concrete designs to thrive - zitozza at the briggait!

hello again - we have some more exciting brutalism-related news to share! zitozza are proud to be involved with a new exhibition, part of a wider series of events called concrete designs to thrive, exploring how good design can keep a city can fit and well, curated by journeys in design - with city walks, talks, workshops and exhibitions.

you can join the glasgow green and grey walks - sunday strolls around one of glasgow’s favourite parklands, to spaces and places with fascinating heritage, talking en route about thriving in the city (this walk was developed and delivered in 2023 with the help of a small group of guides with experience of homelessness); 2-4pm sundays 16th and 23rd.

we’re thrilled to be a part of the materials and modernism exhibition featuring the work of five scottish creatives, all inspired by modernist architecture, offering key works in mosaic, wood, ceramic, cast concrete and printed textile (that’s zitozza!); open 10am to 4pm monday to friday at the briggait in glasgow, from 12th - 27th june - please do come and visit!

part of this is also design for a city, fit and well - the latest in a series of twilight talks, when an expert panel presents the case for retrofit rather than wrecking ball, remodelling, repurposing, and reclaiming for the better. Extra time and refreshments will enhance the chance for good connection on the evening of thursday 20th june at the briggait.

finally, a call out to help craft healthy city, healthy citizen  ‘zines in a set of wednesday workshops at the briggait, exploring well-being and urban design in ‘zine format, to include use of printed smart phone pics captured by our walk participants, posted using the hashtag  #concretescotland, 2-4pm wednesdays 12th 19th and 26th june.

journeys in design founder dr john ennis said, “it’s a privilege to bring our concrete designs to thrive to the heart of glasgow in 2024 and to collaborate with such a diverse array of designers, artists and producers around glasgow green and the briggait: it’s very clear why this park and this venue are such treasured parts of the city’s culture.”

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links:

concrete designs to thrive

journeys in design

follow journeys in design on instagram

the briggait

summer market double header!

hello again, we have a very nice announcement to make - just a quick blog post to announce our latest market round up. and we have a very, very nice double header ahead in our favourite scottish venues in edinburgh and then glasgow! celebrate the summer with some colourful block prints and browse all the loveliness scotland’s designers have to offer.

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19th - 20th august - dovecot studios, edinburgh

first up is our bestest most favourite venue in scotland, the dovecot studios in edinburgh. this fabulous venue will be home to a fantastic line-up of local makers, curated by support the makers. the dovecot is also a fringe festival venue with exhibitions and of course, their lovely café and shops so do come along.

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26th - 27th august - the briggait, glasgow

and afterwards, our favourite market returns. we absolutely love coming to the wasps studios markets as these markets are always very well organised and lovingly curated with some of the most engaged, creative audience of shoppers. it’s just a great experience all round and i can’t wait to talk to visitors and browse the lineup again. do come along

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after all these fairs we will take a little break before we come back in the autumn and winter - but our shop remains online always so do browse our collections and let us know if we can help with anything at all. happy browsing!

spring markets!

hello spring, hello market season! the days are getting longer and it’s time to go outside, and get your hands on lovely, locally made stuff. visit the spring fairs and support your local, independent businesses. here’s where you’ll find some zitozza stuff this spring:

15th - 16th april - the briggait, glasgow
with wasps studios

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6th may - the steeple church, dundee
with the yard

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14th may - assembly rooms, edinburgh
with craft & flea

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looking forward to seeing you there - bring your friends for a day out and enjoy the fresh air and the local makes. take care!

festive market triple header!

with the festive season in full swing, we’re announcing our upcoming festive market dates - we’re not leaving scotland for this season but we do come to glasgow twice! so make sure you come to one of these to touch our tactile textiles and leave with some brand new handmade homewares - for yourself, or a loved one!

first date: 19-20 november 2022, kibble palace, botanics, glasgow - from 10am to 4pm
- a beautiful, unique setting with a bunch of talented scottish designers, as usual with tea green events, the line-up is going to be exciting, colourful and sustainable.

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second date: 26th november, CRAFTED market at the dca, dundee - from 11am to 17:30pm
- another fab line-up, curated by the team at the dundee contemporary arts themselves, it’s guaranteed to bring you the best of the most cutting edge and contemporary designers. please note this is only a one-day event, not the full weekend, so make sure you come and visit on the saturday!

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third date: 3rd - 4th december, wasps studios winter market, the briggait, glasgow - from 10am to 5pm
- this is a brand new one for me, but with the hosts being wasps studios, the talent and the quality is guaranteed, at the fabulous setting of the briggait in glasgow. this will be the last one of the year for zitozza, so please do come.

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it sure will be a busy few weeks ahead, but it is always worth to meet in person, and new pieces, not yet listed on the website are definitely coming, curated to fit in with the line-up with each of these events so please visit. and although the live events finish on the 4th december, we remain open online 24/7.

for deliveries before christmas though, please place your order before thursday 15th december. thank you and have a fab winter.

in conversation with ciara mcinnes

happy autumn! we’re back to work, back to school, back to looking ahead and also back to talking to people so i’m really pleased to announce tha after a long hiatus, t the design conversation series is continuing with a new arist! ciara mcinnes is an architect and fine artist based in glasgow. i discovered her fabulous prints on instagram during lockdown when i was craving to see beautiful buildings - some of them are the exact same buildings i’m also fascinated by, such as the netherdale stadium of peter womersley – so i was really keen to know more about the background about these beautiful works.

ZITA: hello ciara! first things first - could you say a few words about yourself, what you do and how you got there?

CIARA: hi there, thank you so much for having me! i'm an architect and fine art printmaker based in the west end of glasgow. i work in the medium of lino print, combining traditional handprinting techniques with contemporary, urban subject matters. inspired by the city, street art and general urban chaos, my work typically documents lost landscapes, urban spaces and historic buildings.

ZITA: i can see your architectural background  - it comes across beautifully on your urban prints. i’m always glad to find other people who also see the beauty too in the things that often get a bad press. could you share a little bit about what inspires you about these landscapes?

CIARA: for me, the built environment is so inspiring, constantly changing and evolving. i love to document the city in my work, taking tiny snapshots of a place in time, knowing that it will never look exactly the same again. the light will be different, the graffiti will change, it will eventually be lost for good and exist only in print.

in architecture, it has always been the case that the styles of the previous generation are undervalued because they are seen as dated but not yet historic. In glasgow, there has been a huge cull of brutalist architecture in recent decades, a style that is only now starting to gain recognition. i'm really drawn to document these buildings in particular because of they represent an important era in history, when architects and designers were tearing up the rule book.

ZITA: that’s fascinating. i do love that era too, and the ideas they represent! do you have a favourite place, a city or a building you go like regularly going back to? Or do you continuously look for something new?

CIARA: i am always on the lookout for somewhere new, i love to travel. at the start of 2020 i visited mexico city which was such a vibrant and energetic city. the architecture is so diverse from pre-hispanic to cutting edge contemporary and everything in between, it's somewhere I'd love to go back to.

ZITA: that must have been beautiful. you mentioned brutalism before, but is there a particular school of architecture or style you’re attracted to more than others?

CIARA: i'm a fan of minimalist, contemporary architecture. there's a few places really leading the field such as scandinavia and japan but it's not something we have really embraced in scotland yet. there's an architectural practice called SANAA who create some truly breathtaking work.

ZITA: thanks for the tip, i will make sure to check it out. so what is the next cityscape or building you’re turning into a print? can you tell anything about any work in progress?

CIARA: i'm currently working on pair of prints that explore the temple gasworks in the north of glasgow. the structures of the old gasholders are still in place and create these skeletal figures in the landscape which you can see for miles around. i'm going to be integrating some more natural imagery in the prints which is a new direction for my work so i’m excited to see the finished pieces.

ZITA: sounds really exciting, i’ll be looking forward to seeing the finished prints. i’m also interested in your technique. your prints are very photographic! how are you working them into your prints? can you explain a little bit about your process as well?

CIARA: i always start a print by creating a master pen drawing which i then trace using carbon paper onto the lino block. i will usually combine elements from several photos or images into a final composition, all with a little artistic license. i often make little tweaks at the carving stage too, with a lot of natural elements freehanded as I go. the prints evolve through the printing process so i never fully know what the print will look like until the very end.

ZITA: that is really interesting! and your colour scheme is very minimalist and together with your ukiyo-e inspired technique, it reminds me a bit Japanese influences. it is very consistent throughout your work and it works to a wonderful effect – could you tell more about this? do you have a process of deciding about the colours in your prints? 

CIARA: japanese printmaking is certainly an inspiration, particularly the dedication to craftsmanship and technique. my colour palette is typically very tonal which allows me to focus on the form of the print, then I create focal points by picking out details in metallic. i typically mix my inks with extender to create a more translucent effect, i love how this gives the prints an almost watercolour like finish. 

ZITA: it does! the results are really beautiful. and now the questions i ask from everyone - can you recommend a book or an artist or a maker whose work is worth looking into? something that keeps you going?

CIARA: i recently discovered an artist called claas gutsche who's based in berlin, a fellow lino cutter, his work is so precise and his technique is definitely something to aspire to. in a totally different direction i’ve always loved the work of a painter called maurice utrillo who was a contemporary of the impressionists but worked in quite a different style. he has a really fascinating story, using painting as a form of therapy. he painted the world around him, focusing on the built environment and often unloved corners of paris.  i only recently found out that the kelvingrove museum holds one of his pieces but it's currently in remote storage. 

ZITA: sounds like someone you would have loved to met! i will be definitely checking them out. and lastly but most importantly, where can we see your work next?

CIARA: well, i do have a few exhibitions on the horizon but sadly i’m sworn to silence until the official announcements! all i can say for now is that i have an upcoming show in a glasgow gallery this autumn, which will feature some specially created pieces. i'll also be popping up at a few art and design fairs across glasgow later this year, so keep your eyes peeled!

ZITA: very mysterious! i will keep an eye on your social media! thanks a lot for your time.

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links:

ciara mcinnes website

ciara mcinnes instagram

SANAA

claas gutsche

maurice utrillo (on artnet)