The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, DevonSaturday 20 September – Sunday 2 November 2008
A major survey exhibition of contemporary UK enamelling
Featuring work by Kathryn Adamson, Stephen Bottomley, Helen Carnac, Beate Gegenwart, Grace Girvan, Rachel Gogerley, John Grayson, Joan Mackarell, Jilly Morris, Zsuzsi Morrison, Liana Pattihis, Kimberley Scott, Ed Silverton, Jessica Turrell, Tamar de vries Winter.
Playing with Fire is a collaborative exhibition developed by The Devon Guild of Craftsmen with the University of the West of England (UWE) and the British Society of Enamellers which will tour nationally during 2008/9.
Enamel, in its most basic terms, is ground coloured glass that is fired, in a kiln, on to a base of gold, silver, copper, steel, stainless steel and aluminum. It is a medium that can produce a vast range of objects and art forms, from the finest exquisite pieces of jewellery to large scale work for walls or spaces. The quality of colour is unique and there are no limits to content or imagery. Some techniques require the highest level of skill but very simple enamelling processes can produce fascinating results. Perhaps best known to the public through the work of jewellers such as Faberge, Cartier, Tiffany and Lalique, enamel is also a medium for large scale work. Liquid enamels, such as those used in industrial applications, can take enamelling into the world of public art and contemporary fine art. Playing With Fire contains exhibits spanning the full extent of this potential.
The challenge for each exhibitor is to show pieces that take their previous work into new territories. The makers have been selected from an open competition selected by a jury (see below for details)*. The resulting exhibition is a mixture of established and emerging makers, working in traditional and contemporary applications, at the cutting edge of their fields.
Playing With Fire shows off the wealth of existing enamelling talent in the UK and stimulates new approaches to the medium from professionals and new makers alike. The project will inform audiences about enamelling as a relevant and contemporary activity that is worth appreciating, preserving and learning.
There will be a full colour catalogue accompanying this exhibition.
Talk by Elizabeth Turrell (Senior Research Fellow, UWE)
Looking at key historical works, the development of mass production and the emergence of enamel as a creative medium for today’s visual artists.
Monday 20 October 6.30pm in The Terrace, The Devon Guild of Craftsmen.
Advance booking on 01626 832223.
Tour Schedule
The Devon Guild of Craftsmen (20 Sept – 8 Nov 2008), Shire Hall Gallery, Stafford (15 Nov 08 – 4 Jan 09), 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe (28 Feb – 9 May 09), Rhyl Arts Centre (6 June – 18 July 09), Bilston Craft Gallery, Wolverhampton (5 Sept – 31 Oct 09), Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum (14 Nov 09 – 10 Jan 2010)
Press:
Full details of artists and a CD of superb images are available on request
Contact Saffron Wynne (Exhibitions Officer) saffron.wynne@crafts.org.uk
or Simon Williams (Marketing Officer) on simon.williams@crafts.org.uk 01626 832223
The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Riverside Mill, Bovey Tracey, TQ13 9AF
01626 832223 www.crafts.org.uk
*The selection jury consisted of Simon Fraser (Director for MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture & Jewellery for Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design) Dorothy Hogg MBE (Artist in Residence at the V&A and until Sept 2007 Head of the Jewellery and Silversmithing Department at Edinburgh College of Art) Evangeline Long (an award winning maker of international standing) and Elizabeth Turrell (Senior Research Fellow in Enamel, University of the West of England).