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Exhibition preview: The Bug Bazaar, Millennium Gallery, Museums Sheffield, January 17 – April 26 2009
“This is a bit of a generalisation, but a lot of craft shows tend to be seen as quite girly,” observes Rowena Hamilton, accounting for the philosophy behind her new exhibition at Sheffield’s Millennium Gallery.
“Textiles are seen as being quite feminine, so we were interested in trying a craft and design show that mixed various contemporary and historic items and might potentially appeal to a slightly different audience from a traditional craft one.”
Georgina Griffiths, Buzz Vase, 2008. Pic © Georgina Griffiths
It’s fair to say that Hamilton’s Bugs Bazaar could appear to attract a certain type of audience upon first glance. Shows about creepy crawlies are a feature of family exhibition programmes across the year, but the Bazaar’s focus is on contemporary art from genuine luminaries of the field across various mediums.
John Dilnot, Garden Pests (detail), 2006. Pic © John Dilnot
There are Chinese ivories from the 18th and 19th centuries, original decorative art and watercolours from the collections Museums Sheffield is renowned for holding, coin-operated walking robots suspended in cases and an exhibit from celebrity jeweller Stephen Webster, whose clients include Christina Aguilera, Pink and Sienna Miller.
Stephen Webster's one-off Bug Me ring in white gold with chrysocola white diamonds, black sapphires and onyx. Pic © Stephen Webster
“He’s more famous for providing bling to adorn rock stars,” admits Hamilton. “We’ve got a ring from his Fly By Night collection which is called the Bug Me ring. It’s a little diamond-encrusted beetle. We just phoned up the boutique on the off-chance, and they were kind enough to lend us one.”
The exhibition examines both the challenges artists have faced in representing insects and the scale and colour of the creatures, who Hamilton calls “living jewels.”
Claire Moynihan, Wasp Ball, detail from collection, hand embroidered alpaca wool felt ball. Pic: Phil Wilkins
“It’s a mixture of a timely selection of things that I’ve come across in the last few years, but also a trend that I’ve spotted and have been interested in for a long time,” says Hamilton.
“The emphasis has been on either the quality of the design idea or the quality of the craftsmanship. There’s so much out there that I really feel like we’ve plucked the best and most interesting pieces from a broad range of different design disciplines.”
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