Marilou Turner
BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft
The Weathered Vessels
My name is Marilou and I am a metalsmith. This year I have been making copper vessels and exploring different artificial patinas on 3D forms. I have learnt so much this year about the recipes and application of patinas that give a range of different colours and textures to metal. I have always been fascinated by different cultural crafts and seeing how they evolve through time and diffuse throughout different cultures. Because of this interest, I started the year by asking myself; what makes regional craft specific to a place? Through my research I explored the transmission of ideas, techniques and crafts throughout the world, trying to pinpoint their origins, studying artefacts from ancient eras. This was when I realized that patinas made crafts specific to a place. Patinas develop on the surface of materials typically as a layer of oxide and when a piece is buried in the ground, elements in the soil react with the metal to create different colours. The composition of the soil create unique patinas that distinguish an artefact to that place. This idea evolved into my project where very early on, I created this form that now represents my body of work. I create my vessels by cutting out a very simple net and folding it round until it forms my pieces. I use no solder, nor glue, nor rivets; it is simply the copper that keeps itself together due to its malleability. I have come to love this shape, and through Unit X I have expanded it further into creating taller and wider ones. It is diverse, simple yet elegant. I want to continue developing these in the future and if anyone is interested in discussing my work, please feel free to contact me.
