Stuart Cairns

Currently in my practice I am working on a series from which I’ll select work for Galerie RA’s upcoming exhibition “New Silver” , the theme for the series, at least at this stage is “Spoons”. I say “at this stage” as I’m sure as it progresses the series will mutate into forms that seem far away from the visual expectation of a spoon. Below is a section of text I sent to Paul in RA to support my work [hope he doesn’t mind me posting it here] and it encapsulates a few of the ideas which are behind my approach-

This set of objects is part of a series investigating materiality while playing with the idea of an object as a spoon.  The implied associations with a spoon are functionally- a utensil with which to eat, to scoop up, to stir, measure and ladle. The form itself is thought of as two components brought together- a handle and “bowl” and these elements are played with and investigated in this series. Components are found or formed, exploring shape and materiality set in contrast to each other and married in a sympathetic and considered manner.  In this way the familiar, found and everyday, set in unfamiliar combinations, become extraordinary, highlighting the visual richness that surrounds us.

Key for me is breaking down the form of a spoon into handle and bowl and the intersection of the two parts- this is where I find interest- the disparate elements and how they are brought together. I constantly play with shapes, found objects, considering how they can be combined and joined in a manner which enhances their characteristics. This is really driven by my passion for materiality – the substance of things- and the silver parts of the pieces acts as a canvas, a counterpoint to those found things-the discarded, the everyday and the ordinary which can be overlooked by our daily rush. In the objects I create these things are held up for further consideration, a moment’s contemplation made physical, elevated up from the dust revealing something of their essential selves.

Below is a sneak peak of one of the pieces in the series and a picture work in progress set on pages of my sketch book and I’ll post up some drawings in later posts. As you can see from previous posts I have been collecting objects on walks on the beach, in the forest and general wanderings- expect a few more posts of those- another way I draw. Apologies for getting out of sync with posts -I usually post on a monday but work is a bit too hectic at the moment so I post when I can!