Special Marks Adorn Public Art Commission in Sheffield
Published: 13th January 2023
Sheffield Assay Office were delighted to hear that Coralie Turpin had received a special commendation in 2022, the Keith Hayman Award for Public Art. Two of Coralie's latest works were nominated for the prize, which was awarded at the Sheffield Design Awards in November.
To help with her award-winning pieces, Coralie used the resources in the library and archives here at Sheffield Assay Office, looking at early silversmithing registers and trade catalogues with our Librarian and Curator, Emma Paragreen.
Cosmos Building Moasaics ‘Vertical Superposition’ is a 6m tall Stainless steel and mosaic sculpture comprising of 5 vertical columns (on Thomas St) and 5 entrance floor panels (on the corner of Fitzwilliam St and Moore St) and was commissioned by Fusion Students for the new five block building, housing thousands of students.
Coralie’s work was selected from an open call due to her professional standards in architectural metal and mosaics. Her proposal included connections to Sheffield’s outdoor city and heritage. She researched local historical and contemporary silversmiths and notable companies from the area, relevant registration marks and location marks. Our Assay Master, Ashley Carson gave special permission for some of the marks to be used on non-precious metals and other makers were contacted to see if they would be happy for their marks to be used in the design. The office were delighted to see the town mark for Sheffield used within the final design!
Coralie designed metal trays to contain the mosaics with polished stainless steel edges and 3-dimensional blade like inserts. Silversmith Owen Waterhouse created the fabrication and laser cutting drawings. Local professional artist Jason Thomson carved the registration marks in wood which were then cast in bronze to form part of the mosaic design.
The work was installed in July 2022. You can find out more about Coralie’s work via her website: coralieturpin.co.uk
The Sheffield Assay Office was established in 1773, under an Act of Parliament and today the company assays and hallmarks the precious metals - silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Sheffield Assay Office is one of only four UK assay offices who all work to uphold the Hallmarking Act of 1973 and continue to ensure consumer protection for customers purchasing precious metals.
To find out more about the whole range of services offered by Sheffield Assay Office, such as our hallmarking and analytical services, please email us at info@assayoffice.co.uk or complete the contact form on our website at http://www.assayoffice.co.uk/contact-us,
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