Illuminating Silver, Rauni Higson

Rauni Higson - Illuminating Silver
Alchemy in the 21st Century

Solo exhibition at Craft in the Bay, Cardiff

9 September to 29 October 2023

Craft in the Bay, Cardiff

Rauni Higson announces her first solo exhibition at Craft in the Bay, the Gallery of the Makers’ Guild in Wales, in Cardiff in September 2023.

Supported by Arts Council Wales, the exhibition, entitled ‘Illuminating Silver’ will be an insightful glimpse into the process and practice of one of the UK’s leading sculptural silversmiths, Qest scholar and multi-award winning craftswoman. The exhibition will take visitors through the journey of a silversmith, told using key commissions to illustrate the creative process. Learn about the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Processional Cross commission from a beautiful animated short film, and both virtual and augmented reality experiences.

While the public perception of silver is often rooted in antiques and history, this show will celebrate the relevance and value of a niche endangered skill, its artistry and  contribution to the current cultural landscape.

Presented in ‘chapters’, the exhibition will feature physical objects, virtual and augmented reality, documentary material, creative and artistic expression and provide a rich picture of the unseen material and processes that form the development of a piece of artwork, and make up a sustainable career.

The ‘chapters’ include:

Illuminating Commissioning

An exploration of commissioning through specific projects including a contemporary sport trophy for women’s rowing. The Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Processional Cross commission will be presented as a photorealistic 3D animation, on screen, with a VR headset and augmented reality, to allow the audience to explore a publicly used but sacred and inaccessible object up close, including the invisible engineering and construction (collaboration with Stephen Heaton Photography)

The Power of Practice

This will explore high-level skills and mastery, Passing on Skills (peer to peer training, the John Cussell Memorial fund project, creating high level professional skills training to address the increasing skills gap and transfer skills); Continuous Professional Development via support from bodies including the Arts Council of Wales and QEST.

The Strength of Community

The strength of a network of interdependent artist practitioners supporting each other’s small businesses to sustain  a vibrant creative economy,.

and most importantly…

Showcasing a body of new artwork

As yet unseen, from intimate scale to wall pieces.

“Silver is a magical material that responds to light like nothing else, except perhaps the moon. It has entranced humans forever, and its extraordinary malleability means that almost any form that can be imagined can be realised, with enough time, skill, and patience. I fell in love with silver when I first used it over thirty years ago, and I know I’ll never tire of it as a material to create with. I seek to represent the feel of the landscape and my experience of it, my connection to it, it's my love letter to Snowdonia." Rauni Higson

Rauni Higson is one of Britain’s leading silversmiths. Originally trained in Finland, she established her studio in 1997 in the dramatic landscape of Snowdonia, a rich backdrop of mountainous crags and rugged coastline that inspire her work. Rauni specialises in hammer-formed silver that people can use to celebrate and commemorate - everlasting treasures that will become the heirlooms of the future. Contemporary sculptural designs are created using traditional techniques, connecting and responding to the natural world and clients’ significant themes.

Commissions include six pieces in the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection, National Museum of Wales, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, and Henley Royal Regatta. Rauni works to commission on landmark projects, creates speculative artworks, makes silverware to order or buy and jewellery.