The 23 GREEN GRADS occupied the picturesque blue Edwardian changing cubicles of Manchester’s historic Victoria Baths during the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF, 19-22 October).

The mood was partially one of protest. Ceramics by Martha Wiles decried food waste and Adele Jordan exposed “the dire waste of discarded duvets.” Artist/jeweller Caroline LA Wheeler highlighted sand erosion, and Ben Watson, designer-in-residence at Northumbria University, turned stainless steel vapes into lights. By contrast, celebrating nature were Becky Brentnall with huge flower prints and Zaynah Arif with her exquisite Lepidoptera portfolio of butterfly paintings, both winners of the EPSON Textile Challenge 2023 (@epsonUK).

Kasha Dressler and Jessica Kirkpatrick displayed natural dyes, and Simon Redstone wove willow live on site. Lucy Ralph and Lucianne Canavan set up the REPAIR HUB; Nat Hodge showed the potential of discarded Christmas trees and woven nettles and Sholto Murray turned waste timber into beautiful vessels. Sean McCarthy and Eleanor Griffin displayed new bio-materials from potatoes. Emma Money introduced her Cyanoskin “living” algae-based paint which can eat carbon dioxide, and has won the major GREEN GRADS EARTH AWARD. Frieda Bischoff platformed Renee Materials, which won the coveted GREEN GRADS CHANGE MAKER Award 2023.