We have recently opened our very own Kit Kemp Design Studio Shop in Ham Yard Village and we couldn’t be happier with it.
Inside we celebrate numerous talented artisans and this week we catch up with one of them, Celia Lindsell.
Celia is a multimedia creative who has had a very varied and eclectic design career. An early highlight of hers was designing the Bond Street Christmas lights in the early 1990s, which she describes as a highlight in her career.
Since then she has studied stone carving in Jaipur, India and subsequently acquired a studio in France to explore the medium of stone carving.
More recently, she has been working with crystal stones and making totems which we are very pleased to be selling in our new shop.
We absolutely love your totem sculptures in the new Kit Kemp Design Studio Shop in Ham Yard Village – when and how did you get into making totems?
My one constant in my career has always been sculpting. I am passionate about form. I was introduced to crystal stones by a healer and was captivated by their ancient geological story and their natural array of colours.
I collected many and decided that for maximum appreciation they needed to be viewed collectively in an elegant, harmonious formation; the mysticism inherent around totems and crystal stones seemed the perfect union.
Celia, please tell us a bit about you and your work?
My career started designing the window displays for Tiffany & Co when they launched their first London flagship store. New window schemes were required every two weeks, which gave me excellent training in developing fresh and unique ideas in a very short space of time. My imagination flew, which served me well in the huge variety of creative projects I have worked on since.
What is the meaning behind them?
Totems represent the journey of past, present, and future; a convergence of mysteries. Crystal stones are formed over thousands, sometimes millions, of years. Each stone has its own energy source and healing properties, which draw you to it depending on your individual needs.
Can you tell us about your process?
It’s all about the shape and colour of the crystal stones, working out their harmony and their relationship to one another to create a grounding force in each piece.
Which materials do you like working with the most and why?
Stone has always been my preferable medium to work in. I find the challenge of taking something out of the earth and creating something beautiful very transformational and rewarding.
More recently, I have started sculpting and carving in clay. I find the malleability of the medium irresistible.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Wherever I go I pick up inspiration from everything around me like a magnet – with form and colour resonating with me the most. I regard my process of creativity as a melting pot of all these inspirations. I adore travelling and experiencing other cultures and this is my favourite way to find ‘big inspiration’ themes.
Tell us about your day-to-day, has the past year affected your work?
Not a day goes by without me creating something, a new sculpture form, some sewing, or just a card for a friend. I am passionate about making things. Day-to-day, I have a list of projects on the go, but I have learned over the years to also make time for just ‘being’, to rest and restore the batteries.
To be quite frank, over the past year the lack of social opportunities gave me the space to explore my creative DNA even more with a great appreciation.
These totems exude a sense of calm and look wonderful as a collection.
Come and have a look on your way through Ham Yard Village. You won’t be disappointed!