Cara Murphy
Challenge
Although Irish society and culture are globalising rapidly, there are many places in Ireland where one can stand and not see another soul – standing on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it’s just you, the environment and the climate. It is this intimate vernacular and sense of place that was the challenge for this project, connecting found elements from the periphery of Ireland and questioning the boundaries of functional silver tableware.
Impact
Connect engages the user in the preciousness and ritual of drinking from silver, but also connects them to a sense of place, as each silver cup has an element from the Irish landscape mounted within it. Each cup has a resting place in a corresponding cup creating an element of puzzlement and play, evoking conversation about the role of contemporary silver in Ireland and further afield.
Trained at Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art London, Cara Murphy is a contemporary silversmith based in Northern Ireland. Cara, who is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, is represented in the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland PORTFOLIO: Critical Selection. She works mainly to commission and exhibits her award winning silverware internationally. Her silver tableware is represented in many national and international public and private collections.