Silversmithing Project

For the 2 weeks we have been working with Kathryn Hinton.

Kathryn Hinton’s current work focuses on merging traditional silversmithing techniques with digital technology. After her BA(Hons) at Kent Institute of Art and Design Kathryn went on to study for an MA at the Royal College of Art, London. While at the Royal College of Art Kathryn explored the possibilities of new technology and the processes of digital manufacture. This then led to a 2 year MPhil research project, ‘The Craft of Digital Tooling’ exploring the possibilities of merging traditional silversmithing techniques and tools with computer aided design. Kathryn created a unique digital interface that took information from the physical strikes of a haptic hammering device and fed it to a 3D computer design programme.
The hammer and software interface serves as both an outcome in itself and as an experimental digital hand tool.

Kathryn taught us the basics of silversmithing.

We first began with a circle of 0.9mm copper then annealed to prepare for the next stage. The next process was blocking. Using sand bags and wooden hammers (pictured bottom right) we went around the circle starting at the edge and working to the middle. This began to slightly raise the metal into a shallow bowl. The process was repeated 3 or 4 times.

I wanted to try and experiment and see what effects I could get from different techniques. Ive been very interested in thyroid cells after being diagnosed with an underactive thyroid last June.

I love the patterns and colours of the cells and wanted to see how I replicate this in metal. I cut out shapes to look like the cells.

To get the bowl to the shape that it is above the next process is called raising. This involved hammering with metal hammers onto a stake. Due to the holes I had cut in one side, it was hard to round the metal as far as I wanted. There wasnt enough metal to go further. I used this bowl as a sample and experimented with texture by using my punch.

I liked the texture created from the punch, I feel they could be deeper so would need to experiment more with different punches.
I left this bowl as it was and started another one.

This circle I cut the holes all around the edges, but this time I wanted to keep quite shallow.

I looked into items that I could possibly make like a fruit bowl. I then raised the metal slightly until I was happy.

The next process was called planishing. This is where you use a planishing hammer and strike the metal to create a shiney finished surface.

I would like to try a larger piece that could possibly be a fruit bowl as this one is quite small. Overall it was a great workshop and something id possibly experiment more with.
Here are the outcomes from everyone.

Researching businesses – Design Enterprise

Over the last 4 and a half weeks we have been very busy researching businesses. Our job was to research into enterprising businesses, to interview them and find out how they work as a business, then produce a 10 minute presentation about them.

“This is a 4 and a half week project that will begin to develop your understanding and appreciation of what running a business entails. It will give you an insight into the creative sector and the different models of enterprise that operate within it. It should also encourage you to think about where your skills fit within the Market and what new skills you need to develop to reach your intended goals.”

We established our teams and started our research.

As jewellers we wanted to create an identity and came up with the name JMD_DESENT, and created our logo to give us a visual presence on social media.

We decided to approach two different businesses to start with and kept more in mind. They were Edinburgh Contemporary Crafts and The Ringmaker. We wanted to be creative and grab their attention in a different way. This was when we thought of handmade letters made from wood. We used the laser cutter to create these.

We even added some personalised sweet treats to put in with the letters to entice them to chat with us.

We got a response from both businesses, although The Ringmaker was too busy to meet with us. We also contacted Brazen Studios by email and unfortunately they were extremely busy aswell, so we focused on securing our interview with Edinburgh Contemporary Crafts.

With everything in place for our interview with ECC, we began to think about our questions.

“Edinburgh Contemporary Crafts is run by it’s director Louise Smith. It provides high quality multi-disciplinary craft workshop facilities for: ceramics, jewellery, textiles, print and furniture for professional and the general public. The shared studio supports emerging and mid-career makers, encourages collaboration and cross-discipline practice and our program of courses allows the general public access to fully equipped workshops, with courses taught by skilled professionals.”

ECC was somewhere we were all quite interested to find out about as its somewhere that we could possibly go when we graduate.

During the interview we asked Louise about how and why she started ECC. Lousie identified the problem that craft was seen as the “poor little brother of art” and wanted to bring this to the forefront so decided to create Edinburgh Contemporary Crafts. Louise came from a interdisciplinary craft background and loved the sense of community. She is a great believer of having people around you creates more inspiration and motivation.

Louise also worked freelance before creating ECC, she worked in places like schools teaching, but felt there was a lack of facilities and it was harder to work and be creative. ECC is not only for makers but for the general public too. They run classes and workshops to give people experiences they possibly wouldn’t have had access to before.

As there is a high demand for studio spaces, it has driven them to expand to Abbeymount Techbase.

The building used to be an old school so has larger rooms than their smaller premises on Blair Street. We were invited to have a tour around the 3 rooms they already lease in the building. They are hoping to have made the move and re launch in 2017, with the anticipation of leasing the whole building.

It became very apparent that ECC is not-for-profit when we looked around the rooms, there were mezzanine floors in each room to create more space, these were built by a friend. We were showed around by Sarah and she pointed things out to us that were make themselves, or sourced from elsewhere for cheap.

The money they get from studio fees and workshops have to be returned back for materials and facilities for the centre. It was amazing to see what can be created with a little energy and drive. There was a real positive atmosphere in both premises.

Louise stated that social media was a key tool for getting their income. Their main way of advertising to the public is through social media. She said it has to be done right. We have to treat each media as its own post. Louise uses Twitter for sponsorships and press, and uses Facebook for the main contact for getting in the public, using it as the “digital word of mouth”.

During the interview Louise mentioned our unique way of contacting ECC grabbed her attention and subsequently got us the interview. This could be seen as the old fashioned way on contacting someone in this time considering we have the technology, but it showed us that taking the time and making something special that stands out actually does work and has proven effective for us and this project.

We thanked Louise for her valuable time with some more sweet treats, as everyone has a secret sweet tooth!

Collectively we all agreed that this was a very beneficial visit. It was great to see that there is somewhere out there for practicing designers, and also the general public. We learnt that you cant be the best for everybody, and we need to do whats right for us and our businesses. There was a real sense of community flowing through each premises. They were all very welcoming and eager to give us their advice and we are looking forward to returning again with our open door invitation in the future.

It was then presentation time,

as nervous as we all were, we managed to get a B1 for this project and also some very beneficial advice to take forward with us in our careers.

Touchpoint 3 : Design in Motion

Last thursday we had a chance to visit the Design in Motion bus as part of the pre-opening programme for the V&A Dundee. It parked up outside the university. This was a small exhibition that housed the work of 8 designers. The bus is making its way around the country until it finally stops at the V&A in London.

The work was all from designers that use digital technologies to push the boundaries of their dicipline. These included, Anarkik3D Ltd, Digital Design Studio, Holly Fulton, Sophia George, Lynne Maclachlan, Geoffrey Mann and a collaboration between Sara Robertson and Sarah Taylor. 
How these designers where chosen was very interesting to hear. The team put together many secret pinterest boards, a collective of all different designers and eliminated one by one until they had their shortlist.

Being a practicing jeweller myself, I particularly liked Lynne Maclachlan’s work.

Lynne originally trained in aerospace engineering before she made the move to jewellery and metalwork design.  She creates her pieces through computer software, 3D prints them in nylon to get the physical piece then hand dyes each individual piece. I love how she uses new technologies but combines them with traditional methods for the finishing.

Geoffrey Manns work was also very intriguing. He is facinated by transforming the ephemeral nature of time and motion, into forms that we can see. His work from the bus was the fluttering of a moth around a light. It was simply beautiful to look at.

This piece is the flight of a bird.

It was great to see the exhibition and im excited to see what the V&A has to bring to Dundee.

Medal Project

The first project we were given this semester was to make a medal for the British Art Medal Society Competition (BAMS). We were to make a bronze medal through the casting process.

My master for the mould was made from milliput. Its a soft material to work with, then drys hard over 2 – 3 hours. My medal was to represent the regeneration of my hometown. Back before I was born there used to be a railway station, and this is where my house is now built. So one side has a railway track that once was, and the other side has a door to represent my front door now.

We first had to prepare our mould boxes, with the help from Roddy at the foundry. Its slightly like delft casting but only on a bigger scale. I prepared my mould with three other students from my class as its a big process.

This was a lengthy process but was very exciting to do. We had to place our masters in then pack the sand around them, then do the same for the other side of the box. We then had to make channels in the sand so that the molten bronze could flow into the moulds and come back out the airways.

Once this was done we screwed both sides back together and they were ready for the group pour that we had in the foundry.

All our boxes were lined up ready. This part can be very dangerous so it was left to the professionals. The bronze was heated to 1200 degrees to allow it to stay molten during the length of the pour!

We let them cool down, then opened them up outside to see the results.

As they were quite dirty from the burnt clay, we had to sand blast them to clean them up. We then started the finishing process.

We cut them off of their trees and started to tidy them up. We filed and sanded them until we were happy.

We have had pattination workshops the last couple days to add finishing touches to our medals. I wasnt a big fan of the colour of the bronze, so my medal is silver plated and then I have worked back into it adding darker areas through oxidisation.

Reflection to Touchpoint 1 – Introduction

After being back to uni a few weeks, I felt this was a good time to reflect back to our first touchpoint, our introduction.  We had our first lecture on Monday 19th January to introduce us to the new semester. We will have a series of touchpoints throughout the semester. We have already had our second one that you can read about on my previous post. And the other two are still to come.
   The first few weeks are always a bit hectic with research especially with our first one. We are taking part in the British Art Medal Society Competition, (BAMS).  Its been all go trying to get them completed over the last two weeks, and they have to be sent away next week. I will have information on this project in a seperate blogpost.
   We’ve also got a self motivated project to think about – who do you think you are?.  Its quite scary to think that this is us thinking about our 4th year and its not far away. This project doesn’t start for another while so will also keep you updated on everythin that is happening.

We also have a few visitors this semester that we will be working with for different projects.
Kathryn Hinton – She is a silversmith that uses CAD, CNC milling and press forming.
Lindsey Mann – She will be coming in to show us her work with coloured aluminium jewellery
And
John Moore – He works with anodised aluminum.

Im very excited to see their work and hear what they have to say and to get to work with them on our projects. This semester is going to be jam packed but its good to get us prepared for our 4th year and I’m looking forward to whats to come.