Flashcraft combines craft with film and live performance, providing an innovative approach to showcasing craft to audiences of all ages. It uses the concept of a flash mob - where a group of people assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time and then disperse - to create a unique two minute craft exhibition with performers acting as plinths for the featured work. 

The first ever Flashcraft event took place at this year’s Pittenweem Arts Festival and was developed in collaboration with ACTive INquiry theatre company and Blue Iris Films.

On the opening day of the festival a group of volunteers took to the streets of Pittenweem with a collection of eye-catching craft objects created by leading and emerging craft artists from across Scotland. Audiences were treated to four surprise performances over the course of the day, one of which can be viewed below.

“I wanted to do something that would be a fun and different way for people to encounter and engage with craft. It was really exciting to see craft objects being handled by the performers, as craft is a part of our everyday lives and not something that only sits on a plinth in a gallery. When I approached craft artists to take part, they were really intrigued by the idea and especially liked the fact that their work would be shown in motion.

We had a fantastic group of volunteers from school age to retired who were instantly attracted to different objects and enjoyed interacting with them. The performances were certainly noticed and remembered, with people taking a closer look at objects and asking questions afterwards, and it particularly captured the imagination of children.” - Tina Rose, Flashcraft Curator 

The 19 objects featured in the performances also featured in an exhibition at the festival and included textiles, jewellery, willow weaving, ceramics, glass and furniture. Some of the objects and artists are featured below - a full list can be found on the flashcraft objects page, together with more information on the makers and their techniques.

	Sphere by Lizzie Farey. "When creating the sphere, there is a kind of looking that I do to keep watching that it keeps its roundness.  It can go off balance at any time and it takes all my concentration to make the object perfectly spherical from all angles."
	Bone Form by Jenny Pope. "I am an avid beachcomber and this work reflects ideas around walking and collecting and finding worn fragments of bones on the beach. This piece combines the structure of bones and rock formations with eroded surfaces."
	Sand Cast Glass Fish by Elin Isaksson. "I stumbled on the design by chance in shape of an incense box in a market in Mumbai whilst I was living in India with my husband during  most of 2008. Later I found there is an Indian glassy fish, Parambassis ranga which has a striking transparent body revealing its bones and internal organs."
	Sea-Wave Necklace by Joanna McLeman Gisbey. "I produce necklaces from hand-cut giant balloons. They are bright, colourful, lightweight and joyful to wear. The balloon material, latex, is naturally sustainable and bio-degradeable."
	Hug by Jane Gowans. Hug is part of an unusual, concept-driven range called Hands which was the culmination of Jane’s degree studies.  The pieces are made from an unconventional material – silicone rubber – fused with traditional precious metal.
	Bracelet by Caroline Smith. "I have recently been exploring the possibilities of using broken car light fragments as a jewellery material. I was keen to breathe new life into this unwanted plastic whilst combining it with various other materials such as silver and resin."
	Soft Sculpture by Paola McClure. "I am drawn to the extremes of kitsch cartoonery and primitive culture and am intrigued by the potency of dolls, whether they are playthings or totemic charms"
	A White Bird Passes by Anna S King. "The collected “beach ephemera” – shells, bits of driftwood, tangled flotsam and jetsam, stones, bones and feathers all have their own meaning – metaphors for my own complex emotions which inspired the work."

If you would like to take part in a Flashcraft performance or if you would like your work to be featured in future Flashcraft events you can fill out the contact form on their website.

The Flashcraft pilot project was supported through investment from Creative Scotland and developed in partnership with Pittenweem Arts Festival.

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