GALVANIZE SHEFFIELD: White Rose made from steel, silver, copper and brass
JAPANESE artist Junko Mori has used a definitive Yorkshire emblem as the basis for her latest work which was unveiled this week at the Sheffield Winter Garden as part of Galvanize Sheffield 2008.
Mori was artist in residence at Yorkshire ArtSpace's Persistence Works between April and June when she researched and designed White Rose, a commission from the Sheffield Assay Office for a large public artwork to adorn their new premises in Hillsborough
Recent changes in the laws of hallmarking now make it possible to hallmark pieces which contain a combination of silver, steel and copper. White Rose is made from a mix of steel, silver, copper and brass to create a unique contemporary artwork.
"That was the requirement and to be honest it was quite difficult because I am used to working with one metal on one object," says the artist. "I used the residency at Yorkshire ArtSpace to research metals and the way you can use them, how they will react differently to an outside environment and change over time and which are sustainable combinations. For example, I would have liked to have used brass but that proved impossible to weld to stainless steel
"But I love how the different colours of the metals work together in one piece so it has been both exciting and a bit scary."
It helped that she is an experienced welder, having worked in a factory in Japan "because I had no confidence in myself as an artist when I graduated and because I needed to earn some money."
The experience gave her the confidence and the wherewithal to come to Britain and study at Camberwell College of Art in London which was followed by a Crafts Council Next Move placement as Maker-in-Residence at Liverpool Hope College.
She has since settled in Manchester and established herself as an artist known for creating organic sculptural forms, from small intricate art objects to large scale public sculptures. She was shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Prize for Metal in 2005,
White Rose is inspired by the emblem of the rose, the town mark of the Sheffield Assay Office. Each "petal" has a hallmark stamped on it. "These days they do that by laser but I persuaded them to use a proper hand punch and do it the old-fashioned way," says Mori.
The project was supported through a unique partnership between Yorkshire ArtSpace Society, Galvanize Sheffield and the Sheffield Assay Office and financed by Arts Council England and the Sheffield Assay Office.
MORE:
Listings Guide
Arts Guide
Film Guide
Theatre and Events
Music Guide
Front Room
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
