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Stephen Bottomley

Jeweller  /  MunichJewelleryWeek2024
Published: 02.10.2023

Bio

Stephen is a designer-maker, curator and academic.He holds a MPhil (Royal College of Art), on the subject ‘CAD/CAM and the Jeweller, Making with New Technology’ (2001), a MA Design (University of Brighton/ Rhode Island School of Design exchange), a BA Hons 3D-design (West Surrey College of Art and Design) and a BTEC Foundation (Hastings College of Art). Stephen was Professor of Jewellery Cultures and Innovation (2017-22) at Birmingham City University (BCU) as the first inaugural head of the Institute for Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles. He joined in 2017 as Head of School of Jewellery where he authored a successful Queen’s Anniversary Award for Higher Education submission in 2019. Previously Head of Department of Jewellery and Silversmithing at Edinburgh College of Art (2008-17) and Post graduate Design Research co-ordinator (2014-17) post-merger with the University of Edinburgh. Stephen’s jewellery has been widely exhibited and is held in the National Museums of Scotland and British Museum and the Cominelli Foundation Collection, Italy.
 

Statement

My jewellery is rooted equally in the past as the present. I am inspired by historical contexts, origins, and the traditions of the goldsmiths’ craft and how their creative possibilities can be extended by modern technology. Form, pattern,colour, surface, proportion, and rhythm are all important elements in the vocabulary of my jewellery in both precious and non-precious materials. Recent work has evolved from a captivation with vitreous enamel, a long-lasting and intoxicating material with a rich historical tradition but one open to contemporary interpretations through modern applications. I have become entranced by enamel’s ability to transform surfaces through soft saturating colour and the hard brilliance of glass. It possesses the power to animate inert pattern and shape with light, warmth, and reflected movement.
 

CV      View / hide description

Events      View / hide events

2024:
Exhibition  25 Oct 2024 - 27 Oct 2024  Cultures of Making. Glasgow School of Art at Grassimesse Leipzig.
Exhibition  07 Sep 2024 - 31 Oct 2024  AGCpunto24. Contemporary Stories in Tarragona.
Exhibition  06 Jul 2024 - 13 Jul 2024  AGCpunto24. Contemporary Stories.
2023:
Exhibition  26 Oct 2023 - 02 Mar 2024  Satellite by Stephen Bottomley.
Exhibition  26 Sep 2023 - 13 Oct 2023  Devotional Jewellery in Barcelona.
Exhibition  28 Jun 2023 - 01 Jul 2023  Glasgow School of Art. Degree Show 2023.
2022:
Exhibition  25 Nov 2022 - 16 Feb 2023  Devotional Jewellery.
2020:
Open call  17 Feb 2020 - 30 Jun 2020  Open call for submission of Article and Exhibition Review.
Exhibition  13 Feb 2020 - 14 Mar 2020  Voyagers.
2019:
Exhibition  07 Nov 2019 - 03 Jan 2020  Connections/Connessioni.
Exhibition  18 Oct 2019 - 28 Oct 2019  Beijing International Jewelry Art Exhibition 2019.
Exhibition  14 Oct 2019 - 01 Nov 2019  Space. Craft by Stephen Bottomley.
Exhibition  03 Sep 2019 - 09 Sep 2019  Birmingham City School of Jewellery. MA Degree Show 2019.
Open call  31 Jul 2019 - 09 Sep 2019  Open Call for Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at School of Jewellery.
Exhibition  21 Feb 2019 - 17 Mar 2019  FERROcity. A contemporary exhibition of iron in the city.
2018:
Open call  02 May 2018 - 01 Jun 2018  Position at School of Jewellery for Artist in Residence 2018.
Award  21 Mar 2018 - 24 Mar 2018  Amberif Design Award 2018.
Exhibition  07 Mar 2018 - 11 Mar 2018  Like a Rolling Stone.
Award giving  03 Feb 2018 - 03 Feb 2018  Amberif Design Award 2018 Winners.
2017:
Meeting  29 Nov 2017 - 29 Nov 2017  Rethinking Domestic Design.
Open call  16 Nov 2017 - 26 Jan 2018  Open Call. Amberif Design Award 2018.
Meeting  15 Sep 2017 - 16 Sep 2017  Canadian Craft Biennial Symposium 2017.
Exhibition  02 Sep 2017 - 10 Sep 2017  Birmingham City School of Jewellery. MA Degree Show 2017.
Open call  01 Sep 2017 - 01 Oct 2017  Position for a Lecturer at the School of Jewellery.
Open call  03 Jul 2017 - 31 Jul 2017  Position for a Lecturer in Gemmology at the School of Jeweller.
Award  22 Mar 2017 - 25 Mar 2017  Amberif Design Award 2017.
2016:
Open call  21 Nov 2016 - 06 Feb 2017  Open Call. Amberif Design Award 2017.
Open call  14 Nov 2016 - 20 Jan 2017  20:20 Visions Conference. Call for Papers.
Lectures  10 Jun 2016 - 10 Jun 2016  Three contemporary Italian Goldsmiths.
Open call  15 Apr 2016 - 23 May 2016  Artist in Residence programme 2016 at Edinburgh College of Art.
2015:
Exhibition  12 Dec 2015 - 28 Feb 2016  Heat Exchange 2 at St. Andrews Museum.
Exhibition  12 Sep 2015 - 08 Nov 2015  Heat Exchange 2 at Cardiff.
Exhibition  20 Jun 2015 - 09 Oct 2015  Black on Black.
2014:
Exhibition  17 Oct 2014 - 16 Nov 2014  Émaux at this Moment.
Exhibition  09 Oct 2014 - 12 Oct 2014  Shanghai Design Week: Metalsmithing & Jewelry Art Exhibition.
Exhibition  22 Apr 2014 - 08 Jun 2014  Legnica Jewellery Festival Silver.
2013:
Exhibition  01 Nov 2013 - 03 Nov 2013  Edinburgh College of Art at Connect, Sofa Chicago.
Open call  26 Jun 2013 - 01 Sep 2013  Beijing International Jewelry Art Biennial 2013.
2012:
Exhibition  07 Nov 2012 - 28 Nov 2012  Stephen Bottomley: Retrospective.
Award  01 Sep 2012 - 03 Oct 2012  Cominelli Foundation Award 2012.
Exhibition  11 Jul 2012 - 26 Aug 2012  Badges & Buttons, Waistcoats & Vests.
Exhibition  03 May 2012 - 30 May 2012  Heat Exchange.
Exhibition  12 Mar 2012 - 30 Mar 2012  Diamond Jubilee Exhibition 2012.
Exhibition  09 Mar 2012 - 14 Apr 2012  Die Renaissance des Emaillierens.
2011:
Exhibition  06 Oct 2011 - 05 Nov 2011  Surface and Substance.
Exhibition  08 May 2011 - 12 Jun 2011  Silver Schools at Legnica Jewellery Festival.
2009:
Exhibition  06 Aug 2009 - 06 Sep 2009  Contemporary Jewellery from Italy.
2008:
Exhibition  27 Feb 2008 - 30 Mar 2008  Enamel Experience - International Badges Exhibition.
2007:
Exhibition  15 Dec 2007 - 06 Jan 2008  TECH-TILE.

Publications      View / hide publications

Book:  Silver Meetings 2. Contemporary Jewellery in Legnica 2012 - 2019. Gallery of Art in LegnicaGallery of Art in Legnica:  Legnica,  2019
Book:  Like a Rolling Stone. Bottomley, StephenBirmingham City University:  Birmingham,  2018
Book:  New Brooches: 400+ Contemporary Jewellery Designs. Estrada, NicolasPromopress:  Barcelona,  2018
Book:  New Necklaces: 400+ Contemporary Designs. Nicolas EstradaPromopress:  United Kingdom,  2016
Book:  Reworthit!. Bottomley, Stephenblurb.com:  2010
Book:  Tech-tile: Stephen Bottomley. Sheffield Hallam University and Musei Civi Veneziani:  Sheffield,  2008
Book:  Jewellers the Directory. Turrel, J (ed)A&C Black:  2007
ISBN 978 0 7136 8409 4
Magazine:  Digit to the digital, Digital Creativity. Swets & Zetlinger:  2001
Vol 12. Authored paper