Member of the Month: Beate Gegenwart
‘I discovered that sometimes the ‘in-between lines’ is as important as the line itself’
(On Line, Catherine de Zegher, p. 118)
My work is centred on the exploration of identity, belonging, and the intangible spaces between people and places. Working predominantly with metal— steel and vitreous enamel, etched copper and brass—and incorporating works on paper, I create pieces that reflect on borders, crossings, rhythms and water, always water. Language too occupies an important part in my work, the idea of the ‘translator’ and the use of the ‘mother tongue’ as orientation, home and dwelling rather than physical location.
I grew up along the big European rivers of Rhine and Main and now live adjacent to the sea, witnessing the powerful to and fro of the Atlantic every day, mirroring my experience of movement and displacement. These huge, formidable masses of water increasingly have a profound influence on myself and my work.
My chosen materials of metal and vitreous enamel offer me the structural stability (metal) to work large, as well as the subtle fragility of glass to reflect my felt experience as an immigrant. I am passionate about this under-represented material of enamel, particularly at scale. It is hard, opaque, transparent in places, yet may appear soft, glowing. It allows me to work in subtle layers, developed by drawing, incising, abrading, revealing the underneath. Firing the pieces several times and submitting metal and glass to the fire, an alchemy happens, the unexpected, the element of chance.
The British Society of Enamellers has a broad membership, encompassing levels of expertise from enamel students to professional level enamellers. Our aim is to promote the highest standards of contemporary design and workmanship in all aspects of this unique and exciting medium.
UK based, the BSOE has international connections and offers exhibition opportunities, bursaries, an online gallery, industry discounts, workshops and events for its members.
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