IC:Innovative Craft Blog

Spend time at Dovecot before 23 May…

Posted Wednesday 19 May 2010, 10:30am

Matter 2 has just opened, taking a more reflective step into the world of made things exploring, as it does, exquisite carved stone jewellery by Charlotte De Syllas.  Once again the rhythm of making is present but on this occasion it seems somehow weightless, infused with a different lightness of being.  Shadi Vossough’s photo essay on Charlotte’s studio is domestic, allusive, human.  We see hands at work sandwich making; glimpses of a workbench recently abandoned, scattered, with tools, books, pictures.

A slowly shifting projection of sky with a murmur of natural sounds permeating the gallery slows down our gaze and draws attention to the glowing detail of carved jade, tourmaline, nephrite.  We feel the concentration of those clever, practiced hands.  Paxon, by taking time with his subject (including drilling 180 beach pebbles to suspend in the space!) has created time for us to look anew at the detail of things.  As this recent visitor and jewellery collector comments:

‘I spent a quiet hour looking at the pieces and the set - I have to say that this was the first time that I have been persuaded to look at a group of Charlotte’s work together and see what I think she’s actually saying through these carvings (Adam’s term - the right one); the film and the suspended-pebble screen reflect this. So different from the crowded babble of some jewellery displays, which pile up far too much in the dark.  Your show thinks about light, air, rain,sky, birds, a natural time-cycle and so forth.’

Amanda

(Matter 2 is open 10:30-7:30 until Sunday 23rd May)