Metaphysical Heart - Peter McKay
                 4 April 08 - 25 May 08

   McKAY'S Metaphysical Heart series (1991 - 2006) illustrates jewellery's potential for narrative, a story told to the audience by the artist. Worked up each year, and running now for over 15 years, they are scenes from an ambiguous tale, linked by format (the heart frame), technique (chasing and piercing), and the recurrence of characters and images. Like a long-running soap opera, the story lines and characters have developed and changed, with certain elements (the girl, the raven, the boat, the cross, the crescent moon, the plane, the Brancusi column) recurring every now and then. This series is a major achievement, which is why it gives its name to this retrospective project.              -   Damian Skinner