Each quarter, we introduce you to the makers and awardees who have taken up studios spaces over the last few months in our NEW FACES Journal series. 6 new makers joined the Cockpit community between January to March in 2025.
Here are the NEW FACES you need to know about as we head into a new year! Be sure to check out their maker profiles, subscribe to their mailing lists, and follow them on social media.
Michael Edgeworth joined Cockpit on the 2025 Arts Society GLA Bursary. Michael is a classical guitar maker who has dedicated himself to perfecting every aspect of his craft, with a particular focus on sound. His designs are shaped by continuous feedback from industry professionals and an ongoing commitment to listening and refining his work. Learning through practice and exchanging ideas are essential elements of Michael’s approach. With over a decade of experience honing his technique, he has continuously refined his craft.
Randon Burns
Randon Burns joined Cockpit on the 2025 Turners’ Award. Randon works primarily in turned wood, to which he applies additional skills in carving and metalsmithing. He turns toys and collectible objects, such as spinning tops, jump rope handles and jigsaw puzzle pieces, and practical household objects like wine coasters, ring holders and kitchen utensils, bringing a sense of joy and whimsy to each piece.
Ruaidhri Ryan is an artist working with mosaic, film and fresco. His practice explores the dissonance between expectation and reality, responding to cinematic history, advertising tropes and visual culture. Drawing on his background in the film industry, Ruaidhri creates playful, still-life artworks that invite viewers to pause and reflect on the humour and value in everyday objects, offering a cartoonish commentary on human progress.
Shannon Lee joined Cockpit on the 2025 Haberdashers’ Award. Shannon is a knitwear designer specialising in fabric swatches, custom knits and knitted accessories. Her practice prioritises zero waste techniques, working almost exclusively with deadstock and waste yarns. Passionate about making craft more accessible, Shannon’s knitted pieces include neckties, bandanas and bags, as well as hand knit patterns to accompany her products.
Sofía Barbé joined Cockpit on the 2025 Newby Trust Award. Sofía is a Uruguayan textile artist and maker based in London. Her playful, often wall based, pieces explore a variety of natural materials and fibres, including coconut coir, raffia, wool and flax. Her practice explores visual expression and craft through the technique of needle felting, creating soft pieces inspired by themes such as nature, childhood memories, daily life and play. Her joyful works evoke vivid emotions, encouraging us to smile and reconnect with our inner child and the visual world.
Interdisciplinary artist Ted Tinkler joined Cockpit on the 2025 Newby Trust Award. Their practice centres around tactile handcrafts, such as lace knitting and wool spinning, and plays with ideas of intimacy, liveliness, fluidity, transness, and care. Ted’s knitted lace is rooted in the traditional Shetland lace tradition, archives, storytelling and a connection to the land, working with both traditional patterns alongside self-designed ones.
Theo Brooks
Theo Brooks joined Cockpit on the 2025 Glass Sellers’ Bursary. Theo is a British-Cypriot glassmaker whose work combines hot sculpted and blown glass elements, that are then cold worked through lathe cutting, engraving and sandblasting to produce glass sculptures. He explores personal identity in his work, studying ancient Cypriot objects and reinventing them into a contemporary glass context.
Read our NEW FACES Journal series here.
Explore the complete directory of Cockpit makers here.
