Stuart Cairns Recollection Silver, mixed media, 2013
02  Makers’ Works CultureCraft
Culture can be seen as shared behaviours and understanding between individuals within a community. This ranges from a universal culture of learned outlooks and experiences shared by a large group of people, through to the personal culture of the individual, which are shaped by their personal experiences and preferences. As an artist I draw upon the cultural associations of society in general, but frame them within my own individual culture, so while the objects I make are personal in nature, others are able to understand/read them through our shared social understanding. Objects have three aspects drawing upon cultural experiences- form, materiality and process. The principle forms I am interested in are utensils and vessels—the objects from the tradition of silversmithing which relate to the table, dining and eating. These activities have an essential place within human culture as eating is a principal activity of survival, therefore the viewer can connect with the associated forms through the suggestion of use. Also with their implied function relating to the hand they can suggest a very personal experience and interaction; a person can imagine lifting them and attempting to use them, again referencing a shared culture of use and function. The materiality of the objects I create spring from my own personal culture of experiencing the landscape, translating through the finds I make as I walk through it. Through this activity of walking and collecting I am physically lifting the landscape and translating it into the objects I make.
This part of my culture of practice therefore reflects where I am, the aspects and locations of which are liable to change as I travel and the environment itself changes. The manner in which I work and combine these found and fabricated materials through various processes is also important. The act of construction is revealed in how the materials are handled: often marks from filing, hammering and cutting are left visible, rather than being removed or hidden. Such marks imply the making process as part of the object itself. This is further highlighted by how the elements are joined, often with very visible mechanisms of pinning, tying, wrapping and riveting. These visible techniques and processes put the human hand in the production of the objects, referencing an on-going culture of making, familiar to both the collective and the individual. These three elements of familiar forms, materials and processes are combined in unfamiliar combinations, so while the individual elements are easily understood the composition is open to interpretation. The works arranged as a collection create further implied meanings as they sit side-by-side, illustrating possible relationships, contrasting and complimenting as they interact with each other. These collections of implied meaning allow the viewer to come to their own understanding of the pieces, referencing their own personal culture over the underlying culture we all share.