University News Last updated 10 March 2011
The work of a Birmingham City University graduate is forming the centrepiece of a dazzling new exhibition at the Jewellery Quarter Museum.
Kevin Grey, a graduate from the HND Jewellery & Silversmithing Course at the School of Jewellery, will be showcasing his work ‘Filiere’ which takes its design cues from unique elements of the Quarter, the reflective tile finishes on brick facades and pew 23 where Matthew Boulton worshipped in St Paul’s Church.
Kevin received the commission - made possible through a partnership between BMAG, Birmingham Assay Office and Birmingham School of Jewellery - after entering a competition for makers to propose works inspired by the Jewellery Quarter.
Kevin said: “My piece, Filiere, interprets specific aspects of the Jewellery Quarter that contribute to its uniqueness as a place: the contrasts; its strong boundaries the transformation of materials and the impact of individuals on making and designing.”
Kevin is a relative newcomer to the silversmithing trade - having retrained at Birmingham’s world renowned School of Jewellery after 25 years in the automotive industry. Utilizing the skills and knowledge that he acquired as a sheet metal worker (for Rolls Royce, Bentleys and Morgan Motor Company in Worcestershire) with new skills and a chance to explore the creative use of silver he has developed a unique approach to jewellery making. Using strips of silver combined with raised smooth forms he constructs 3 dimensional forms that have an appearance of solidity - his work almost exclusively uses TIG and laser welding.
On completion of his course at the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University, Kevin was awarded the prestigious Goldsmiths Company Award at the Design & Crafts Council Awards. Last year he also won the Jewellery Quarter commission and was selected as one of 20 makers from across the country to participate in Silverstruck an exhibition curated for Ruthin Craft Centre and National Museum Wales showcasing the best of new British silver.
Lecture Jo Pond said: “To win both of these awards so early in his career has been a rewarding outcomes for Kevin after taking the plunge and committing to a change of career. The Goldsmiths Award was particularly meaningful as it is judged by other silversmiths but to then be invited to make a piece of work for one of the country’s leading public silver collections has affirmed the level of interest in his work.”
Kevin’s career continues to go from strength to strength. This year he will be taking part in British Silver Week where his work has been selected as part of the Rising Stars exhibition at the Pangolin Gallery in London on the 12 May.