LONDON.- Jerwood Visual Arts announced the four artists selected for the first Jerwood Makers Open. Rapid prototype jeweller Farah Bandookwala, ceramic artist Emmanuel Boos, glass maker Heike Brachlow and installation artist Keith Harrison have been awarded an equal share of £30,000 to create new work, which will go on display as part of the JVA programme at Jerwood Space in July.

The four winners were selected from over 200 entries by Emmanuel Cooper, potter, writer, educator and critic, Siobhan Davies, choreographer and artistic director and Jonathan Watkins , curator, writer and Director of Ikon Gallery. They comment: ‘These makers are united by a deep fascination with their chosen material. From the use of contemporary technologies to ancient processes, they are each pushing the boundaries of craft practice, creating works that are exciting, inventive and at times dangerous.’

Farah Bandookwala grew up in two cultures, India and New Zealand , which have strongly influenced her practice. In her most recent work, she uses a combination of high tech processes such as rapid prototyping to create jewellery forms, using this technology to build up complex and tactile surfaces and create objects that are reminiscent of exotic plants and creatures.

Emmanuel Boos is a ceramicist and glaze artist whose work explores surface, texture and colour. Central to his practice is the ceramic form, its relation to the glaze and how the latter supports, triggers or contributes to the perception of depth. His richly coloured pieces often appear solid, as though they are created entirely from glaze.

Heike Brachlow’s work focuses on the making and use of transparent colour in solid glass sculpture. She has developed methods to melt small amounts of coloured glass in a kiln to create bespoke pieces that change hue depending on light. Her current body of work comprises glass cylinders and cones which, like balancing toys, rotate around their axes on shallow conical bases set into motion by the viewer.

Keith Harrison explores the relationship between clay and electricity. Creating installation-led works, he examines how the known constant of electricity can be disrupted by a third factor suggested by a domestic appliance, an event or a location.

Jerwood Makers Open is a new annual exhibition series developed to create a space in which to recognise and celebrate the significance of making practice and process within contemporary visual arts, and is a key part of the JVA programme. Jerwood Makers Open is an open submission opportunity for makers at the early stages of their careers to develop their creative ideas independently of specific commissioning structures.

Jerwood Visual Arts, developed and managed by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation, is committed to supporting and promoting contemporary applied arts practice. The Jerwood Applied Arts Prize ran for 11 years (1999 – 2007) in partnership with the Crafts Council. This was followed from 2008 to 2010 by Jerwood Contemporary Makers, an exhibition series which provided a platform to show new and emergent work in the field of making.

Shonagh Manson, Director of Jerwood Charitable Foundation commented: ‘At a time of constricting public funding and economic pressure we are more passionate than ever about providing well-supported opportunities for artists to challenge their creative ambition. Each of these four makers is venturing into the new, and each impressed the selectors with their brave approaches and commitment to their craft.’

The Jerwood Makers Open exhibition will be at JVA at Jerwood Space, London , from 13 July to 28 August 2011.