| At
Table, Part II: Contemporary Tableware in Metalwork and Silver
11
November - 31 December 2008
Blackwell’s
exhibition programme for 2008 closes with a selling exhibition of
contemporary tableware, At Table, Part II, the counterpart to the
highly successful At Table, Part I.
At Table,
Part II showcases tableware in metalwork and silver. Nine designer-silversmiths
have been selected to participate, bringing together makers from
England, Scotland, Wales, Germany and Denmark. Maike Dahl, like
the other makers, believes that ‘the most precious thing about
silver is to use it’, and it is in the sheer breadth of designs
and approaches to creating functional pieces that the exhibition’s
appeal lies.
The
exhibitors:
Maike Dahl’s aim is to bring silver back
into our daily lives by making silverware that is both easy to handle
and dishwasher-safe. Maike’s tableware is adaptable to modes
of modern living and is focused on the `take-away’ generation:
mobile, responsive and independent.
Sidsel
Dorph-Jensen uses traditional silversmithing techniques
in an untraditional way: ‘I create objects that show the
malleability and organic nature of silver.’
Eileen
Gatt is fascinated by ancient myths and customs and uses
these as a starting point when designing her silverware. She aims
to create pieces that portray an element of fantasy which in turn
bring these ancient myths into our modern world.
Grant
McCaig is one of Scotland’s leading silversmiths.
He is inspired by nature and its effects on the man-made. His work
reflects in particular man’s relationship with the sea in
the shapes he creates, the finishes he achieves and the materials
he selects.
Rauni
Higson’s work is rooted in the cold forging of silver.
‘I enjoy exploring the distortion of metal in 3-Dimensions
to form pieces that are both attractive and functional.’
Victoria
Kershaw produces functional tableware and combines silver
with other materials such as concrete and rubber.
Shimara
Carlow was born in the remote coastal area of West Cork;
a childhood fascination for collecting shells, stones, mermaids
purses’, feathers and pods found along the sea shore has been
the inspiration for her work.
Rebecca
Lawley evolves her forms through sketching and enjoys studying
industrially- made ceramics from the 1940s to the 1960s as a source
of ideas. Many of her handmade shapes grow under the hammer as she
raises a bowl or forges a tapering spoon handle.
Maya
Selway likes the idea that her objects become props in
a domestic, museum or gallery setting. ‘My inspirations
are diverse; nature and architecture, painting and film, personal
memory and literature.’
All
of the pieces on display will be for sale. Arts Council England’s
Own Art scheme which is designed to make
it easy and affordable for everyone to buy contemporary works of
art and craft, will be promoted in the gallery. The Own
Art scheme aims to put the arts at the heart of national
life by encouraging people to live with art they love.
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