London Design Festival, 2023
Will Martin x HART Shoreditch
Will Martin x HART Shoreditch
For this commission, Will Martin was asked to create a water bottle that reflected the history and geography of Hart Hotel Shoreditch. The form was inspired by East London and the bottles excavated in the area, as well as the design details of the building itself. His aim was to capture and distill Hart’s aesthetic into beautiful everyday objects the guests could use. Placed in each room, they invite guests to engage with their tactility as well as their sustainable design principles. With water fountains placed on each floor, these sturdy ceramic carafes will replace disposable plastic bottled water and, hopefully, enhance our guests’ experience.
London Design Festival
“With the vitrines, I wanted to give the viewer a taste of my production processes. They show a - much tidier - version of my studio at home, with all my tools and inspo. The three stages that the clay goes through are represented by the three bottles in the first vitrine; raw, bisque and glazed. The second vitrine demonstrates the variety of surfaces and colors that can be achieved with a limited pallet. Using only ash, porcelain and found clay each bottle is a unique character, recording their production through squeezes, slaps, and cuts. I have bowls of these materials around my workstation so that I can loosely dip into them and paint the surface of the bottles once they have stiffened a bit. The vintage Victorian stoneware bottles in the display really inspired this range. Sourced from nearby Spitalfields Market, many of them were made in London. I love their signature honey dipped shoulders and angled necks”
The exhibition was accompanied by both a panel discussion and a wheel throwing demonstration by as part of the London Design Festival. Martin talked through his design processes with the participants, from contextual research through to glazing. Using the vitrine on display, he showed us how he forages, processes and applies his raw materials. Using low carbon footprint materials such as London clay and ash from his cooking practice, is in keeping with the projects ethos of negating the use of plastic water bottles. This resourceful approach also grounds the objects firmly in their London location.
London Clay Bottles
Commissioned as water carafes by Hart Shoreditch for London Design Festival , this body of work has taken on a life of its own. Each bottle in unique, hand painted using foraged clay, ash, and reclaimed porcelain from his studio.
Part of the Hilton Groups Curios Collection, HART is inspired by East London’s past. The hotels unique design is a celebration of Shoreditch and its heritage as a centre for craftspeople and makers. Formerly a fabric mill, Hart’s distinctive design and historic homages continue through the restaurant and rooms and are reflected throughout the rest of the building.
General Manager: Lina Zakzeckyte
Commercial Director: Vince Brisse
Resident Artist: James Daw
Ceramics: Will Martin