Selected exhibition images: Shannon Tofts
For the second year running at Dovecot Studios, Selected brings together 27 Scotland based makers in a selling exhibition of craft and design from 29 November to 21 December 2014.
The Selected exhibition showcases works across a number of disciplines including ceramics, jewellery, furniture, textiles, glass and silver and comes from some of the most talented makers in Scotland today. Selected represents a broad sector of makers creating works referencing a variety of subjects including urban culture, the natural world, performance and function. Works by artists Anais Paulard, Emile Westerlund and Polly Collins invite interaction and question function. Other jewellery, ceramics and mixed media exhibits are formed with an emphasis on materials and connected to digital processes or push technical boundaries. Glass and ceramics are renowned for incompatibility due to differences in structure – in her research Selected maker Jessamy Kelly has managed to combine them in a hot state to create a unique series of artworks. Other works tell a story: the baskets of Anna S. King recall events, memories, experiences, places, secrets, thoughts and ideas which are all woven in to an on-going narrative. King explains “It is the task of the observer to interpret in their own way, to seek and find common ground with them in their imagination.†Through story-telling, process, and representation, the common binding thread throughout the Selected exhibition is in the experiential qualities of the works and the meaningful connections to be made in the minds of the viewers as a result.
The Selected makers were hand-picked from an inspiring list of applicants by an industry panel comprising Dr Helen Bennett (independent Curator), Maggie Broadley (Craft Town Scotland), Mike Press (DJCAD), Jo Scott (Craft Scotland), Lili Vajda (Dovecot Studios).
Selected invites audiences to purchase and experience craft and design objects during the exhibition at the 100 year old Dovecot Tapestry Studio, now housed in a beautifully renovated Victorian swimming pool in the heart of Edinburgh. From its inception in 1912 as an organisation with Arts and Crafts ideals, to the present day as a landmark centre for contemporary art and design, Dovecot is well positioned to present collectors and buyers with a top-drawer choice of work being made in Scotland today.
Dovecot’s cross-disciplinarian approach and collaborative studio practice provides an ideal platform for discussion around the experiential themes occurring in the work of the Selected makers. A people project to illustrate how craft can help make connections and forge existing relationships sees individuals photographed with a Selected piece by each maker, posted on social media with the hashtag #MatchedMakers in the lead up to the show. #MatchedMakers will also highlight how makers connect with audiences in new ways, and open discussions online around the wearability or usability of objects, ownership and the concept of coveting craft.
In addition to the #MatchedMakers project, a Selected Symposium will be held at Dovecot Studios on Monday 1 December. Making Connections will address the fast evolving nature of craft practices in the 21st century that uses Selected as a backdrop to discuss Scotland’s new craft. This ticketed event will invite attendees to question how craft practice connects to new forms of consumption, the rise of the creative city, digital process and hybrid practices. Selected Symposium: Making Connections will be chaired by Mike Press and feature talks and discussions led by makers from the Selected exhibition. Watch this space regards booking for this Symposium.
#MatchedMakers
#selected2014
Alison Macleod Jewellery
Anaïs Paulard Jewellery
Angus Ross Furniture
Anna S. King Mixed Media
Caroline Finlay Jewellery
Craig Stuart Jewellery
Emelie Westerlund Jewellery
Fiona Hermse Jewellery
Fiona Thompson Ceramics
Gilly Langton Jewellery
Han-Chieh (Joy) Chuang Jewellery
James Donald Textiles
Jennifer Kidd Silversmithing
Jessamy Kelly Glass/Ceramics
Jessica Howarth Jewellery
Judy Scott Textiles
Julia Smith Ceramics
Karen Suzuki Mixed Media
Laura Spring Textiles
Lorna Fraser Ceramics
Marion Elizabeth Kane Silversmithing
Mirka Janeckova Jewellery
Misun Won Jewellery
Morag Macpherson Textiles
Naomi Mcintosh Jewellery
Polly Collins Silversmithing
Susan O’Byrne Ceramics
