Potter, Laura, Goldsmiths, University of London

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Laura Potter BA (Hons) MA RCA

Position held:
Lecturer

Phone:
+44 (0)20 7717 2290

Fax:
+44 (0)20 7919 7797

Email:
l.potter (@gold.ac.uk)

Teaching

BA Design

Research interests

Laura Potter is a practising jeweller, who lectures at Goldsmiths College and the Royal College of Art. Her jewellery work is concerned with the personal (private) relationships that develop between people and their possessions. Early pieces incorporated ideas of health and wellbeing and these have gradually developed into an exploration of the emotional and psychological support provided by jewellery, particularly with regard to loss and remembrance. Laura employs a wide range of precious and non-precious materials, and often incorporates found or used objects that add to the sense that each piece has its own biography.

Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Crafts Council (London, 1998), The Bluecoat Display Centre (Liverpool, 2001), Gallery Marzee (The Netherlands, 2005) and Barrett Marsden (London, 2007). In 2007 she was selected for Alchemy – Contemporary Jewellery from Britain, which was the first British Council exhibition to tour the Middle East. Recent commissions have included a series of works for the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery.

In 2007 Laura completed an AHRC funded project entitled My Life in a Sock Drawer, which examines the potential for designers to engage with the emotional significance of objects and focuses on the storage of sentimental jewellery. It traces the relationship between unworn jewellery and identity, and the means by which women use jewellery to access and evidence their life experiences.

To view a selection of work visit www.laurapotter.co.uk
To view My Life in a Sock Drawer visit www.unwornjewellery.com

Recent Exhibitions
2007          European Jewellery : Ostfeld Art Centre, Oslo, Norway
2007          Then and Now : Barrett Marsden Gallery, London, UK
2007          Alchemy : British Council Exhibition, Oman; Bahrain; Saudi Arabia; Yemen; UAE
2006          Objects in Waiting : End Gallery, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
2005          Contents : Crafts Council Gallery Shop, London, UK
2005          Ceremony : The Pumphouse Gallery, London, UK
2005          New work : Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, Netherlands
2004          Self : Craftspace Touring Exhibition, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham, UK
2004          What is Craft? : The Hub, Lincs, UK
2003          Treasure (collaboration) : The Pearoom Centre, Lincs, UK

Recent Projects

2007 Alchemy Workshops : Yemen + Dubai
The British Council Touring exhibition ‘Alchemy’ was accompanied by artist-led workshops in each host country. For Sana’a – the capital of Yemen – Potter was invited to develop and deliver a short workshop for a group of young women. The focus of the workshop was on the use of non-precious materials, in a culture where gold, silver and stones predominate, and where women are largely excluded from professional craft training opportunities.

2006-7 Archive Commission : Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery
Commissioned to produce works in response to the FNSNM archive. The work developed into five neckpieces, each addressing an aspect of Florence’s life and work, which utilised a variety of materials and techniques. Over the next few years these pieces will tour a series of nursing schools, and will eventually be donated to the FN Museum in Waterloo.

2005-7 My Life in a Sock Drawer: unworn jewellery and identity
Grant awarded for research project concerned with the role of jewellery in connecting individuals through sentimental attachment, and concentrating on the means by which individuals store or safeguard unworn jewellery of personal significance. The project focuses specifically on women who regard jewellery as a means by which they can access and evidence their life experiences and examines the potential to design new artefacts that reflect, mediate or enhance the transactions between owner and object (details available at www.unwornjewellery.com).

2004 Action-research project : Craftspace Touring, Birmingham
‘This is me’ was an action-research project developed in partnership with Craftspace Touring, as part of their 2004 touring exhibition ‘Self’. The project involved working with a group of individuals based at Focus Foyer in Birmingham, and provided a series of jewellery workshops for people aged 18-24, based around the exploration of ‘self’ and perceptions of beauty.

2004 Craftsense Commission : Bilston Craft Gallery
New pieces were commissioned as part of the gallery’s regeneration scheme, and are now on permanent display within the space. The brief was specifically concerned with integrating the techniques of local manufacturing industries with the production of a contemporary artefact, and at widening participation for visitors with visual and other impairments.

Grants & awards

2005 AHRC Small Grant

Professional activities