Sterling Stuff
fifty sculptors invited to create a piece in silver
4th November - 12th December 2002
Variety is indeed the spice of life and who would have imagined that a brief seemingly so restrictive could result in such an explosion of creative diversity?
Our invitation to fifty contemporary sculptors, to produce a piece for silver under 15cms, presented a challenge to more than a few but for us it has been a very exciting adventure. Christmas came early here as parcels arrived from across the globe bearing the most surprising and wonderful contents: tiny modelled waxes, intricately carved stones, found objects, sometimes smelly, crushed paper balls, meticulously detailed pieces and bold abstractions. We also had some interesting telephone instructions and a visit to the fruit section of the local supermarket with a six inch ruler resulted in some puzzled looks from fellow shoppers!
A few skillful hours down the line and the sculptures became unified as they emerged in wax. Further transformed into silver by the consummate skills of the foundry craftsmen they began to hint at the impact of the exhibition. The final stage was all about discovery as Rungwe explored with each artist the range of surface treatments, patinas and colour effects achievable on silver.
It is only now however, as we stand back from the tribulations of the process and see all the sculptures displayed in the gallery that it becomes overwhelmingly clear that this exhibition is truly ‘Sterling Stuff’.
