Event by JSOS.
Guest Speaker – Prof. Emerita Sandra Wilson,
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, part of the University of Dundee
Date – Monday 9th of June 2025
NEW Venue – G43, Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh
Also available online via Zoom
Japanese artisans over the years have created a whole class of
coloured metal alloys called irogane that are involved in the creation of functional and decorative objects. Gold in Japan was never abundant, and Japan’s frequent sumptuary laws also meant that gold was always a metal to be used sparingly. This has contemporary relevance for working with precious metals that are increasingly endangered, and specifically for working with metal recovered from electronic waste.
The talk will be based on Sandra’s research working with third and fifth-generation metalsmiths in Tokyo in 2023. This research was supported by the Daiwa Foundation.
Following her talk she will demonstrate the damascening technique nunome zogan which translates as ‘fabric inlay’, and uses chisels to create a cross- hatched effect into which thin gold foils are secured with a chopstick!