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Collect 2024

Maker

Andrew Lamb

Location:  

Glasgow (city)

Disciplines:  

Silversmithing & Goldsmithing

Materials:  

Metal, Precious Metals

Andrew Lamb creates work underpinned by research into traditional goldsmithing methods spanning thousands of years.
He aims to advance the possibilities of aesthetic expression while preserving technical mastery of materials, employing specialist techniques in wire and experimenting with precious alloys and non-precious materials such as titanium. Alongside this, Andrew plays with optical illusions and visual forms observed in nature that echo the shifting patterns of how we see and perceive the world. 

Andrew sits on The Goldsmiths’ Company Contemporary Craft Committee. He holds an MA from the Royal College of Art (London) and exhibits and sells his award-winning jewellery worldwide, with work in prestigious public collections around the world including The Alice and Louis Koch Collection, in the Swiss National Museum (Zurich).

In conversation

1. Tell us about your practice and what led you down your chosen path as a maker.

My path would have been very different without the late Dorothy Hogg, who drew me into the jewellery department at Edinburgh College of Art in 1996. Everything was new - I had no experience in jewellery nor metalwork, yet I felt instantly at home.

I currently balance my time between my jewellery practice and lecturing in the Silversmithing and Jewellery department at The Glasgow School of Art. I work alongside amazing students and staff. It is an inspiring and stimulating environment, which furthers my enthusiasm for research and innovation.

 

2. Tell us about your materials.

I have been referred to as a 'wireaholic,' and that's probably fairly accurate. For over 20 years, I have been focused on the creative use of precious wire in jewellery. It is incredibly satisfying to transform a solid ingot of metal by hand into very fine, flexible threads of wire and to be able to turn these into wearable pieces of jewellery. Wire has become the natural medium through which I can translate my ideas into objects, I am able to create volume, texture and pattern and its infinite potential keeps driving my practice. I am fortunate many years on to still love what I do and be able to allow my creative work to evolve in new ways.

3. Can you share more about the process behind your Collect 2024 collection?

I've always enjoyed working with mixtures of precious materials, incorporating multiple alloys with contrasting or subtle colour variations. I am fascinated by the distinct properties of metals, such as the qualities of platinum and gold—their preciousness, weight, and intrinsic value—contrasting with the high tensile strength-to-density ratio of titanium. I can achieve beautiful contrasts and shifts in colour through heat anodising. These pieces represent an original use of 'old' and 'new' metals, both highly ductile and corrosion-resistant. Materiality influences the jewellery, as do the technical challenges, which, in turn, have inspired new ways of working informed by the ancient art of filigree.

4. What inspired your collection for Collect 2024?

An article by Clare Henry has always resonated with me. She described Bridget Riley, who I have long admired, as an artist who “…could always get her lines to billow and weave, spin and rotate, pull and tug, concertina and squeeze…” (The Scotsman, 2000). She was very successful at creating the illusion of three dimensions in 2D. As a jewellery designer and maker, it also reflects my hands-on approach to working with physical materials, applying ancient skills to pull, squeeze, weave, and spin wire in three-dimensional forms. My pieces incorporate wire as a line to create interlaced, textile-like patterns featuring mesmerising surfaces that come alive with reflected light and movement.

5. What do you hope the viewer will take away from this work?

I hope to create pieces that have an instant visual appeal and have the power to connect with the viewer and wearer quickly, yet continually puzzle and engage in minute detail. Ultimately, I want people to enjoy the work, whether through a visual connection or an appreciation of the engineering, and of course, I hope someone will fall in love with a piece, and that it will go on to become a cherished possession.

Work

Graham Clark

Andrew Lamb

Linear Frequency I

Brooch. 18ct yellow, red and white gold, silver and titanium.

4.3 x 4.3 x 0.7cm

2023

Graham Clark

Andrew Lamb

Linear Frequency II

Brooch. Titanium, 18ct white and yellow gold and silver.

4.3 x 4.3 x 0.7cm

2023

Graham Clark

Andrew Lamb

Linear Frequency III

Brooch. Titanium, 18ct yellow and white gold and silver.

4.3 x 4.3 x 0.7cm

2023

Shannon Tofts

Andrew Lamb

Vortex Necklace

Necklace. Platinum, 18ct white gold, silver and titanium.

34 cm, dia.19cm

2022

Richard Valencia

Andrew Lamb

Vortex I

Brooch. Titanium, silver and 18ct white gold.

dia. 5.5cm

2020

Photography by the artist

Andrew Lamb

Vortex II

Brooch. Titanium and 18ct yellow gold.

dia. 7.8cm

2023

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