The Hour

Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor, Ian Rankin, Lulu: All famous Scottish icons with various talents, but none famed for a connection with silversmithery. A new exhibition at Glasgow’s Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) will now change that, with silverware designed for the stars based on their interests and personalities.

Michael Laing, Deacon of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths in Edinburgh explained how the idea came about: “Well it started with a walk up the Pentland hills. I was thinking of the world class silversmiths that people don’t know we have and that took me to thinking about talent in Scotland and the talent we never really celebrate.

“On an international scale, in film and fashion and music, we have great celebrities. So I thought we could buddy the two of them up, on a good Scottish theme of a ‘drink with a close friend’.”

Michael then contacted ten celebrities, Nicola Benedetti, Robbie Coltrane, Sir Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, Lulu, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Ewan McGregor, Alexander McQueen, Ian Rankin and Sharleen Spiteri, and asked if they wanted to be involved.

He then asked them, if they could have a drink with anyone living or dead, who and where would it be and what would they be drinking?

By pairing the celebs up with Scottish silversmiths, ten personally designed silver objects were designed.

“Funnily enough I think that little hook, about a moment in a stressed life when you think of a drink with a close friend persuaded the celebrities to take part.”

Edinburghsilversmith Grant McCaig was tasked with crafting a whiskey set for comedian and actor Robbie Coltrane: “You have to develop this character for them,” he told The Hour. “So for Robbie I knew that just doing very light research that he’s interested in Cadillacs, he’s a bit of a petrol head, also his original name wasn’t Coltrane it was Macmillan.

“He liked Jazz. I wanted to capture something about this mood, of this sort of jazz period, something that was cool and sophisticated. And so combing his love of the Cadillac with this sort of love for jazz, the piece kind of designed itself really.”

Marion Kane from West Kilbride designed a coffee set for actor and motorbike enthusiast Ewan McGregor: “Well round about the time that we were given the brief Ewan was doing his Long Way Round tour so I was looking at his love of biking and the fact that he can just jump on his bike, put his helmet on and he can just disappear. Nobody knows who he is; he’s just another biker on the road.”

The finished product was based largely on the motorbike itself, with exhaust, rivets and motorbike handles to hold on to. Silver conducts heat well, so the rubber grip from a bike was used so that it could be lifted.

This weekend the pieces will be on display at the Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2010 at Glasgow’s SECC before moving to the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock. In the past they have toured North America and Canada, and to date over half a million people have seen the exhibit,

Eventually the exhibit will be sold, and the money will be donated to a series of charities chosen by the celebrities who took part.

The Homes & Interiors Scotland Exhibition 2010 will run this weekend, August 27 to 29, at the SECC, Glasgow.

SILVER CAUGHT YOUR EYE?

• Check out the Silver of the Stars website