Breaking the mould
- Ryan's sources of inspiration are nature, science and maths
- He trained with masters Rod Kelly and Malcom Appleby
- He combines traditional skills with innovative technologies
At school, when he was told by teachers that he couldn’t do something, Ryan McClean set out to demonstrate that he could. This is the determination that now, as a silversmith, pushes him to create objects using unusual and daring techniques. For example, his Ballistic beakers, cups in pure silver 999 with gold plated interiors, are shot bottom-first at a rock using a technique he calls 'propane forming', so their bases crumple on impact. Ryan has always been fascinated by nature. From his Sheffield workshop he designs pieces based on the study of the natural world and the science behind pattern formation such as golden ratio, fractals and microscopic images.
INTERVIEW
I have always found it aesthetically pleasing to look at a leaf or a tree and see the way it grows and the mathematical patterns within that. If I can use these mathematics, these rules, then I should be able to give the proper proportions to the objects I create.
It’s a sort of boy’s toy; it’s playing around with explosions and tin cans. Me and my friends used to get drunk, go down to the park and shoot beer cans, so I thought, what would happen if I put some silver in this and shot it?
I'm trying to hand raise and chase some of the 3D printed designs I make so I can fool people. I had enough of people thinking that I 'cheat' and that all I do is push one button, so I’m now making pieces that look 3D printed but actually aren’t.
I moved to Sheffield because of its long metalworking history. Stainless steel was invented here and the part of town I am in has always been full of little workshops and people working with metal. If I need a gold plater or an engraver, it's easy just to walk down the road and find somebody.
