Part of London Craft Week 30 April – 11 July 2019

This London Craft Week, the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London will be celebrating the craft of cutting words onto metal, stone or glass through the exhibition Inscribed: The Craft of Cutting Letters.Working in collaboration with The Hand Engravers Association and The Lettering Arts Trust, the free exhibition will be accompanied by an inspiring and insightful programme of demos, guided walks, tours and workshops.

Presenting a wide selection of artists’ work alongside loans from the Goldsmiths’ Company, Crafts Council and other collections, the exhibition will provide a unique insight into this ancient and evolving skill and the processes used by today’s craftspeople to design, craft and carve text. Over thirty functional, decorative and commemorative objects – from signage and jewellery, to decorative objects – will tell the story of some of the UK’s most skilled craftspeople and how traditional techniques inform their contemporary craft practice. Highlights will include Michael Lloyd’s Dru Drury Bowl (2009), from the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection, Calligraphic, Incisive Letterwork (1993) created by Brenda Berman and Annet Stirling from the Crafts Council Collection and the hand-blown bowl, Net of Gold (2018), by Peter Furlonger, on loan from The Lettering Arts Trust.

From 8^th to 10^th May 2019, a ticketed programme will offer members of the public the chance to step into the shoes of a talented craftsperson and try their hand at making. During an evening demonstration on 8^th May, Master engraver Sam Marsden will show the skill, patience and precision required for an engraver alongside Louise Sorrell, who recently completed her Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship under her tutorage and won the prestigious Theo Fennel Apprentice and Master Award at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards. The Goldsmiths’ Centre will also be reaching out beyond its walls through a unique guided tour on 10^th May through London’s city streets with the City of London Guide, Tony Baxter, which will further unlock the rich heritage of letter cut signage.

Sarah Harrison, Executive Director of the Lettering Arts Trust remarks, “Lettering is frequently invisible and taken for granted, but when lettering is regarded as an art in the hands of designers and craftsmen who care about form and composition it is elevated to a new level that captures the imagination. ‘ Inscribed’ is a marvelous opportunity for the Lettering Arts Trust to collaborate with esteemed partners – the Goldsmiths’ Centre and the Hand Engravers Association during this year’s London Craft Week and into the summer. This exhibition shows not only the remarkable skills, but also the inspiration and creativity of the most accomplished exponents of hand carving, engraving and precious metalwork who revel in inscriptions and turn words and phrases into breathtaking artworks.”

Sally Dodson, Associate Manager of The Hand Engravers Association explains: “It has been a long-held ambition for the Hand Engravers Association to be part of the exciting celebration of creativity that is London Craft Week. We are delighted to be partnering with the Goldsmiths’ Centre who will enable us to show the talented skills of our apprentice and professional hand engravers to a new audience. It is thrilling to work with the Lettering Arts Trust; an organisation who clearly share our passion for supporting and promoting skilled artisans of heritage craft skills in a contemporary context.”

www.goldsmiths-centre.org/whats-on

Free admission | #londoncraftweek

On Friday 8^th March 2019, Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice Sam McMahon employed at Mappin & Webb, was selected to represent the UK at The WorldSkills Finals in, Kazan, Russia in August (22 – 27). Dubbed the ‘Olympics of Skills’, he battled it out in his category to win a spot on the UK team in fine jewellery making, joining more than 30 young professionals from engineering, hospitality, professional services, construction and digital and IT.  

Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentices, Sam McMahon from Mappin & Webb, George Schembri from B&M Bijoux and Robert Dean from The House of Garrard, spent three days in Nottingham demonstrating their exceptional technical skills in jewellery making. Within a temporary workshop and set against a backdrop of Aston Martin cars in the Business, Digital and Creative zone, the apprentices were set the task to create an Aston Martin badge to a specific design, testing their accuracy, time management and problem-solving skills. Sam McMahon proved his mettle against his fellow competitors taking first place.   

Sam McMahon, Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice at Mappin & Webb, explains: “I am so proud to have made the UK team! It has been a long journey of hard work and commitment – from my time on the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Foundation Programme to becoming a Goldsmiths’ Company Apprentice at Mappin & Webb – and I would like to thank everyone that has supported me through the last year and a half; my master, workmates, company, friends and of course the skills training team to get me to the WorldSkills final! I look forward to the challenge ahead.“

Peter Taylor, Director of the Goldsmiths’ Centre: “Congratulations to Sam McMahon for his incredible performance at WorldSkills and the best of luck to him in Kazan! He has proven that talent, maturity and preparation are absolutely key to success and we would like to express our thanks to the Goldsmiths’ Company, a long-standing competion organising partner of WorldSkills, his Master at Mappin & Webb and our skills training team at the Goldsmiths’ Centre for their time helping him to preprare for this tough competition.” 

WorldSkills, the UK’s largest skills, apprenticeships and careers event, is the ultimate competition for the next generation of skilled professionals – demonstrating their problem-solving skills, time management and ability to deal with the pressure of making in front of a live audience and judging panel on a world stage. The Goldsmiths’ Company has been a long-standing competition organising partner of WorldSkills and the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Scheme is today administered by the Goldsmiths’ Centre. The event, which takes place every two years, will be shown live on TV and streamed around the World (including the UK) – and change the lives and careers of those that compete.

This spring the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London announces its new programme of monthly Creative Links talks for 2019, headlining the cult jewellery brand, Tatty Devine. Celebrating 20 years, Harriet Devine MBE will reveal during the evening talk Tatty Devine at Twenty on 25^th July how two friends, who had just finished art school, became the creators of a new cult item: colourful laser-cut plastic jewellery and since have grown a flourishing creative business.

Open to those joining the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s free Link membership, the Creative Links evening talk series sees a stellar line-up of invited expert speakers throughout the year, with the shared aim to fuel the inspiration and creative spark of those working in the jewellery and silversmithing industry. In 2019’s programme, the Goldsmiths’ Centre welcomes Rachel Taylor from the Jewellery Cut on 14^th March as she is joined in debate by leading voices on the Future of Men’s Jewellery, including Fiona Deffenbaugh, owner and design at Black Peral London, designer-maker Castro Smith, Darrell Granton, Head of Wholesale for UK and Ireland at Thomas Sabo, and Simon Fraser, Course and Subject Leader for Jewellery at Central Saint Martins.

The talk series continues with Urban Goldrush on 11^th April 2019 as Sandra Wilson of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, part of the University of Dundee, presents her recent research on recovering precious metals from electronic waste. Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) such as mobile phones and computer circuit boards is the fastest growing waste stream in the EU and by 2020 it is expected to reach 12 million tons a year. In 2012 it was estimated that only 10-15% of the gold in e-waste is being recovered. Working as an artist in residence with the Love Chemistry Laboratory at Edinburgh University where they have developed a greener method of metal recovery, Sandra has been using a hydro-metallurgy ligund that specifically targets gold, initiating a potential urban gold rush.

From scientific collaboration to creative collaboration; Caroline Broadhead, artist, maker and tutor, will share her extensive experience on 27^th June at the talk Caroline Broadhead on Collaboration and Inspiration, exploring the role that partnership has played in the development of her practice, and the ways in which she has sought and found inspiration. To mark the launch of the new books – Colours and Textures in Jewellery by Nina Gilbey and Bekkie Cheeseman and Narrative Jewellery: Tales from the Toolbox by Mark Fenn, with a foreword by Jack Cunningham, the Goldsmiths’ Centre will be hosting the Creative Links talks Using Colours and Textures to Enhance Your Jewellery on 10^th Octoberand Narrative Jewellery – Mark Fenn and Jack Cunningham Tell Tales on 29^th October. Nina and Bekkie will share their research, encourage experimentation with colour and texture; while Mark and Jack will discuss their experiences of making, researching, wearing and debating the nature of narrative jewellery.

Charlotte Dew, Programme Manager, explains: “Our Creative Links talks at the Goldsmiths’ Centre offer our 1,700 strong Link membership the perfect platform to be inspired and network in an informal and friendly setting over a welcome drink. From recent sell-out talks on Collaborating with Shops and Galleries to the Future of Diamonds, we are constantly looking at ways to engage our members with the latest topics and trends and spark conversation and ideas.”

All Creative Links talks run from 6pm to 8pm and are only £10, which includes a welcome drink. To discover the full 2019 Creative Links programme, visit www.goldsmiths-centre.org/whats-on