Frost is a seasonal shopping experience which opened in Dublin city centre this week. Keeva Tyrrell reports on the latest Christmas addition to the capital’s streets.
Located on the ground floor of the Fumbally Exchange on Dame Lane, the shop will run from 23rd November until the 21st December. The collaborative craft shop features more than twenty of Ireland’s finest designers, craftspeople, and artists.
George Boyle, founder of the Fumbally Exchange, said: “It’s incredible to see the talent and vision that has gone into creating these beautiful gifts. The crafts and products on offer in Frost come from true artists. It’s a great opportunity to find something different, something that will bring a smile to the faces of eager gift-getters.”
Frost is a collaborative shop originating from the ethos of the Fumbally Exchange, a creative community that believes the most extraordinary and powerful works of art, design and innovation can be realised through working together.
“This is the first time we’re running our own Pop Up shop, but we’ve frequently run our own exhibitions in our Pop Up space featuring the works of artists and designers from our community. These included exhibitions such as Elemental, Transformation, Play, amongst others,” said Sam Whelan-Curtin, Director of Fumbally Exchange.
Fumbally Exhange has been in Dame Lane for over four years.
“Last summer, we were reflecting on the success of so many of these, and thought it would be great to bring together a collective of designers, artists, craftspeople from within and outside our community who could together be able to bring this shop to realisation,” said Mr Whelan.
The shop is host to a wide range of Irish products and features original work that is being created in Ireland at the moment.
Illustrator Melissa Doran’s Naturama illustration and limited framed prints will be on sale in the shop along with work from other artists and creators.
Speaking about the event, she said she was contacted by Oisin MacManus, the interior designer who designed the interiors for Teelings Whiskey Distillery in Dublin 8.
“She asked if anyone would be interested in being involved in a Christmas shop and we all said yes. It’s really nice and obviously she’s great at design so it’s real cool and all white and is like a gallery experience so it’s really relaxing to walk into.”
Doran is an illustrator based in Dublin with a passion for wildlife. The illustrations depict scenes of Irish wildlife, and are created with a combination of hand drawing and digital collage.
After doing some work for the Irish Wildlife Trust, she then got the opportunity to illustrate Naturama, a popular Irish wildlife book for children, written by Michael Fewer.
“They (Irish Wildlife Trust) have a children’s magazine that they give out along with their regular magazine and I did two posters there and the publishers saw that work and really liked it and they had been speaking to Michael Fewer about maybe making a nature series out of it and he liked it.”
Ms Doran said her website Go Radiate started while she was helping small business get themselves online.
“When the business started out I wasn’t doing illustration. I was doing websites and social media like short promo videos to get the businesses set up online and get the promoted. Go Radiate is a catchy, positive phrase and the idea was that the business could get set up with me then they could go off on their own and their online presence would radiate and get them lots of attention,” said Ms Doran.
Fumbally Exchange is a not-for-profit movement of creative and innovative professionals who share co-working spaces. Having been in Fumbally Exchange for four years, she is now an associate member.
“It’s brilliant. I went in when I was about one month into business and it was so good; everyone was very experienced and knew a lot more about running their own business. I didn’t know anyone who had ran their own business so the concept was alien to me, so it was nice to be around people in the same boat,” said Ms Doran. The movement focuses on small businesses, sole traders and start-ups.
List of Participants at the Fumbally Exchange Frost Experience:
Pawel Jasinski – Wooden Accessories and Hand Crafter works
Alison McEvoy – Children’s Organic Clothing
Ana Paula Sampaio (Anatomia Design) – Silkscreen T-Shirts
Jenny Huston (Edge Only) – Men & Women’s Contemporary Jewellery
Jette Virdi – Irish linen handprinted bed throws and bath towels, bowls, chopping boards and beeswax candles
Filip Vanas – Core Range of Jewellery and Bespoke Children’s Art Collection
Sara Murphy Saram – Wooden Boards
Ali @ Mantra Incausa – Bespoke Incense
Kasia Eska-Grajek Jewellery
Claire Prouvost – Digitally Illustrated and Hand drawn Prints
Melissa Doran (Go Radiate) – Framed Limited Edition Prints
Gareth Jones – Digitally Illustrated Prints
Myles Shelly – Photographic Prints
Natalie Cassidy – Illustrated Prints
Olivia Golden – Prints
Kate O Moore – Illustrated Christmas Cards
Helen McCormack – Prints
Graham Thew – Printed Media
Alison Hackett – Visual Time Traveller Books and Prints
Sybil Cope – Animal Etchings