In January 2005 Scottish maker, BETH LEGG, took part in a group exhibition entitled ‘Contemporary Objects from Edinburgh’ which was displayed in Kyoto and Tokyo. Beth reports on the exhibition.

While in the process of completing my Masters in Edinburgh College of Art I came into contact with Takahiro Kondo a Japanese ceramicist on a state sponsored programme at the college. This link developed into a collaborative project which was exhibited in Kondo’s solo exhibition in The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh.

It was this connection that grew into the proposal of a group exhibition entitledContemporary Objects from Edinburgh. The exhibition included three Japanese makers and three Scottish makers. Jewellery artists included Yoriko Mitsuhashi, Grace Girvan, Chiaki Kamikawa and collaborative work from jeweler Sue Cross and glass artist Keiko Mukaide. Contemporary Objects from Edinburgh was not only an interdisciplinary exhibition but an intercultural one also.

The exhibition opened in Art Space Kan in Kyoto for one week. This was a traditional Japanese space with tatami mat floors and paper walls and proved both an interesting and challenging space to display small works in. The exhibition was then transported to Tokyo’s Gallery Wattsu and was open for a further week. This space was in contrast modern, with a steel and concrete interior which had a completely different feel to the traditional space of Gallery Kan. These differences were reflected in the general feel of the two cities also.

The exhibition was commercially successful for all makers involved; this kind of work was new for the Japanese market as ‘Art Jewellery’ is surprisingly new concept to Japan. I found the whole experience a very enlightening insight into the exhibition process in Japan and the set-up process from beginning to end. It was a wonderful opportunity for me as a maker to take my work from the production process and to see the people who bought my pieces. I would like to take this opportunity to thank HI~Arts for their support with funding from the Makers Awards Scheme, without which this venture would not have been possible.

Beth can be contacted at bfaraway@hotmail.com  or on 07810 273 455.