Nova Smith

Nova Smith is a metalworker and silversmith who is interested in exploring constructive making processes to develop complex articulated objects designed for the dinner table.

Her work is constructed from brass, copper and sterling silver sheet. It is manipulated using hand processes such as planishing, soldering, scoring and folding. The design and movement (or intended interaction with the audience) is heavily influenced by the choice of materials and the concept of the piece.

Her most recent body of work, titled ‘Placeholders’, is a series of candleholders designed to be used collectively at a silver service. Individually each candle holder in the set is representative of a different dining experience. For instance, the candelabra “Two’s Company, Three’s a Crowd” is designed for a dinner of three people. Traditionally, the lighting of a dinner is static, often a bold centerpiece, but untouchable and isolated from the guests. The aim of her ‘Placeholders’ is to provide each guest with their own light that is theirs to interact and play with as they choose throughout the duration of the dinner.