Clara Chu

Young V&A’s first designer

Bio:

In this latest episode of Designed for Life, you get to meet the Young V&A’s first designer in ‘The Shed’, Clara Chu.

The Young V&A opened its doors on Saturday, 1 July 2023. Young V&A is a powerhouse of creativity for the young, from infants to early teens. It is a national museum dedicated to children and young people, a place to imagine, play, create, debate and design for tomorrow.

Clara is the first designer placed within the Young V&A for a six-month term. Clara is a London-based multidisciplinary artist and designer. She creates work that re-
imagines everyday, mundane objects in our domestic world, mixing mass production with the handcrafted.

Visionary and colourful pop accessories challenge what we wear on our bodies, not only textiles but everyday household objects we take for granted, such as a mop, a kettle and a toothbrush. Clara’s exploration of up-cycling questions the prominence of fast-moving consumer goods, blurring boundaries between ‘high’ and ‘low’ forms of culture through humorous transformations. Her practice helps change the perception around waste in the form of fashion accessories, workshops and installations.

In this podcast, we explore how Clara has reached this point in her career, what this six-month placement means to her, and what she hopes to offer to the young people who will get the opportunity to observe a designer in action and work with her through a series of planned workshops.

Please check online for dates she will be open to the public for workshops, demonstrations or show and tell.

https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/PD4qJqOWoO/yva-meet-the-designer-in-the-shed

Visit the Young V&A Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA.

The Design and Technology Association is indebted to the Edge Foundation for their continued sponsorship of the Designed for Life series of podcasts. Without their support, this venture simply would not be possible.

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