Helen Carnac

BA (Hons)

Senior Lecturer in Silversmithing and Jewellery, Mixed Media

RAE Outcomes

Teaching
Drawing; drawing as language; vitreous enamelling; Industrial enamel processes; values and sustainability in the metal arena.

Research Interests
Process and ways of working; making and curating; drawing as an intellectual act, especially in relation to non-verbal discourse; exploration of industrial vitreous enamel and processes on copper and steel plates; sustainability, ethics and values within the arena of metals in the global context.

Academic Esteem

2008 - Invited artist and lecturer, University of East Carolina, North Carolina, USA

2007 - Invited artist and lecturer, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA; University of East Carolina, North Carolina, USA; Millersville University, Pennsylvania, USA

2007-2010 - External Examiner in Contemporary Crafts, at University College Falmouth

2006 - Invited Peer reviewer for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for ongoing applications

2003 - Invited visiting Artist, Enamel Research Centre, University of West of England, Bristol

2005-2008 - External Examiner in BA Design Crafts, Staffordshire University, Dept. of Art, Media and Design

2004/2006 - Director and Co-chair of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery Conference 2006 - Carry the Can

2004 - Judge for Association for Contemporary Jewellery Prize at New Designers

Selected Exhibitions

2008 - Elizabeth Turrell and Helen Carnac, University of East Carolina, North Carolina, USA

2008 - Playing with Fire, Juried Enamel exhibition, Devon Guild and touring

2008 - Collect, V&A, London

2007 - Process Works - 5 Jewellers, University of Hertfordshire Galleries and touring

2007 - Medals, curated by Elizabeth Turrell, Museum der Arbeit, Hamburg and touring

2007 - Collect, V&A, London

2007 - Anti War Medals, Thomas Mann, New Orleans

2006 - Collect, V&A, London

2004 - Anti War Medals, Curated by Velvet Da Vinci, Touring: Electrum London, Norway, and USA

2004 - Solo show, Open Eye, Edinburgh

2003 - Celebrating Education, Contemporary Applied Arts, London

2003 - David Gates and Helen Carnac, Flow, London

2003 - Diaspora Cymreig, Ruthin Gallery, touring and catalogue

2003 - Chess, Velvet Da Vinci, San Francisco and touring

2001/2 - Home Sweet Home, group show, curated by Lesley Jackson for the British Council and touring to: QUT, Brisbane; RMIT, Melbourne; Jam Factory, Adelaide; Object, Sydney; Museum of Art & Design, Helsinki; Osknehallen, Copenhagen; Kulturhuset, Stockholm

2001 - Broaching the Home, Gallery Tactus, Copenhagen, Denmark

2001 - Elements: Five British Metalsmiths, Galleri metal, Copenhagen, Denmark and Galleri Metallum, Stockholm

2001 - Dialogue, Unit 1, LGU, London

Seminar and Conference Development

2007 - Carry the Can seminar, The Women’s Library, London

2007 - Process Works Seminar, The Language of Making, The Women’s Library, London

2007 - Dialogue - A walk and talk about collections, A CoLLection event for Crafts Council at the V&A

2006 - Association for Contemporary Jewellery Conference, 2006: Director and Co-chair of steering committee. Developed from HEIM Seminar

2006 - V&A Symposium introducing Carry the Can

2005 - Jerwood Debates, In collaboration with the Crafts Council, Jerwood Foundation and London Metropolitan University. A series of debates focussing on the future of metal

2003-2006 - Creating a Happy Living

2002 - HEIM (Honour, Ethics, Integrity and Morality) One-day seminar

Papers and talks

2007 - Process Works, in conversation with Paul Harper, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth

2007 - Process Works, The Women’s Library, London and University of Herts

2006 - Carry the Can, The Brewery, London

2006 - The Poetics of Making, South West Arts, commissioned by Paul Harper, ALIAS

2005 - Talking about Talking, South West Guilds, Dartington Hall. Commissioned by Paul Harper, ALIAS

2005 - Navigating the London Art Scene, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Commissioned by Artquest

Public Collections

2005 - Racine Art Museum permanent collection, Wisconsin, USA.

Public Commissions

2005 - Collaborative commission with David Gates: Permanent installation of Furniture with enamel for Bilston Craft Gallery: Wolverhampton City Art Galleries

2005 - Lead Artist, Artquest, London: Forum project: lead debate on Contemporary Craft practice

Publications

Process Works - 5 Jewellers, Site Projects, 2007 (ISBN 13 978—0-9554379-1-5)

Diaspora Cymreig, Makers of welsh origin working outside of Wales, Denbighshire County Council, Ruthin Craft Centre, 2002 (ISBN-10: 1900941503, ISBN-13: 978-1900941501)

Form: Contemporary craft in Wales (Ed. Ceri Jones), Wales Art International, 2003 (ISBN-10: 0954513029 ISBN-13: 978-0954513023)

Journal articles

Elaine Patterson, Home News, Metro, London, January 2003

Prisca Degroat, Inspired by London, GZ Magazine, March 2003, pp 24-26

Signpost, The Artist’s Information Company, 2002

Review articles

Caroline Roux, Design Dispatches, All present at Collect, The Guardian Weekend, February 11, 2006, p65

Mark Lewis, Process Works: An exploration of the creative inspiration and developmental work of five contemporary jewellers, Findings, June 2007, p7

Shelby Ferris Patrick, Carry the Can, Findings, Autumn 2007, p1

Home Sweet Home, Ceramics in Society, Autumn 2001, pp 80-82

British Designers, The Basel Magazine, February 2001, p54