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Treasures of the 21st Century - Silver from Goldsmiths' Hall London at Ruthin Craft Centre

January 29th to April 12th, 2010

An exhibition of contemporary silver masterpieces from the renowned collection at Goldsmiths' Hall will be on display at the Ruthin Craft Centre.

Ruthin Craft Centre
Park Road
Ruthin
Denbighshire
LL15 1BB
Tel: 01824 704774

Open daily from 10.00am to 5.30pm
Admission Free

http://www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk/
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The Goldsmith's Company have been kind enough to send us some images of some of the work that will be on display at the exhibition.



Double-sphere silver “cage” vessel by Lucian Taylor, 2009

930 Argentium silver wire, hand welded over a steel former.

The bowl is part of an exploration of alternative methods of creating innovative hollow-ware of a sphere within a sphere. The virtual perfect precision of mesh of a Computer Aided Designed object is recreated here by the use of traditional hand skills, creating an object which reflects its incongruous duality.



Silver fruit bowl by Anna Lorenz, 2009

Hand raised from a Britannia silver grid.

Stamping squares out of a silver blank, the functional bowl is created by raising. This technique distorts the geometric shapes to create a final form which plays with light and shadow, enhanced by the sparkle of the burnished edges.



Deluge Centrepiece, 2009 by Miriam Hanid

Chased, repoussé chased fine silver, formed on wood using wooden hammers to preserve the soft surface quality of the fine silver. Inspired by the imagery of water this silversmith uses the momentary pattern in flowing water as her starting point. This centrepiece evokes the ebb and flow of Atlantic waves breaking on the coast.



Leaping salmon beaker by Fred Rich, 2009

Sterling silver body (hallmarked 2005) applied fine silver, 22 and 18ct gold, enamel.

Leaping salmon is the inspirational starting point. The idea is kept fresh and simple by the sense of fast flowing water through bold graphic lines of applied rectangular wire, burnished to contrast against a carved, matt silver background. Juxtaposed against this, stylised fish are enamelled in relief. Rich encrustation is a new direction in the work of this leading artist enameller.

Trev.

Press release from Goldsmith's Hall regarding the above exhibition:

TREASURES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
An Exhibition of Silver from Goldsmiths’ Hall, London
At Ruthin Craft Centre,
From Friday January 29 to Monday April 12, 2010
ADMISSION FREE


An exhibition of contemporary silver masterpieces from the renowned collection at Goldsmiths’ Hall will be on display at the Ruthin Craft Centre, from January 29 to Monday April 12, 2010.

The exhibition “Treasures of the 21st Century” presents some of the most recent additions to Company’s renowned collection of modern silver.

As one of the country’s leading patrons of modern silver design, the Goldsmiths’ Company has, during the 20th and 21st century, acquired an inspirational collection of innovative and well-crafted silver commissioned or purchased from individual craftsmen.

The exhibition comprises 100 works by 46 different silversmiths all chosen to ambassadors of the craft. Each piece demonstrates originality of design, combined with excellent craftsmanship and reflects the styles and trends of contemporary British silverware.

Particularly exciting are the very latest additions to the Company’s collection which make their public debut at Ruthin. These include a silver beaker exquisitely decorated in enamel with leaping salmon by Fred Rich, one of Britain’s foremost enamellers, and an extraordinary double sphere mesh vessel by Lucian Taylor, a silversmith who is constantly experimenting with new silversmithing techniques.

Examples of silver by two young “rising star” silversmiths are also among the latest acquisitions — an elegant flask by Theresa Nguyen (24), winner of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s young designer Silversmith Award competition in 2005 and a dramatic ‘Deluge’ dish by Miriam Hanid (23).

A number of pieces on display vividly highlight the current direction of innovative studio silver exploring broad concepts. “The meaning of a vessel for example is redefined in how it is used, valued and aesthetically judged” explains Rosemary Ransome Wallis, curator of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s collections.

“Take Linda Robertson’s ‘Variation’ teapot which is inspired by stacking pebbles in a feng shui garden. The insulated lid and ring that separate the outer body from the inner section allow one to hold the teapot using no handle. The complete holding of this round form to pour tea thus physically conveys the spirituality that can be found in ceremonial rituals of tea drinking.”

This fascinating and inspirational capsule exhibition has been designed to provide a new audience with the opportunity to admire remarkable pieces of 21st century silver and to give a greater understanding and appreciation of the work of contemporary designer and artist silversmiths working in Britain today.

Trev.
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