[Jewelry making - Article 00456] - Re: [Orchid] Article: Minimal Metalsmithing

[leonid surpin]

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>     It's really uncivil, it's beyond the pale, it's not what Orchid is
>     about. So, go ahead, now that everyone is out in the open, do tell. 

    Abomination is defined as intense aversion. I do not find it uncivil
    to be intently averted to PMC. 

    But to address the issue. 

    There are a lot of techniques available to artists to practice their
    art. PMC is just one of the techniques. But the fact that final
    product is a metal object does not make it a metalsmithing technique.
    There is nothing unique about working with PMC. Using the same
    methodology one can produce metal object, or clay object, or plastic,
    or whatever. 

    Metalsmithing, on the other hand, uses techniques which were derived
    from properties of the metal itself. Metalsmith creates form by
    employing his mastery of the medium. Metalsmith does not alter the
    medium, he improves it on the molecular level. Precious metals are
    soft and in raw state they are unsuitable to carry the gemstones or
    to be made in objects of structural integrity. Metalsmith imbues
    metals with required properties via application of traditional
    techniques. The final appearance of the object would have the
    telltale signs of methods employed. It could manifest itself in high
    degree of polish signifying excellent molecular structure, or
    hammering marks depicting method of production, or other shibboleth
    of creation. Metalsmith takes soft metal like silver and employing
    his understanding of work-hardening and spatial geometry creates
    long lasting objects of great beauty and utility like drinking
    vessels, teapots, and etc. 

    Application of these techniques are inseparable neither from the
    design, nor from final appearance. The traditional techniques of
    metalsmithing are not the means of achieving the result, they are
    the integral part of the object itself. PMC, on the other hand, does
    not carry the characteristics of its birth. One may like the final
    appearance, but it is a beauty skin dip. 

    PMC is inferior on many levels. In the future, issues like metal
    density and durability will be solved, but the philosophical barrier
    will always remain. If the objective is to make something which can
    be displayed, than PMC may be an alternative, but the Art goes
    deeper than that. Art is created in the process of understanding a
    natural phenomena. The item which is created is simply a by-product
    of the study, it is the process which is a true Art. 

Leonid Surpin.
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