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Hidden Art Going Global?
I was first introduced to Hidden Art four
years ago at the Milan Salone del Mobile.
Shortly after that, I scheduled a meeting in London with Dieneke
Ferguson to ask about the possibility of starting a Hidden A rt franchise in Italy. The meeting never took place, something came
up. When I finally introduced myself to
her at Milan’s Salone Satellite this year (2006), she immediately said, “You’ve
been trying to talk with me for a long time.
You’re persistent.” True, but
only with the good ones, I told her…
I was shocked that Dieneke remembered
missing the appointment four years earlier (and apologized again for it). I was surprised that she remembered our
infrequent contact over time. But I
shouldn’t have expected less from the founder of Mazorca Projects, the
non-profit organization whose trading name is Hidden Art, one of the world’s
best known organizations dedicated to the development of designer-makers and
designers.
 Dutch-born Dieneke Ferguson founded Mazorca
in 1989 with a desire to uncover untapped creative resources in her local
environment, East London. Within that context, Hidden
Art, what Dieneke refers to as Mazorca’s “brand”, was created. From its inception Dieneke has had the goal
of taking Hidden Art global. She
confesses that her goal is clear and unwavering but how to get there
isn’t. Hidden Art’s slow expansion from
an East London membership to wider geographic representation is a promising move
in the right direction. Today, a quick
glance at any interiors magazine is evidence of the strength of designers and
designer-makers who share the Hidden Art bond.
Somebody is doing something
right… Hidden Art also launched its
first social franchise in Cornwall in 2005. “That’s why I
couldn’t talk to you about doing a franchise in Italy
four years ago. We were working on Cornwall then. It took that long to develop the right
model,” she explained. Drawing the
blueprints for Hidden Art’s global expansion takes time, Dieneke says, but she
and her eight-person team are patiently putting the structures in place.
When I met Dieneke at the Hidden Art stand
at 100% Design, like at their stand in Milan, she was
there like a mother watching out for her progeny, satisfaction shining through
a genuine smile. When she speaks of the
work of her members, it’s not brand promotion, she passionately believes in
the work of Hidden Art members (her home is furnished with a lot of it!). Hidden
Art is her lifestyle, and she’s as loyal to it as she is to her own ideas and
goals for where she’d like the organization to go. If you see Dieneke glowing when she talks
about Hidden Art, just try asking her about food… With a world which is growing smaller and more interconnected by the day, my money says Dieneke succeeds at taking Hidden Art global.
 Which
parts of the growth of Hidden Art did you anticipate and which have been beyond your wildest dreams? My aims have always been the same. My vision is to be global. When I started Mazorca I knew that I wanted
to work locally and build on that.
Mazorca means corn in Latin America, where I’ve spent a lot of time working. Corn is used in everything and for
everything, it’s central to the culture.
At first, people didn’t get what I meant, but slowly they started to
catch on: if you want to use local
resources sustainably, they have to be used creatively, and there has to be a
synergy between the local and the global.
So what we’ve done is to create a brand, and we’re developing it. (photo: Inside Hidden Art offices at Shoreditch Stables in East London)
I think you always have a vision but you
don’t envision the route. I knew that I
wanted to support small businesses, help them to access markets. I knew that this work should be global. My ideal is to create such a network of
designers that someone, anywhere says “I’ve got a product in mind, I’m
interested in a certain technique to make it…” and they go to the computer,
check into Hidden Art, and can find the maker who can help them. Visions shouldn’t be too easy, I think, and
we’re not there yet. We’ve started in London, and
benefits are growing, demands outside of London have showed
us that. Last year we started out first
social franchise in Cornwall, we launched the e-shop. But
we’re still struggling with getting the right expertise that will enable us to
link the local with the global to create a win-win situation. My goal is to have Hidden Arts in St. Petersburg, Bucharest, Hanoi... It may seem easy, but we have to find the
right model to get us there. (Ella Doran Table Mats, Vintage Plates)
When
people think of “designer-makers” in London, they think of East London. Could Hidden Art have flourished in another
neighborhood, say Notting Hill? How has
your borough contributed to the strength of the development of Hidden Art and
in what ways? When I first moved to London in the mid
80s, I lived on Harrow Road in Notting Hill. It’s less
multicultural than East London which is industry based with a lot of warehouses, production, and a
supply network. The simple answer is
no. It could have probably only
flourished in East London. There is so much to
discover there. Really though, I think
it’s fate. I ended up there and I loved
it, like the other designer-makers do.
You have the history of Brick Lane and
its textiles, Clerkenwell road’s jewelry making… Making is
so important to East London. If you look around and see
the statues in East London they are all of people who made things.
 The
e-shop has been a successful endeavour for Hidden Art and something one of your
members referred to as “closing the circle”—where Hidden Art now helps artists
develop and helps them sell
products. What other elements do you
feel are still needed in order to render Hidden Art an even more powerful
affiliation for both designers and sponsors?
What are you working toward?
I think that’s right. We are closing the supply chain.
We need to do more work on professional
development and acquiring skills. The
plan for the Olympics is to capacity build.
Some people involved in that may not make it but we have to try. We also need to help our designer-makers get
more business skills, for example follow-up on contacts. They need to know that it’s not enough just
to set up a stand, have your product there and just sit. There’s more to it. There’s interaction with the visitors,
there’s promoting the product. We need
to work at making the sector more professional, and we need to get more serious
sponsorship, find more money. (Photo: James the Doorman by Black+Blum, a top seller in the Hidden Art e-Shop).
What
is the most difficult challenge you face daily in your work?
Finding the time to address challenges and
take advantage of opportunities. One of
my jobs is line managing three teams.
The other is developing ideas.
Then there are interviews like this one or with
the Evening Standard where they came to my apartment. It took two days to do, and I have to fit all
of that in as well. It’s a challenge to
find the balance between everything, although it is definitely easier for me to
prioritize now than it has been in the past.
Which
aspects of Hidden Arts will you never tire of?
The surprise! You never know what’s going to happen next. So many lovely things happen, it’s really
wonderful.
 What
changes have you noticed in your membership over the years? To what do you think these changes can be
attributed? What about the design field
in general—how has it changed?
Younger people coming from college are much
more multifaceted. Their design
capabilities can be graphic or computer-based, or from any number of
disciplines. This is probably due to
accessibility of new technologies. Our
membership is changing among the three categories we support—designer-makers
who produce hand-made items (not mass production), those who design and
sub-contract out the making of the design into a product for small production
not mass market, and those who develop and make a new design and then find a producer. When we started there were more members in
the first category and now we are seeing a move from that category to the
second, sub-contractors. (Right: Large Table Mats, Vintage Plates decor, by Ella Doran)
Our network is growing. The Hidden Art Membership scheme was launched
in 2000 to go beyond east London, but due to funding restrictions benefits could only cover members
from East London. Last year (2005) we were
able to offer benefits to all of London, and we’ve piloted a UK and
International membership category, as well as developing a ‘Manufacturer’
category which includes retailers and suppliers.
In the design field in general, trends come
and go. Right now you see this baroque
and modern combination which has created a really eclectic market. When we started out though, English tastes
weren’t in contemporary design. Now this
is more accepted. These trends and items
are selected. Sometimes Hidden Art
members are trendsetters, sometimes not.
You just kind of fall into it.
What
impact do you think Hidden Art has had on London as one of the leading
design capitals of the world? We were the first in 1992 talking about East London having the highest
number of designer-makers in Europe. And we were certainly
trendsetters in this regard, and after a while people started to talk about
those numbers and that statistic. We’ve
contributed to making design visible.
 Time
Capsule: Which three objects would you
put in a time capsule today (spanning the life of Hidden Art) which say the
most about Hidden Art and the times we live in?
A vase by Karen Bunting . She was the person who
suggested the idea of Hidden Art Open Studios. (Right)
Place mats by Ella Doran . She makes them herself and
then subcontracts the production.
James the Door Man by Black + Blum. They design their products
and have them made and are one of our best sellers on the e-shop.
These three items could be from any other
designer in the three categories of members, but I really feel that these three
exemplify what Hidden Art is all about.
What
motivates you?
Seeing our designer makers being successful,
selling well in the market place, and knowing that you contributed to that
growth. It all goes back to mazorca.
If
you had to do it all over again…
Haha!
If I knew then what I know now and could do it all over again? Really, I am very happy. Everything needs time. You need structures to get where I’d like to
take Hidden Art, and we’re building those.
We may not get there, but we’re working toward it.
 What
food/dessert best describes your design style?
What was it five years ago? What
would you like for it to be in five years? A gourmet mix. (Big smile, bigger than the one in her picture!) This is very Dutch. It’s essentially a big mix of food laid out
on the table allowing people to choose and mix what they want. I’m really a big food person. This has been my style in the past, and I’d
still like for my style to be this way in five years.
The
first thing you notice in a restaurant.
Atmosphere and décor. You can have a restaurant with nice décor,
but if no one’s there you don’t go in to eat.
And vice versa.
Eating
what food brings back the best memories?
Tacos in Mexico. (Twinkle in her eye!)
The
last piece of art you fell in love with.
Chris Duffy’s Glo chandelier in our e-shop.
The
first piece of furniture you bought for your home.
A sofa.
The Edwina Sofa from Wawa . It’s
very large and my flat isn’t that big.
It took forever to get it into my flat, but it was worth it.
No
home is complete without…
A kitchen.
It’s the heart of the home.
You’ll
always pick up a magazine if _____________________ is on the cover?
A product from a Hidden Art member.
You’re
most proud of your collection of…
Frogs!
One
thing you always bring with you when you travel.
My camera.
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