David Clarke is a London-based silversmith whose practice explores the social, historical and cultural meanings embedded within metal and the objects made from it. His work approaches silversmithing not as a fixed discipline but as a field open to disruption, experimentation and continual reconsideration.
Clarke’s interest in making began during his school years, when the art department provided a freedom and encouragement he found nowhere else in his education. He went on to undertake a foundation course at Sir John Cass in London, an experience he describes as hugely influential for its experimental approach. He subsequently studied 3D Design: Silversmithing and Metalwork at Camberwell College of Arts, followed by an MA at the Royal College of Art.
Metal remains central to Clarke’s practice because of the expectations that surround it. It is commonly understood as hard, resilient and permanent, while different metals and alloys carry their own hierarchies of value. Clarke uses these associations as a point of departure, considering how material value can reflect wider structures of class and privilege. His practice also attends to the histories embedded within metals themselves: their extraction from the earth, their circulation through systems of trade and power, and the rituals through which they acquire cultural significance.
A recurring setting for Clarke’s work is the table. He understands it simultaneously as landscape, horizon and meeting point: a place associated with eating, feasting, sharing, excess and conversation. The table provides a framework through which objects can alter relationships between people, encouraging shifts in perspective and creating opportunities for exchange.
Clarke frequently works with second-hand, unwanted and discarded objects, many of which have already belonged to someone else or served another purpose. Rather than erasing their histories, he cuts, opens, separates and transforms them, retaining evidence of their previous lives. Marks, mistakes and irregularities are not necessarily corrected or polished away; they can remain integral to the finished work. Existing trademarks are retained, while Clarke deliberately avoids adding a maker’s mark or signature to many of his interventions.
Alongside his studio practice, Clarke has lectured and led workshops internationally, including at institutions in the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia. His work is held in public collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Crafts Council Collection, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in Oslo, Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg and the Dallas Museum of Art.
David Clarke is a London-based silversmith whose practice explores the social, historical and cultural meanings embedded within metal and the objects made from it. His work approaches silversmithing not as a fixed discipline but as a field open to disruption, experimentation and continual reconsideration.Clarke’s interest in making began during his school years, when the art department provided a freedom and encouragement he found nowhere else in his education. He went on to undertake a foundation course at Sir John Cass in London, an experience he describes as hugely influential for its experimental approach. He subsequently studied 3D Design: Silversmithing and Metalwork at Camberwell College of Arts, followed by an MA at the Royal College of Art.Metal remains central to Clarke’s practice because of the expectations that surround it. It is commonly understood as hard, resilient and permanent, while different metals and alloys carry their own hierarchies of value. Clarke uses these associations as a point of departure, considering how material value can reflect wider structures of class and privilege. His practice also attends to the histories embedded within metals themselves: their extraction from the earth, their circulation through systems of trade and power, and the rituals through which they acquire cultural significance.
