TALK : Collectible Craft: who decides?

Join us for a fascinating panel discussion coinciding with ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection launch at Ladbroke Hall ISHKAR is delighted to host an evening of conversation at Ladbroke Hall as part of its 10 year anniversary collection launch. When does a functional, handmade object become a collectible one — and who decides? This conversation draws on our panelists’ respective experiences across design, gallery, and craft to explore the point where the line between design and art starts to dissolve: what changes when a piece carries a named maker's signature, how provenance and story shape value, and what that shift means for the makers behind the work. We are delighted to be joined by Bidisha Sinha, Associate Director at ZHA, and Alexandra Yasmina Roy, Head of Sale for the Modern & Contemporary Middle East sales at Sotheby's London, chaired by Lucy Upward, Editor of COVER magazine and Senior Editor of HALI magazine. Attendees will be able to preview ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection, featuring an exclusive collection of 10 rugs by contemporary artists and designers, handmade by female weavers in Afghanistan. Exploring the theme of “Togetherness”, each rug is a celebration of connection—across borders, cultures, and creative practices, with participation from Louis Barthélemy, David/Nicolas, Farshid Moussavi, Zaha Hadid Architects, Cassi Namoda, Lulu Lytle (Soane Britain), and more. -- Bidisha Sinha is Associate Director at ZHA, a British architecture and design firm founded by renowned architect Zaha Hadid (1950–2016). The firm works at all scales and in all sectors, creating transformative, cultural, corporate, residential and other spaces that work in synchronicity with their surroundings. 950 projects, 44 countries, 400 staff, 55 nations. ZHA continue to design a brighter future through research and innovation. Alexandra Yasmina Roy joined Sotheby’s in 2011. In January 2022, Alexandra became Head of Sale for the Modern & Contemporary Middle East sales which focus on both the modern and contemporary masters of the 20th and 21st centuries with ties to the regions encapsulating the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, Iran, and Turkey. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, she studied Art History in both the United States and London, earning a BA Hons degree from Wellesley College and an MA in Byzantine Art and its interaction with Islamic Empires from the Courtauld Institute of Art. Edmund Le Brun is the co-founder of ISHKAR. Lucy Upward is Editor of COVER magazine and Senior Editor of HALI, the world's foremost publication on antique and decorative carpet, textile art and Islamic art, published quarterly since 1978. -- DETAILS: 📅 Date: Friday 6th of November ⏰ Time: 11am - 12:30pm, talk starting at 11:30am 🏢 Venue: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road, Notting Hill, W10 6AZ 🎟️ Admission: £5, refreshments included -- This talk is hosted as part of ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection launch at Ladbroke Hall, featuring an exclusive collection of 10 rugs by contemporary artists and designers. The exhibition is open to the public on November 6th and 7th. More information can be found here.