The AA2A scheme will allow me to further examine the expression of relationships through my silverware; nurturing and support is already a strong theme in many of my pieces and I would like to find out if they also need to be practical/functional pieces or merely hint at this as a possibility.  

I also plan to increase the scale of my work whilst following the same relationship theme to make larger statement pieces that are distinctly non-functional. 

The facilities I currently use are not suited to soldering on a large scale. Taking part in the AA2A scheme allows me to return to the creative environment of a silversmithing department and work through practical problems with scale and production. This will enable me to be more experimental and develop my work for applying to shows such as Goldsmiths and high end contemporary galleries

I am also interested in using CAD design for laser cutting multiples to translate flat cut-out designs from silver to larger scale production in steel or other materials. This is a more commercial idea and investigating this for my designs would allow me to decide whether this is a viable direction for my work. I also want to learn how to laser weld small scale silver pieces and find out how to apply this technique to my work.

The main outcomes I would like to achieve through the AA2A scheme are to develop one-off pieces that follow the relationship theme with or without a clear function, and a range of significantly larger statement pieces in the same theme. Learning new skills such as laser welding would also benefit my work.

'Best friends (and peridot bowl)'
silver & silver-plated bowls with peridot birth stone - 10cm