News

Inspired Exhibition 19 – 23 May 2015

Furniture and silverware will be exhibited together in context without restrictive barriers of conventional showcases.

This May the Goldsmiths’ Centre in Clerkenwell will be hosting the Inspired exhibition of modern silver and contemporary furniture, through a unique collaboration between The Festival of Silver, and The Furniture Makers’ Company, the furnishing industry’s charity, during Clerkenwell Design Week, 19-21 May 2015.

The Festival of Silver brings together the best designers and makers of modern silversmithing in Britain whilst The Furniture Makers’ Company represents many of the UK’s finest contemporary furniture makers. The leading exhibition sponsor is The Goldsmiths’ Company. This free exhibition will be on show in the Exhibition Room at The Goldsmiths’
Centre and will feature the bespoke work of 18 furniture makers, 16 senior silversmiths and 24 recent graduates sponsored by Cookson Precious Metals. Exhibiting furniture makers include Nick Allen, Tim Chadsey and Karen Hansen; and silversmiths include Ester Lord, Brett Payne and Karina Gill. All pieces on display will be for sale.

The exhibition inspires creative collaborations between two of the finest craft makers. A LoMo sideboard with collaboratively designed matching tray by Jonathan Walter of Bark Furniture is being made in response to a tea service by award-winning silversmith Charlotte Tollyfield, both specially commissioned for the exhibition. “We are bringing together two of Britain’s most innovative industries to make a stunning selling exhibition. Both organisations are working hard to raise the profiles of these great makers,” explains Gordon Hamme, the founder and coordinator of the Inspired exhibition.

“The UK’s bespoke designer makers are among the very best in the world, so it is gratifying to have so much excellent work on show in one venue during such a key week in the international design calendar,” said the Master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, Paul von der Heyde.

Ruth Moir, Events and Exhibitions Manager at The Goldsmiths’ Centre comments “The Inspired exhibition is now in its third year at The Goldsmiths’ Centre. We’re proud to be hosting such talent and giving all the opportunity to purchase some of these magnificent pieces as part of Clerkenwell Design Week.”

There will also be an opportunity to learn more about the designer makers, their work on display and how they went about setting up in business through a series of lunchtime talks from keynote industry speakers during Clerkenwell Design Week at The Goldsmiths’ Centre.

Visit www.britishsilverweek.co.uk to find out more about the exhibitors and the talks tying in with the Inspired Exhibition and Clerkenwell Design Week.