From Spiral Galaxies to Whorls of Wire: A Conversation with Victoria Lansford
by Rauni Higson
3D Filigree pendant on a Roman chain
22k gold, sterling silver, fine silver, Koroit opal
2.75 x 1.5 x .625 in, 22 in chain
Private collection
Victoria Lansford’s striking use of filigree to create complex sculptural forms evokes ethereal forces of nature, cosmic storms, and manifestations of the invisible threads holding together the universe. While I grew up knowing the Nordic tradition of filigree well and was drawn in by its details – domed shapes filled with endless, regular spirals of twisted wire – Victoria’s approach feels entirely unique and contemporary.
And yet, Victoria’s work builds meaningfully on filigree’s past, including a long history of open backed filigree objects from the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries such as miniature cars and delicate lady’s shoes. What is so powerful is not a denial of tradition, but instead how she steps away from it. Victoria creates this precious material – with its seemingly delicate structural frames of flowing curves and, crucially, the spaces between them – then manipulates it further into three-dimensions, until it flows over and entwines with itself. I find this approach new and arresting, and, in how it is balanced between presence and absence, deeply appealing.
3D filigree pendant on a Roman chain, 2016
Sterling, fine silver, 22k gold, .25 carat rose cut diamond
1.625 x 1.625 x 0.625 in
Private collection
It comes as little surprise, then, to discover that Victoria has a deep fascination with the cosmos. During the conversation from which this text is adapted, she spoke of gazing at the moon from her swing set as a child and wanting to go there. She found comfort and belonging in the vastness of space, rather than the realization of her own insignificance, as many articulate the feeling when faced with its expanse.
As Victoria shared,
The metal that we turn into something malleable was actually cooked in one of those star nebulas. And working with it forms a wild, ethereal, but very real connection.
Victoria Lansford*
Russian filigree earrings, 2015
Sterling, fine silver
1.5 x 1.375 x 0.625 in
She makes this connection manifest by linking countless individual pieces into larger flowing objects where
The negative space that is created by the filigree structure itself is as important – in some ways, almost more important – than the positive space of the wire. It makes or breaks a composition.
There is no place for regularity or straight lines. Instead, contrast and flow are woven together into translucent structures of object and space, matter and dark matter, the very forces that hold the universe together.
Changing Scale
For Victoria, pushing the boundaries of filigree is only one aspect of her practice.
Russian filigree champagne flute,
2008
Sterling, fine silver, blown glass
8 x 2.5 x 3.5 in
I’ve always been obsessed with metalwork on a large scale. When I look at metalwork to find inspiration, I’m more likely to look at art objects, useful objects, and architecture than I am to look only at jewelry. Otherwise, it’s very easy to keep making what’s already been done.
Victoria’s work is striking for her fearlessness in changing scale. She works comfortably across the micro-detailed intricacy of carefully orchestrated granulation to the grandeur of large-scale architectural interiors. A great deal of trouble can come with changing scale – ranging from the physical to the technical to the conceptual – and few metalsmiths manage it as successfully as she does. Rather than finding herself bogged down by balancing these demands, Victoria creates each of her unique pieces with an exhaustive attention to detail, as well as a keen eye for what might enrich an object in a rare and precious way.
panel for the Turtle Doors for a custom superyacht
Eastern repoussé panels, wrapped around frames to create electric, sliding, pocket doors to cover the media screen in the lounge of a bespoke, 69 meter superyacht, 2017
Copper, wood, pigment, and aluminum
61 x 82 x 3 in
Private collection
Fusion Cuisine
It is immediately apparent that Victoria relishes combining techniques in unexpected ways, giving rise to wide-ranging and cohesive originality.
on model
Photo by Pat Vasquez-Cunningham
Eastern repoussé patterned mokume gane and keum boo cuff bracelet, 2016
Sterling, copper, shibuichi, 24k gold
7.75 x 1.5 x 0.375 in
As Victoria notes,
It’s fusion cuisine. You take two things that barely even have any ingredients in common and put them together. Ideally, you hit a sweet spot of being familiar, even comforting, and yet creating something edgy that hasn’t been done before, and you get new flavors.
Victoria uses mokume gané sheet (comprised of layers of different coloured alloys) for her signature Eastern repoussé, which is highly three-dimensional. This choice of materials gives her the opportunity to reveal traces of the thousands of hammer blows that go into creating each form. The resulting concentric patterns read like contour lines on a map.
Russian filigree and Eastern repoussé patterned mokume gane pendant on a Roman chain, 2011
Sterling, fine silver, copper, shibuichi, 22k gold, Koroit opal
2.5 x 3 x 0.375 in, 18 in. chain
Original pattern side weave mesh chain bracelet with a clasp of Eastern
repoussé patterned mokume gane, 2012
Fine silver, sterling, copper, shibuichi, 22k gold, Koroit opal
7.25 x 1.375 x 0.5 in
Private Collection
Victoria has also found a rich vein of exploration through combining granulation with Eastern repoussé, allowing for contrast and accenting between fine details and strong forms. She likens overlaying structures of Eastern repoussé with filigree – another favorite combination – to
Putting lace over a dress, over a curved form. It adds something familiar but unexpected.
The power of this moment – where the familiar meets the unexpected – is a recurring theme throughout Victoria’s work.
Eastern repoussé, Russian filigree, keum boo, and original pattern vertebrate chain necklace, 2014
18k, 22k, and 24k gold, sterling, fine silver, Koroit opal
20 x 3 x 0.75 in
Photo by Pat Vasquez-Cunningham
I enjoy doing things that haven’t been done before or haven’t been done the way that I would do them before. There is definitely a thrill in that.
Exploration through Teaching
The metal is always the greatest teacher.
Rio Grande’s Instructor Hall of Fame, Albuquerque, NM, 2019
Photo by Mark Nelson
Teaching has been a cornerstone of Victoria’s practice for decades. She relishes the “wild questions” posed by students, which can lead to unexpected insights and innovative solutions. In her early days as an educator, she initially feared not having all the answers but soon realized that teaching is as much about providing safe spaces for exploration as it is about imparting knowledge. In addition to valuing exchange with peers, she knows there is fertile ground,
Interacting with people at a point where they’re developing a particular skill set or expanding into a different skill set. I believe those questions make me much more creative than I would ever have been on my own.
Between the ‘wild questions’ that arise from unknowing and the deep experience of the artist,
There’s a huge gap in communication that has to be closed. Somewhere in what I’m imagining, other sparks fly off that fire and I get ideas for completely random things that I just wouldn’t have on my own, without a conversation.
workshop at Tryon Arts Center, Tryon, NC, 2014
Photo by Bill Blaesing
Part of Victoria’s practice involves exercising her creative muscles by engaging with others. This has enabled her to continuously evolve and seek new challenges as a way to satisfy an eternal need for artistic stimulation.
There’s just so much to try and so much to explore and so much to do!
Looking Ahead
At this reflective moment, comprehending the fullness of this body of work, I concluded our conversation by asking what explorations are currently drawing Victoria towards new territory. She replied:
I would really love to do more raising and more forming on a medium scale, and then combine it with the techniques I already work in and my current design sense. There was never enough time to do those things along the way, but now I have a little more time to explore. I want to learn how to sink a tray. It’s one of those processes that is difficult, but must be so satisfying when it works!
This response is unsurprising in the context of Victoria’s whole practice and way of looking at the world. I get the feeling there will never be a shortage of fascinating projects, and instead, plenty more to come and much to look forward to.
Rauni Higson is a leading British Silversmith known for her distinctive sculptural work often responding to and inspired by the natural world and landscape.
* This essay was based on a conversation on July 26, 2024. All quotations from Victoria are from this conversation
Radiant Echoes: The Metal Mastery of Victoria Lansford showcases the artist’s journey through over three decades of ground-breaking applications of historical metalsmithing techniques. This retrospective publication comprehensively not only explores Lansford’s endless ability with complex metalsmithing techniques including filigree, Eastern repoussé, and granulation, but also speaks to how her skill and vision marry in the creation of objects that filters tradition through a contemporary lens. Simultaneously an artist, alchemist, and shaman, Lansford brings together the familiar with the unexpected through creative work that rethinks the millennia-old practice of turning raw materials into precious objects.
The book features over 150 images of art jewelry, art objects, and large-scale metalwork drawn from across Lansford’s career as well as a comprehensive glossary of her techniques used, offering a unique opportunity for readers to explore the evolution of Lansford’s creativity and craftsmanship. Radiant Echoes will make a fantastic addition to the library of anyone who loves jewelry, sculpture, metalsmithing, or simply contemplating beautiful objects.
Radiant Echoes includes new essays by curators, scholars, and artists including Kate Bonansinga, Cynthia Eid, Rauni Higson, Elyse Zorn Karlin, Victoria Lansford, and Jane Milosch, with consulting editor Emily Zilber.
Full color, casebound, 186+ pages
ISBN 978-0-9821833-6-6
Ships mid-November, 2024
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