Handmade kitsch Christmas decorations, accessories and homeware by Clair Mckinney-Williams of What's Up Birdie? staged as a nostalgic front room.
Merry Kitschmas returns to Colonnade House this November, running from the 24th to the 29th. It's the work of Clair Mckinney-Williams, a footwear and accessory designer, maker and artist who trades as What's Up Birdie?, and she's the one behind every piece on display.
The whole thing is a bit of a family tribute. Clair draws on her grandparents' over-the-top kitsch decor and the 1940s and 50s Hollywood musicals she watched with her glamorous Nan. She hand-makes the decorations, accessories and homewares that fill the space, and stages them as a celebration of colourful, kitsch Christmas decor. The result is a cosy front room of nostalgic, vintage-feel creations — the kind of things that look like they've come from a very specific, very enthusiastic kind of mid-century living room.
Because she's a designer and maker as well as an artist, the focus is on the making: the handmade decorations, the accessories, and the homewares. It's less of a gallery show and more of a curated room, and since it's all her own work, you're seeing it exactly as she intended. If you've got a soft spot for the sort of kitsch that feels like a fond memory of someone's house from sixty years ago, this is right up that alley.
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It runs from Tuesday 24 November through to Saturday 29 November, open 10am to 5pm each day, at Colonnade House, 47 Warwick St, Worthing BN11 3DH. That's six days to drop in whenever suits you best.
