Meet the judges
Annie Warburton
CEO at Cockpit Arts
Annie Warburton is CEO at Cockpit, London’s leading contemporary craft studios and an award-winning social enterprise, home to 150 makers and designers. She is also a presenter, writer and TEDx speaker on craft, culture and design.
Annie joined Cockpit following five years as Creative Director at the Crafts Council, where she directed exhibitions, education, research and innovation programmes.
From 2019-2021 Annie chaired the Government’s expert panel developing the new T-Level qualification in craft and design. She is a member of the Creative UK Council, the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Associate Member of the Artworkers Guild, and an Associate at Newnham College, Cambridge.
Esna Su
Textile Artist
Esna Su is a textile artist from Turkey who graduated from Central Saint Martin’s in 2015 where she developed a unique approach to jewellery, incorporating traditional Turkish craft techniques to create wearable sculptures. Her collection The Refugee and The Burden has been exhibited in the UK as well as The Netherlands, Switzerland, South Korea and China.
Su’s collection and her contribution to Art, Design and Craft received Hospital Club 100 Award in 2017 and The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers’ Award 2020. Su completed her residency at the Sarabande Foundation, established by Lee Alexander McQueen and continues working in Cockpit Arts.
Jo Hall
Writer, curator and editor of Embroidery Magazine
Jo Hall is currently the Editor of Embroidery magazine (published by the Embroiderers’ Guild). Jo graduated with a degree in fine art textiles from Goldsmiths University, since when she has worked as a writer and editor for various magazines, newspapers and radio, as well as co-curating textile exhibitions.
Michael Brennand-Wood
Independent Artist, Curator and Educator
A defining characteristic of Michael’s practice has been a sustained commitment to the conceptual synthesis of contemporary and historical sources, in particular the exploration of three-dimensional line, structure and pattern. Michael has persistently worked within contested areas of textile practice, embroidery, pattern, lace, floral and recently primal imagery. Michael’s work can be seen in private, public and corporate collections worldwide including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, The Crafts Council, London and National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. A major retrospective of Michael Brennand-Wood’s practice, Forever Changes opened in 2012
Yemi Awosile
Textile Designer & Artist
Yemi Awosile is an artist whose work is informed by cultural insights expressed primarily through textiles and printed matter. Recent projects include collaborations with Tent Rotterdam, Tate Gallery, Contemporary And (C&) magazine and the British Council. Her investigation into materials can be seen in the V&A Museum textiles handling collection. Yemi trained as a textile designer at the Royal College of Art and Chelsea College of Art. She is an Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London teaching BA Design, Studio Practice. She is a member of the Stanley Picker Gallery & Dorich House Museum Advisory Group and a trustee at Open School East.
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada
Artist, Curator, Author. President of the World Shibori Network Foundation and Founder of Slow Fiber Studios
Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada is an artist and curator in contemporary fiber art. She is president of the World Shibori Network Foundation, founder of Slow Fiber Studios, and as a Fulbright scholar, she pursues postgraduate research at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester. She authored or co-authored books on shibori, kimono, boro, and contemporary textile art, and produced the Natural Dye Workshop DVD series with Michel Garcia. She has been promoting sustainable practices in traditional textile craft, such as natural dyeing, organic cotton, and empowering regional communities in Japan, China, India, and the USA.
