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CV
Education:
Sept 2012- Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield
Feb 2014 MA Design: Metalwork and Jewellery
Sept 2003- Buckinghamshire Chilterns University
June 2006 College, High Wycombe
BA Hons Designed Metalwork and Jewellery
Second class honours (upper division) 2:1
Commissions:
2018 Pair of silver whisky tumblers
2016 3 Copper Shots
Selected Exhibitions & Fairs:
2018 Lustre at Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
2018 Shine 2018, Goldsmiths Centre, London
2018 Goldsmiths Fair, London
2018 Plate Up, Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey
2017 Goldsmiths Fair, London
2017 Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey
2017 BCTF with Design Factory, Harrogate
2016 Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Manchester
2016 Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey
2016 ‘Form’ at The Goldsmiths Centre, London
2015 The Art Market, Holmfirth
2015 Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Manchester
2015 Summer Design Collection at Roger Bilcliffe Gallery, Glasgow
2014 New Designers – Business Design Centre, Islington
2014 I AM MA – Sheffield Hallam University
2006 New Designers – Business design centre, Islington
Competitions and Awards
2017 Goldsmiths Fair Graduate Bursary
2016 Crafts Council Hothouse 2016
2014 The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths’ precious metal bursary
2013 The Cutler’s Company in Hallamshire & The Worshipful Company of Armourers & Brasiers: education award
2006 The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths precious metal bursary
2005 Pewter Live student competition, shortlisted
Melissa Montague
Metalsmith
“For as long as I can remember - thanks to my mum and her creative ways - I have made things ranging from candles, cards, and dried flower arrangements to wire and bead earrings that I chose from local bead shops. My grandfather was a farmer and keen metal detectorist, inspiring my interest in metal and its durability. One of the fields on the farm, which we called the Roman field, was a great resource for our materials.
In my practice, I explore traditional silversmithing techniques such as hammer-raising and forging to create artefacts for use or simple enjoyment. I primarily work with silver, copper, and brass to create vessel forms and spoons. With hammer marks and oxidisation, I create different surface textures which provide visually pleasing effects. These often compliment my metal objects with contrasting materials such as wood and concrete in the form of a plinth, a conscious encouragement for the user to display these pieces.
I am fascinated by the definitions and meanings of function, and how these relate to scale. For example, my smaller pieces are beginning to explore the meanings of function via ‘affordances’, a concept I discovered while studying. An affordance is a feature that allows you to perform an action e.g. a button is something you press or a knob will be turned. We seem to be conditioned to recognise such functions, knowing what to do when we encounter them. As a result, I am very interested in the idea of a ‘false affordance’, a feature that does not perform the action one would expect. So much of daily life is spent doing things almost mindlessly, so I find it enthralling to encourage the user to re-focus and connect with what is in front of them.”
Visit Cupola Gallery for more details or contact:
174-178a
Middlewood Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield,
S6 1TD
Tel. (0114) 285 2665
Opening Times Mon - Sat 10-6