it has been conceived, designed and made by Tania - by her own hand.

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