Big Beautiful Vase II - Lucian Taylor

Big Beautiful Vase II, Lucian Taylor, 2010. Image © Nick Moss

Object Details

Date of making: 2010
Date of acquisition: 2011
Technique/Process: Computer Aided Design (CAD), welding, hydroforming
Materials: Sterling silver
Dimensions: H355mm x W160mm x L160mm
Collection Number: M83

Maker Details

Birthplace: London, England
Place Trained: Royal College of Art, London, MA in Goldsmithing and Silversmithing
Studio: Studio E174, 1st Floor, Block B, Commercial Square, Leigh Street, High Wycombe, HP11 2RH, England
Awards: Crafts Council Setting Up Grant, 1995
Link: website -->

About

Lucian Taylor is skilled in traditional silversmithing techniques such as raising, forging, spinning, pressing and soldering but also employs experimental processes. For this work, panels of sheet metal were joined together and then inflated to a plump fullness. Seams of earlier pieces had been flame welded and inflated by steam pressure, occasionally resulting in rupture. This is what makes Big Beautiful Vase II special. Its seams are TIG welded, resulting in a stronger, more ductile joint, and the inflating is done by hydroforming with high-pressure water, which does not explode. This allowed Taylor to confidently inflate the piece to a ‘riper’ form.

Lucian Taylor
says...

“Big Beautiful Vase II was one of the first substantial pieces I made using TIG welding to connect panels of sheet metal. They were inflated by hydroforming. The pleasure and the pain of the hydroforming process is never being able to fully predict the final shape of the piece. I was delighted with how Big Beautiful Vase II worked out and am pleased that it is represented in the Crafts Council Collection.