Sheena Holland, the artist behind Nottingham Night Market kindly agreed to speak to me about this concept coming to the Lace Market. On 7th July, the majority of the Lace Market will be supporting independent artists, makers, food producers etc and will form one huge Night Market. This is the second time that the Night Market has been based in Nottingham, and I wanted to discover more!?
1. Tell us a bit about yourself and your background as an artist?
I was born in Camden, London and in my teens I worked
for the fashion designer Katharine Hamnett in the late 1980's at Katharine's
design studios as the design room assistant, working on sourcing and preparing
fabrics for the catwalks. Katharine's designs and fabrics at the time were a
statement both politically and creatively which influenced me. The fact
that she used British made fabrics and British woollen designers plus natural
non synthetic materials for her clothes greatly impacted my thinking and
future designs. From 1990 until 2003, I went on to design large floral, wire
and concrete sculptures in London. Whilst working for corporate florists she
freelanced for private clients and one off events like The Queen Mother's 100th
Birthday celebration, Elton John's 54th birthday at The Ritz, Michael Jacksons
'World' tour, Jeffrey Archers London and country homes, Films: The Mummy and
Sense and Sensibility. Then, I started making one off Vintage feather and leather
headbands in 2005 and was the first designer to create the feather 'side
tiara'. I now creates headbands, bridal tiaras, jewellery and hats made from
vintage materials using re-worked leather, antique, vintage jewellery and
feathers combining fashion, shapes and colours from my training with Hamnetts
and floristry. My designs have sold to many people, clients include singers
Pink, Lily Allen and comedian Alan Carr.
2. Who/what are your biggest inspirations when it comes to
your creative work?
3. You've had some amazing celebrities wear your work - if
you could pick one person to wear your designs who would it be?
Vivienne westwood, without a doubt!
4. Why did you start to introduce night markets?
I started because I had a shop on the
cathedral quarter of Derby and the area had struggled with the new westfield being
built over the other side of town, which meant that the old part of town had
less footfall. I thought I would start a small market and as there was a
courtyard outside my shop I decided to run it there. Once starting it, I realised lots of people loved markets and so I thought about a night market,
and ran one in November in 2014 and 7,500 came to it with 52 stalls. I then
decided another might be fun....and so on. This will be my 7th night
market.
5. What made you bring the night markets to Nottingham?
I had originally wanted my shop in
Nottingham and what with applying for a shop on St. Mary’s Gate it never came
about as the landlord stalled me for too long so I resorted to Derby, but I had
always wanted to do work in the Lace Market but had never managed to achieve
it.
6. What does the future hold for the night markets, do you
plan to move to other cities?
Well, having brought the night market to
Nottingham, I am now applying to other cities and towns with the recent
possibility of it being accepted in a town in Derbyshire.
7. Have you got any other creative plans up your sleeve?
So, in or around Nottingham on the 7th July?? Pop down to the Lace Market and see what the Night Market has to offer! (The images from previous years in Derby look pretty impressive!)
To find out more about Sheena's creative work, visit: http://www.sheenaholland.com/index.htm
Photo Credit - Sheena Holland (all photos from Derby Night Market)
