Gilly Langton working from her studio | Photography © Lydia Smith
Gilly Langton
Jewellery Designer
Gilly Langton’s work embodies the boldness at the heart of this exhibition. Inspired by the nautical forms of her coastal surroundings, her pieces are unapologetically powerful – echoing the spirit of those who draw creativity from the landscapes and communities around them.
Langton’s jewellery explores the relationship between hard and soft materials by combining crisp silver forms with layers of colourful hand-dyed elastic. Using traditional silversmithing skills, with hammers and a steel former, Langton chases textures and details into her work.
The nautical architecture she surrounds herself with, near her coastal Scottish home, is a constant source of inspiration for her pieces. The hollow forms and shapes of these structures allow for a lighter weight for the wearer in contrast to their strong sculptural forms and large, powerful shapes. The coiled elastic reflects the coils and knots of fishing ropes and combines techniques such as French knitting to add further form, tension and structure.
Biography
Gilly Langton is a contemporary jewellery designer based in the remote Highland village of Plockton on the West Coast of Scotland. With a background in traditional silversmithing and jewellery, Langton manipulates metals through fabrication of form and hand tool mark-making to create surface and texture, combining the strength of metal with the softness of hand dyed elastics.
The use of elastic became a key part of her work in 2001, after a desire to incorporate colour into a predominately silver practice. Following a research and development residency at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in 2010, Langton developed new dyeing processes which would propel her practice forward. Inspired by her nautical surroundings, engaging daily with the changing hues upon the seascapes and landscapes, each colour is a direct response to living and working in a small Highland fishing village.
Recent exhibitions include Goldsmiths’ Fair, London (2024); Uncommon Threads, Pistacios Contemporary Art Jewelry, Chicago (2024); Jewellery Exhibition Showcase, Contemporary Applied Arts, London (2023); MAD About Jewelry, Museum of Art and Design, New York (2021).