Palaces of the Night, David Watkins

Recent Acquisition Label: Website, 2009, Susan Earle An example of David Watkins’ revolutionary approach to wearable art, this bangle or arm bracelet looks like a large sculpture but is actually just under six inches in diameter. It was exhibited at SOFA New York, an annual event showcasing sculptural objects and functional art, in 2006 before it joined the permanent collection at the Spencer. The artist is interested in the incorporation of new technologies and materials with more traditional jewelry and metalwork processes. This theme has been gaining momentum among artists working in so-called craft media over the past decades, and has grown to encompass explorations of digital design processes, industrial techniques and innovative materials. Watkins’ work has long reflected this dialogue, and his contribution to the changing landscape of contemporary metalwork through conceptual analysis of the expressive potential of technologically advanced techniques has been widely acknowledged. While pieces such as Palaces of the Night are created through processes that include use of computer-printed 3-D molds, laser welding and plasma coating with electron beams, they are also minimally finished in order to allow traces of the process to be part of the aesthetic whole. David Watkins is currently a research professor at the Royal College of Art in London, where he taught studio metalwork from 1984 until 2006. He shares a London studio with his wife, prolific sculptor and metalsmith, Wendy Ramshaw.