AN eco chic artist has seen her work go on display in the Big Apple, representing the very best of British.

Recycled hand-hooked bags, created by celebrated designer Eyv Hardwick, of Stockton, have taken pride of place alongside artworks by Damien Hirst, David Hockney and Tracey Emin at the British Consulate in New York City.

The exhibition, which features Eyv’s floral check shopper bag and flower arrangement handy bag, has been staged by The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, to showcase the best examples of Great British contemporary art.

“To be selected for an elite arts show among the likes of professionals such as Hirst, Hockney and Emin is a huge honour,” says Eyv, 40, a programme leader for the BA Hons Applied Arts for Enterprise course at Cleveland College of Art & Design, Hartlepool.

“I made the bags in 1999 and they were bought by the British Council collection some years ago. To know they are considered contemporary really does fulfil the dream of when they were created.”

Eyv’s pioneering designs, fashioned from reclaimed plastic bags, still sell around the world to top end department stores, celebrities, pop stars and royalty.

“When I started creating products the use of materials and the technique of hand-hooking was key,”

Eyv adds. “One of my main aims was to raise the profile of what was originally considered a pauper’s craft into something that would be taken seriously and become highend luxury items. This exhibition has put this aim into reality and having the work displayed among such high calibre exhibits is an honour.”

Starting her own design business age 22, making hand-hooked recycled rugs from her student digs, Eyv studied at Cleveland College of Art & Design, where she now tutors students looking to start their own businesses as designer-makers.

“Students gain their inspiration and knowledge from everywhere, but to see the staff at CCAD carrying out their own practice in addition to their educational careers is vitally important,” says Eyv.

“Creative people need to create, therefore juggling the balance between creative practice, educational practice and work-life balance should be inspirational.”

A photograph of Eyv’s work, in a British Council publication produced to accompany the exhibition, will also be available to visitors at the consulate, on Third Avenue, New York.

“I always wanted the products to be functional yet attractive,” adds Eyv. “I consider them more as items to use than artworks, but I love that they cross the boundaries.

They take a long time to make, so I am pleased they are getting the respect of the glass cabinet that they deserve.”