Contemporary jewellery exhibited at the City Museum
The City Council's museums service has joined forces with the annual open studios weekend called Making Merry organised by Winchester City Council's cultural services division. This event showcases artists and craftspeople living and working in Winchester and the surrounding district and takes place this year on the weekend of the 17, 18 and 19 November.
Featured on the programme for this year will be a display of pieces in the City Museum by contemporary goldsmith and designer Manu Kugler. Manu has taken inspiration from artefacts in the collection at the museum. She said, "The museum artefacts inspired my work and I like the idea of giving something new life in a different context."
Manu has taken inspiration from the city's moot horn, ivory roman combs, Saxon art designs and Roman mosaics. The jewellery is fashioned from silver, gold and brass.
Sher Kent, Visitor Services Manager for Winchester Museums, commented on the jewellery display, "This is a terrific way of interpreting history: it's visually very exciting and a little unusual for our visitors. Many authors, artists and creative thinkers have been inspired by objects in museums, and this helps to give new life to our wonderful museum collection in Winchester."
Manu, who is German and has been living in the district for the past three years, will be on hand during the weekend to show visitors how a design progresses from the drawing board to the finished article. Items on display will be for sale and she will be taking commissions for new work.
Cllr Patricia Stallard, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and Sport, said, "This is a very interesting display for the museum and it is rewarding to see someone create something new from historic items held in the museums collections. We hope it will bring new visitors to the museum and intrigue some of our regulars."
The jewellery will be exhibited at the City Museum on 17, 18 and 19 November only.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am - 4pm, Sun: noon - 4pm
For further information contact: Sher Kent on tel 01962 848 557 or email skent@winchester.gov.uk