- The GSA’s Silversmithing & Jewellery Artists in Residence to show work in Flourish, an exhibition that will be staged in Scotland and Australia
- Scotland: 26 April – 4 May 2019; Australia: 3 September – 5 October 2019
The Glasgow School of Art’s 2018-19 Silversmithing & Jewellery Artists in Residence are to have two exhibitions showcasing their work in the coming months, one in Scotland and one in Australia.
From 26 April – 4 May 2019 people will be able to see the work of the seven talented jewellers and silversmiths in the Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, in an exhibition hosted by ‘Welcome Home’. Throughout the exhibition there will be “meet the artists sessions” which will help them to test and listen to how their work resonates within the city where it was conceived and created.
From 3 September to 5 October 2019 the work will then be shown in Melbourne, Australia in an exhibition hosted by Craft Victoria in conjunction with the Radiant Pavilion Contemporary Jewellery Week 2019.
Images:
Top row – designs by Andrew Fleming and Ailsa Morrant; second row designs by Adrienn Pesti and Astrid Jaroslawsky; third row designs by Rachel Hardie and Caitlin Hegney; bottom row design by Michelle Stewart
Each year the GSA offers international Silversmithing & Jewellery graduates the opportunity to spend a year as Artists in Residence helping them to refine their practice and develop technical skills in a creative environment without the constraints of set course work or timetable. This year’s groups of seven designers come from Scotland, Europe and Australia. Working independently, the diverse group has also found a commonality.
In the shifting milieu of Scotland’s largest city, each artist had a clear focus in mind and a personal direction to navigate, bringing their own experiences and perspectives to the residency. These ranged from a deep ancestral belonging in the Glasgow arts, to the comfortable familiarity of an adopted home or to experiencing the old city through fresh eyes. Each of the artists has a way of interpreting this place that echoes the ingenuity of the Scots.
With daily visual clues from a city that boasts an architectural tenacity of the ages and a cultural undercurrent of resilience, humour, strength of character and generosity that permeates all; how could the artists help but infuse these characteristics in their work.
The seven 2018-19 Artists in Residence are: Andrew Fleming (Scotland), Rachel Hardie (Scotland), Caitlin Hegney (Scotland), Astrid Jaroslawsky (Germany), Ailsa Morrant (Scotland), Adrienn Pesti (Hungary) and Michelle Stewart (Australia).
Ends
For further information, images and interviews contact:
Lesley Booth,
07799414474
press@gsa.ac.uk
Notes for Editors
Andrew Fleming is a recent graduate of the Glasgow School of Art . Andrew is exploring the subject of silversmithing in its relationship to the built environment.
Having studied architecture, he is fascinated by the construction processes within architecture.
Temporary structures such as scaffolding and formers inspire his process. In his research he has been concentrating on table ware and vessels and how silverware today can best function the needs of its contemporary user. Focusing on linear forms and using a mix of precious and non-precious metals such as steel, he creates fascinating contemporary pieces.
As a maker Rachel Hardie enjoys combining her love of drawing and metalwork skills to create sketch-like objects inspired by the architectural quirks of her hometown of Glasgow, paying particular homage to the chimneys which sleep above the city. Through her practice she likes to use both precious and non-precious metal as she is intrigued by their contrasting colours which she further explores through heat patination and oxidisation. Imperfection is also embraced by intentionally exposing solder joins and highlighting marks born from the making process.
Caitlin Hegneyis a Scottish Artist and Jeweller exploring the enigmatic qualities of heritage. She is currently fascinated by the history of the colour blue. The processes that Caitlin uses are meditative and rhythmical; chasing in metal, carving into wood and crushing stone. Caitlin’s practice simultaneously celebrates and subverts traditional techniques, energising and engaging with ancient processes. ‘‘I visualise myself as a collector and researcher. Making jewellery is the medium which allows me to combine my fascinations surrounding anthropology and materiality.”
Astrid Jaroslawskyis a Scottish based goldsmith and jewellery designer from Germany. She graduated in 2014 from ‘’Der staatlichen Zeichenakadmie Hanau“ as a goldsmith and graduated in 2018 from the Glasgow School of Art with a BA (Hons) in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design.
Astrid´s work explores jewellery as mnemonic pieces. Throughout a varied material palette and her fascination with material textures, her work explores heritage and materials sentimental, as well as intrinsic value. “I believe that jewellery through its private relationship to ourselves can act as mementoes which speak of memories, places, experiences and people.”
Ailsa Morrant catches and celebrates fleeting, instinctive, subconscious moments of connection with ourselves and others; not big moments, rather transient, everyday ones that are often over before we are even aware they were happening. Being mindful of the ones we often rush past can give us happiness, contentment and resilience. In an age when jewellery for many has predominantly become an expression of materialism, Ailsa makes every day, ordinary moments visible and wearable. Quietly activist, by using everyday materiality from our environment, Ailsa explores jewellery’s primordial role and value in society as a means of self- expression and mindfulness.
Adrienn Pesti is interested in social alienations expressed through stereotypes, prejudices and is
enthused by creating possibilities of how to overcome these judgements. Inspiration lies in creating platforms for people from all walks of life, investing their relationships with fellow humans and their environment. She is interested in how jewellery can function as an object to prompt social interactions. Her work reverts us to an almost childlike curiosity. The bright colours and unique textures appeal to the senses, traits that all humans share. Her current project nurtures her conceptthrough contemporary industrial enamelling, structural silver work and 3D printed nylon.
MichelleStewart completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art at RMIT University, Melbourne, in 2017.
Spending a year as an Artist in Residence at the Glasgow School of Art has driven Michelle to
investigate the stimulus of materiality in a closer context. With a concentrated focus on site
specificity, Michelle continues to explore ideas surrounding connection to place. She is
intrigued by the way an object, material or site can emit a power and create connections between
people, whether it is a sentimental reverence, a shared experience or a faint recollection of
familiarity that a material can illicit when handled.