In June I’m heading back to the island of Ærø in southern Denmark for the first self-initiated ACO. Residency.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how to develop ways of making work outside of the workshop. For the past 7 years that space has become a very fixed environment, materials in, finished projects out.

These photos are from last summer when I spent August cycling to Denmark across Holland & Germany. The goal was the journey itself, planning each day and cycling off in a general north easterly direction. Maybe being in the environment is the work?

Recently I found a residency application I made in 2010 after finishing my photography degree for a month long trip to the National Institute of Design:

“My current working practice involves exploration, with the goal of creating images and sculptures within new locations I come across. I am always very keen to explore new places I visit whether by foot or bike.”

I like that 16 years later, that instinct to move, explore and make along the way still remains. Allowing it to become a way of thinking, with the outcome revealing itself over time.

The next episode of A Collection Of… Spaces is with jewellery designers and makers Shimell & Madden at their studio in Haggerston, East London.

Luke and Emma met in Devon while both beginning their journeys in the jewellery industry, Luke through a more traditional apprenticeship route, and Emma from a craft based practice. They began their creative partnership in 2010 and have continued ever since.

Their early collections took inspiration from minerals, rocks and naturally occurring geometric forms and shapes that still inform their bespoke work today.

Both share an interest not only in the intricacies of making, but also in how materials react to heat and chemicals through a process called ‘pickling’. Their understanding informs the ways in which ways materials transform through scientific processes during production.

The nature of their work often leads to people bringing heirloom jewellery to be reworked into contemporary pieces, alongside the bespoke work of designing & making engagement and wedding bands that carry the stories of their wearers throughout their lives. These are objects designed to be worn daily, lived with, and hopefully passed down through generations.

A full series of photos are over on the ACO. Website - Listen to the full conversation on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.