Crafts issue 293: Green shoots

In Crafts’ March/April issue, makers are stretching the boundaries of craft and taking it to new heights. We speak to the Japanese bamboo artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, who creates monumental installations that submerge people in the power of his materials, and glassmaker Elliot Walker, who conjures decadent feasts that both critique and revel in consumer excess.

The artists we meet are using craft to tackle some of the challenges of our times – and to bring colour and joy. Crafts discovers the creatives addressing the ecological cost of denim, unpicking every aspect of jeans to make the wardrobe staple fit for the future. And we see how pottery and embroidery can be harnessed to fight poverty and unite people against hardships.

Elsewhere, as Lebanon reels from multiple crises, we talk to the designers, craftspeople and entrepreneurs fighting for the country’s creative future. Meanwhile, the textile artist Britta Marakatt-Labba tells us stories about Sámi life and culture.