Bilk             Gallery for ​contemporary metal and glass

Vessel 

David Walker, Mark Vaarwerk, Inari Kiuru, Vito Bila, Alison Jackson, Mark Edgoose and Robert Foster 

9 September - 8 October 2016

ˈvɛs(ə)l 

noun

1. a ship or large boat.

synonyms: boat, sailing boat, ship, yacht, craft, watercraft; More

2. a hollow container, especially one used to hold liquid, such as a bowl or cask.

synonyms: container, receptacle, repository, holder, carrier; More

In traditional silversmithing, constructing or raising a vessel is one of the cornerstones of the guild. Vessels are steeped in tradition and ritual, they lauded for their technical ability and marvelled at for their beauty and flair.  While Contemporary vessels and their makers acknowledge the history of the tradition, their use of materials and construction techniques expose new forms and explore the outer boundaries and endless possibilities of the notion of a vessel. The makers in this exhibition are no exception to this.

Mark Vaarwerk for example gathers used polystyrene cups and polystyrene vegetable storage containers and in essence shrinks their forms until they become miniature versions of themselves. David Walker uses a process akin to daisy chaining to create trays of steel, titanium and aluminium. Vito Bila exaggerates the tarnish and patina of sterling silver and rust ageing of steel to create familiar vessel forms with an unexpected twist. Inari Kiuru uses concrete, the sign of universal urbanism as a vessel to explore metaphysical questions.  Alison Jackson has beautifully refined edge to seemingly simple forms using traditional metals to construct her functional vessels. Mark Edgoose takes a domestic space such as a hallway and creates architectural structures that are contained in the space, as well as act as receptacle for everyday objects.  Robert Foster combines his engineering and creative design skills producing hollowware, combining untraditional alloys of anodised aluminium, titanium and stainless steel to create beautifully functional art works.

This exhibition will showcase: David Walker, Mark Vaarwerk, Inari Kiuru, Vito Bila, Alison Jackson, Mark Edgoose and Robert Foster.  Curated by Johannes Kuhnen