Cockpit at Collect 2026

The leading international fair for contemporary craft and design returns to Somerset House this spring. From 26 February–1 March, collectors and craft lovers will have the chance to see extraordinary works by over 300 makers at the pinnacle of craft artistry.

More than a dozen Cockpit makers will be represented at this year’s art fair, both as exhibitors and as part of the talks programme. There is truly something for everyone, from intricate textiles and fine jewellery to ceramics that blur the boundaries of reality.

Lead image: Jihyun Kim. Photo by Karin Taylor and Chris Rands.

We’re thrilled that four out of the eleven artists selected for this year’s Collect Open are Cockpit makers.

Collect Open is the fair’s platform for pioneering craft-led installations by individual artists. Chosen for their ambitious nature, these projects showcase makers taking their creative practices to the next level and challenging material, social, political, or personal perceptions.

Among the selected makers is ceramicist Oriel Zinaburg who will be showing a site-specific installation titled ‘HEARTH’ that responds directly to the Grade I listed marble fireplaces in Somerset House’s East Wing.

Oriel’s unique ceramic practice is influenced by his training in architecture and an ongoing curiosity about the strange and the sublime. Letting distortion and spontaneity guide the making process,  the bold, organic forms he creates come to life and sit somewhere between the grotesque and the surreal.⁠

Image: Oriel Zinaburg, ‘COL#101’.

Nature lovers will not want to miss Ella Merriman, who’s bringing the endangered craft of rush weaving to Collect Open, encouraging us to rethink our connection to the natural world. Working predominantly in rush, a traditional basket weaving material, Ella describes her pieces as ‘love letters to Mother nature ’.

For Collect Open, she presents her most ambitious work to date, using basketry techniques to elevate everyday household and found objects. Through experimental and expressive forms, the work explores revival and reinvention, pushing rush weaving beyond function into more conceptual and decorative territory.⁠

Image: Ella Merriman, ‘Bounty’.

This year also marks the launch of the Collect Open bursaries which support UK-based artists from global majority backgrounds. We’re thrilled that two out of the three awards were snapped up by Cockpit makers Jihyun Kim and Kamilah Ahmed.

Jihyun Kim is a South Korean ceramic artist whose fungi-inspired creations blend tradition with enchantment. For Collect Open, she’s introducing new mediums into her practice.

Having recently trained in lampworking, Jihyun will present a new body of work combining her signature ceramic forms with colourful glass beads, adding an extra layer of whimsy to her craft.⁠

Image: Jihyun Kim, new collection piece. Photo by Karin Taylor and Chris Rands.

And finally, Kamilah Ahmed – a British Bangladeshi textile artist specialising in material innovation and surface design. Inspired by heritage techniques such as Jamdani weaving and Ari hook embroidery, she blends hand and digital processes to create detailed contemporary textile surfaces.⁠

For Collect Open 2026, she’ll present ‘The Life Above’, a suspended textile installation inspired by Dhaka’s layered urban landscape. The work draws on Jamdani tradition to honour local weavers and explore the contrasts between delicacy and strength.

Kamilah will also be speaking as part of Craft Reimagined: Women Innovators in Process, Purpose & Form – an open discussion examining how women designers and makers are innovating traditional craftsmanship through the exploration of process, perceptions, and bold material juxtapositions.

Image: Kamilah Ahmed, ‘Rhythm of Pride’. Photo by Clara Setian.

Cockpit’s presence at the fair doesn’t end at Collect Open. There are plenty more brilliant makers to discover across Collect, from Majeda Clarke presenting her largest work to date, to Ho Lai showing ceramics created during a residency in the Netherlands, to Jacqueline Cullen unveiling a new frost-inspired jewellery collection.

Be sure to leave yourself enough time to explore the work of all of 16 Cockpit makers – you can browse the full line-up on our What’s On page.

Image: Majeda Clarke.

See the full Collect programme and get your tickets here.