An exciting email came through this week, I’ve made it through the rigorous selection panel, and they selected me as an exhibitor for The Association for Contemporary Jewellery’s 2013 exhibition. The theme this year is Stain-less. It will be held in Sheffield later in the year as part of the City’s Galvanize festival and part of the centenary of the invention of stainless steel.
I submitted two proposals interpreting the theme of Stain-less, sister pieces based on two passages from William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience”. I’m hoping this is not foolhardy given the time I now have to make them before the deadline! The two passages I have chosen both refer to staining, I intend the pieces to be somewhat ambiguous and explore what we should consider as being “a stain”.
From “Songs of Innocence”
“And I made a rural pen, And I stain’d the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs, Every child may joy to hear.”
From “Songs of Experience”
While the Lilly white shall in Love delight, nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.”