We most often understand the success of a crafted object by how well it serves its user. Does a garment wear well? Does a teapot pour without a drip?

The works in Support Structures instead express the desires of their makers. They are crafted objects that defy easy categorisation, from a precisely embroidered moth that can be held in the hand to a finely woven muka mourning veil. Together, they offer a snapshot of contemporary making – objects created not simply for their form or function, but as an act of devotion and necessary, cathartic production.

Each work is supported in the gallery by a display system conceived in situ as part of the installation process. Furniture makers were invited to design and build the props, plinths and mounts that present each work for viewing. Drawing from a materials library of past exhibition furniture, devised over a weekend and finessed in just a few days, the structures take cues from the objects they support. The result is an exhibition formed in its entirety through the principles of joy, repair and exploration that making can embody. 

The material things that take hold of us aren’t always easy to define. A talisman. A mascot. A lucky charm. An object we lean on, carry with us, or simply need to have close by. All of these notions can be found within the ‘support structures’ assembled here – 25 contemporary objects that celebrate the power of making.

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Object makers:

· Neil Adcock
· Vanessa Arthur
· Thomas Carroll
· Vita Cochran
· Jim Cooper
· Bronwyne Cornish
· Li Fan and Peter Hawkesby
· Kate Fitzharris
· Denis O'Connor (with Peter Hawkesby)
· Georgia Tikaputini Douglas Hood
· Gary Hunt
· Jaime Jenkins
· Areez Katki
· Jennifer Laracy
· Virginia Leonard
· Jimmy Ma'ia'i
· Tara Lee Manu
· Greg Quinn
· Emiko Sheehan
· Richard Stratton
· Cindy Tan
· Jade Townsend
· Lisa Walker
· Emma Wallbanks and Chloe Rose Taylor
· Czarina Wilson

Support structure makers:

· Grant Bailey
· Emile Drescher
· Matan Fadida
· Alex Guthrie
· Courtney Petley
· Finn Stewart
· Carina Webb