It’s not often that craft makers get the chance to demonstrate the truly creative side of what they do. But a unique project, developed by the City Art Centre in Edinburgh, has resulted in Scissors Paper Stone, an exhibition by 12 craftworkers who were commissioned to produce innovative new pieces, using the theme of Edinburgh as their inspiration.
Ceramic artist Helen Beard, who graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2001, made 50 cream-coloured pots of varying sizes (all of which can be used for practical purposes), decorated with portraits of tourists, ordinary citizens and buildings, to create “Out and About on the Streets of Edinburgh”, a delightful mini cityscape of the Castle, the Mound and the Royal Mile.
Jessica Townsend lived in a number of flats in Edinburgh while studying there and has used that experience and her expertise as a glass artist to produce the tiny lead-crystal sitting-room interiors - including sofas, chairs and even a television set - that feature in her piece “Edinburgh Living”.
Textile artist Malcolm Cruickshank was born and brought up in Edinburgh and has created a quilt - “25 Years in Edinburgh” - composed of 80 black-and-white machine-embroidered fabric pictures based on photographs from the family album.
Jewellery designer Katharina Vones, artist-in-residence at Edinburgh College of Art, studied plant life at the city’s Royal Botanic Garden and objects in the National Museum of Scotland to produce a series of exquisite “Creepy Crawlies” brooches and “Succulent” rings made from gold, silver and cubic zirconia.
Scissors Paper Stone includes information about the artists and how their work developed. It continues at the City Art Centre until January 19 and is complemented by talks, tours and workshops.
T 0131 529 3963.
