contact details
email: g.burnett@rgu.ac.uk
tel: 00 44 (0)1224 263691

web site:
www.makingsenseresearch.net
www.challengingcraft.org
www.connectivityproject.com
creativeculturescotland
www.craftculture.org
Realtime Craft Walkabout

GORDON BURNETT

Biographical Statement

Gordon Burnett served an apprenticeship as letter cutter at William McKay & Sons, Aberdeen before studying Jewellery and Textiles at Grays School of Art (1972-77) then an MA in Jewellery at Royal College of Art London (1977-80). He was a part time lecturer at De Montfort University, London Metropolitan and London Institute and traded as Burnett’s Interior Metalwork producing feature clocks, unique lighting and trophies (1980-88). Gordon is a maker now specialising in commemorative civic silverware and the use of computer aided design and manufacture to explore cultural issues and collaboration. In relation to this in 1999 he worked at Monash University, Melbourne investigating rapid prototyping whilst working with Tony Birch an indigenous poet and lecturer (Realtime Craft Walkabout). Since then Gordon has engaged in the debate on the application of new technology to craft practice with keynote lectures (Pixel Raiders2 2004), conference organisation (Challenging Craft 2004) and the co-ordination an international on-line collaborative project using the web as a workspace (connectivityproject 2004). Gordon's current role is Reader in Craft. He is an External Examiner for Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art and MA Contemporay Designer Maker, University of Plymouth. External for Quality Review Panel, School of Fashion & Textile Design and External Assessor BA Jewellery Design both at Central St. Martin's College of Art & Design, London.

Personal Statement

I am a maker and teacher engaged in practice led research and its value to pedagogy. My practice takes two forms, that of creating one-off unique pieces to commission and investigating the creative opportunities of new technology. Both forms of knowledge gained from practice are disseminated and extended through teaching. The unique commissioned pieces typically embody symbolic references reflecting the recipient’s values, significance and context. This is a traditional form of practice primarily reliant on conventional hand skills. Conversely, new technology offers different visual qualities and making possibilities not restricted to discipline boundaries. This new media has opened up collaborative research opportunities (e.g. with Carole Gray) requiring different modes of thinking ("material thinking"), dialogue and interchange extending my practice beyond the traditional model.
Current collaborative research programme with Carole Gray, disseminated at www.makingsenseresearch.net shows our project on "material thinking" and papers on the pedagogic application of the findings e.g. for the Enhance Themes website with a co authored (Watson, Burnett Gray 2009) case study on research teaching linkages available at:- http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/ResearchTeaching/outcomes.asp# CCP. Transferability is this thinking has been tested with pairing Arts and Health practitioners in a "making workshop" prior to pairing students from each field.

Mormond, 2006 anodised aluminum CAD/CAM  ( 32 x 17 x 4cm)          

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