Creative Links: Scaling Up - How to work Bigger and on an Architectural Scale (Full Film)

As part of our Creative Links series, listen to a panel of expert silversmiths - Julian Cross, Marianne Forrest, Wally Gilbert, Chris Knight, and Andy Putland - who have successfully translated their skills and sought opportunities to scale-up, broadening their practice to include commissions and collaborations with individuals, local authorities, the Church and a broad range of organisations. Between them, they have realised projects as diverse as bridges, security grills, chandeliers and public art. In this talk, the speakers come together and share their advice and experiences.

This video is part of the Creative Links talks series and took place in September 2019 at the Goldsmiths’ Centre.

If you would like to watch a shorter version of this talk click below.

Andrew Putland studied at the former Medway College of Design, now the University for the Creative Arts, at Rochester from 1980 to 1984. Immediately after graduating he embarked on a business partnership in silversmithing with fellow student, Carl, forming Padgham & Putland, this partnership ended in the spring of 2019. They offered commissions, trade and production work and in-house design facility.

Thirty-five years on, their company provides a high-quality professional service from a wealth of experience and operation. They have designed and manufactured many fine pieces of silverware, collections and private commissions, building respect, status and an enviable reputation en route. Notable and long-term clients are the international jeweller Bulgari and Boodles.

Parallel to his practice, Andrew teaches as a visiting lecturer in silversmithing and goldsmithing, previously at UCA Rochester (1995-2012) and now at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, London. He is a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Chairman of the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council that directly supports the industry in raising standards, skills and quality of craftsmanship.  

Wally Gilbert’s family background is in the ‘Decorative’ and ‘Applied’ Arts. His sculptor grandfather founded the Bromsgrove Guild which was a multi-disciplinary Arts & Crafts guild. His father was also a sculptor whose work ranged from portraits to architectural sculpture and designing for the Denby pottery company. 

Wally was accepted for Sculpture Diploma at Chelsea in 1966 from which he took a sabbatical in 1968, but to which he did not return. For several years Wally took a variety of jobs before beginning to make and teach jewellery in 1975. He had his first single person show of jewellery at Electrum gallery in 1978 and two person show at the V&A museum in 1986. In the 80’s Wally’s horizons were expanded to silversmithing by working for Louis Osman. During the same period he was visiting New York and exhibiting jewellery in with Barbara Rockefeller and with Robert Lee Morris at ‘Artwear’. 

Since 2000 Wally has, in addition to his silversmithing, spent time in iron and bronze foundries which gave him the experience to take on architectural scale commissions. These have included road and rail bridge parapets, cast iron roof beams and a bronze aumbry for St.David’s cathedral. Wally has jewellery and silver in a number of international collections including the Museum of Art & Design in New York. At present he is exploring the use of drawing with printed silk wall hangings and in addition to silver is working on a new commission for a small bronze and silver lion.  

Chris Knight graduated from the RCA with a master’s degree from the RCA in 1992. Prior to this he studied silversmithing and jewellery at Sheffield City polytechnic and worked as a designer goldsmiths in New Haven Connecticut, USA.
Known for functionally and visually provocative silverware, Chris has exhibited internationally and is represented in public collections including The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths’, The Victoria & Albert Museum, the Archdiocese of New York, the P&O Makower Silver Trust, The Rabinovitch Collection, The Crafts Council, The Shipley Collection, Sheffield Assay Office, The Cutlers Company, Sheffield Museums & Galleries, Sheffield Cathedral, Birmingham City Museum, Aberdeen Art Gallery and The Musee Des Arts Decoratifs. Chris was shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Applied Arts Prize 2005, won the Museum Sheffield National Metalwork award for his silver and stainless steel Chalice titled ‘Lest We Forget’ in 2010 and is lead designer of the St Leger Stakes permanent trophy.

His practice includes sculpture and public art; the largest of which, ‘Cutting Edge’ Sheffield, has received numerous awards. Other pieces are sited in Basingstoke, Leeds, Gateshead, Blackpool, Sheffield, St Helier and New York City. Chris is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Marianne Forrest graduated from the Royal College of Art with a Masters Degree in Silversmithing. Her work is represented in many collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Royal Museum of Scotland and The Goldsmiths Company. Alongside being a professional designer/maker, she is currently 3D Cluster Leader at The Cass (London Metropolitan University).

The idea of time has always fascinated her; the way a moment is gone and is either forgotten or recalled in an apparently random fashion. All her work now reflects on the idea of time, often being a machine for displaying the hour - ways of working, fast or slow, making and creativity as a theme, combined with time related activity alongside the appreciation of form, structure and surface. Her research themes explore the idea of time alongside the process of making as a consumer of time with particular emphasis on the juxtaposition of New Technology and explorations of making methods by both hand and machine. 

The nature of Marianne's work has seen explorations in scale from the tiniest of watches to huge installations in town centres, always marking time even when they do not tell the time. 

Julian Cross is an entirely self-taught artist working in different media including bronze and precious metals using diverse techniques as plaster-relief carving, sculpting and metalwork. His detailed animalier work is sought by prestigious retail establishments in London's New Bond Street and for private and public collections. With over forty years’ experience in the creative field he has mastered many techniques to a high level of skill. Over the years he has won many awards and accolades from bodies such as The Goldsmiths Craftsmanship & Design Council.

He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2002. He was made a Fellow of The Institute of Professional Goldsmiths F.I.P.G in 2005. Julian Cross has work in collections held by The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths', The British Museum permanent collection of Coins and Medals and The Pearson Collection along with other private collections. Julian also currently sits on the Modern Collection Committee of The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths' and on the British Art Medal Society Council.