Making jewellery Shine at the Bluecoat
Local children are being given the chance to work with jewellery artist Anthony Wong – and design a unique pendant worn by the new Lady Mayoress of Liverpool.
The project is the latest stage in the Shine programme run by the Bluecoat and Yorkshire Bank in Liverpool, which encourages young people to participate in the 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations.
To design a special pendant for the Lady Mayoress (pictured here), entrants are invited call into the Bluecoat or visit www.shineatthebluecoat.org.uk, where they can find hints and tips.
The competition is open to 11 to 16-year-olds and six lucky winners will get to participate in a masterclass at the Bluecoat, working with contemporary jewellery designer Anthony Wong to create the final pendant to be worn by the Lady Mayoress. The finished piece will also go on display in the newly re-opened Display Centre at the Bluecoat.
Only four weeks into her role as Lady Mayoress, Sandra Rotheram commented: “I’m really flattered to be asked and am looking forward to meeting the creators. My husband is loving his new role as Lord Mayor and we want to get involved in as much as we can around the city. My two daughters are 10 and 12 and they adore jewellery, so it will be exciting to see something designed and crafted.”
Anthony Wong has his studio at the Bluecoat and his work will be featured at the prestigious Liverpool Design show. He has recently exhibited at Velvet Da Vinci in San Fancisco (in an exchange exhibition West meets West curated by the Display Centre at the Bluecoat.)
Anthony comments: “Shine is a great opportunity- for the Bluecoat, myself and for the young designers it is aimed at – a consultation with the Lady Mayoress should prove to be an interesting interview, I am sure I will be able to tease enough information to produce an exciting and glamorous brief, for our young designers to work with. The opportunity to pass on knowledge, proficiency and skills is a particularly holistic experience for me, and it’s one way to promote thoughtful, good design and keep it flourishing.”
Ian Spink, managing partner of Yorkshire Bank in Liverpool, said: ‘We’ve had a fantastic response to the project and are proud to be supporting arts and culture in the city.’
Shine at the Bluecoat in association with Yorkshire Bank is a changing monthly creative activity. The results of the first Shine can now be seen in the front courtyard at the Bluecoat, in the form of ‘Lamsa’, a specially painted Superlambanana inspired by the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival. The second Shine competition has had hundreds of creative writers scribing the first page of a spy novel, and in August the theme will be ‘face-dancing’.