KATY HOLFORD

Side Table.
Sheet glass and steel
200cm x 83cm x 70cm

My work and practice crosses many boundaries both tangible and invisible. The boundaries between design, craft and fine art; glass and crystal, ceramic, metal, wood and other materials; craft processes, manufacturing methods and sculptural practice. These boundaries do not exist for me within my creative practice. They do however exist in the minds of the many audiences for my work and by my requirements to market to those audiences and sustain a living from my work.

I always aim to produce pieces which are of exceptional quality and which give the viewer a sense of peace, beauty, curiosity and/or delighted surprise. Simplicity and elegance of line, form and proportion are the essence of all of my work. It is informed by a wealth of aesthetic and conceptual inspirations which include geographic landforms and landscape, modern and ancient architecture (James Stirling), sculpture (Brancusi, Naom Gabo, Barbara Hepworth, etc), painting (Rothko, Mark Johnston) and photography (Richard Cooke) along with ideas garnered from literature, philosophy, psychology, spirituality and global culture and politics.

Biography pdf

Katy Holford filler

Selected Biography

EDUCATION
1990 - 1992: MA Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art.
1984 - 1988: BA (hons) North Staffordshire Polytechnic.

WORK
1994 - 1998: Goldsmiths’ College, London, Lecturer, BA Design.
1993 - 1994: Wolverhampton University, Lecturer, BA Glass.
Czech and Speake: Design and development of Crystal and Glass luxury bathroom accessories hand made in Hungary, UK and Portugal.
2006: Interact Placement, Chiang Mai, Thailand, funded by Arts Council England.
Greenapple Furniture: Design and development of Glass furniture collections.
Sainsbury’s: Design of tableware and homeware for various collections.
LivingEtc Magazine & Bliss, UK: Design and development of products for the bedroom including furniture, accessories and lighting.
Elipse: Limited edition glass furniture collection designed and developed in collaboration with I Glass London, exploiting an innovative new process of lathe turning columns of glass. Launched at 100% Design London.
Other clients include: Wedgwood, Perrier Jouet Champagne, Vista Alegre, Atlantis Crystal, Crystal Sevres, Crabtree and Evelyn, Parlane International, Concord/Marlin Lighting, Royal Brierley Crystal, Stuart Crystal, The Savoy Hotel, Hilton Hotels, Claridges, Malmaison Hotels, private Palaces in Morocco and the Middle East.

AWARDS
2008: Pewter Live Design Award.
2006: Arts Council England Grant for the Arts.
2006: Artist Placement Thailand Arts Council England.
2004: Laurent Perrier Design Award.
1991: The Richard Ginori Porcelain Design Award.
1988: Rosenthal Young Designer of the Year Award.

EXHIBITIONS
2006: Collect, Victoria and Albert Museum, UK.
1995 - 2005: 100% Design, London, UK.
2004 & 2005: Eureka, London, UK.
2004 & 2006: British Glass Biennale, UK.
2000: Exposition de Design Britannique, Silvera, Paris.
1999: British Council Glass Exhibition, Shanghai.