By Jo O’Reilly

IF you’re wondering through Harlow Town centre between now and April 29th and need a little respite from the shops, you could do worse than poking your head into Gatehouse Arts new Art of Craft exhibition. With an eclectic display of work incorporating natural fibres, clockwork ‘time machines’ and teeth beneath a bell jar, this exhibition has something worth a few moments contemplation for everyone.

Easily the centre piece, Lindsay Taylor’s ‘Hare’ has an almost cartoonish childlike quality as it observes its surroundings, it gives the exhibition a whimsical almost Alice and Wonderland like feel. Equally her stunning Peacock appears like taxidermy sprung back to life via the vibrant hand died natural fabric.

Alex Hamill’s working clock-work piece time machines adorn the back wall moving slowly around, behind ‘Hare’ more the art of engineer, than the art of craft but memorising to stand and watch as they move timelessly round.

The other stand out pieces are by local artist Ayse Simsek natural wood pieces overlaid with intricately woven textile webs by the artist who is studio is based, in the itself worth a visit Parndon Mill. A recently graduate of the Royal College of Art with an MA in Textiles, Simsek is one to watch in the local and wider art world.