Collect 2024: Young Edinburgh College of Art sculptor who broke neck and back in skiing accident to represent Scotland

Collect 2024 will showcase work by Craft Scotland artists, including a young sculptor who broke their back in a skiing accident

A young artist who was inspired to take a new direction in his work after a life-changing accident is representing Scotland this week at the world’s most prestigious showcase of contemporary craft.

Richard Goldsworthy, 28, broke his neck and back in a skiing accident while studying at Edinburgh College of Art and the metal plates embedded in his spine inspired him to start working in a new way, making sculptural pieces which fuse metal and wood.

His work attracted the attention of Craft Scotland who selected him, along with 11 other artists and makers, for a showcase at Collect 2024 – the premier international art fair for craft and design – taking place this weekend at Somerset House in London.

Maker Richard Goldsworthy completes the installtion of his sculptural pieces at Craft Scotland's Close to Hand exhibition. Picture: Iona Wolff/Craft Scotland

The fair brings together exhibitions by 40 galleries from as far away as the United States, China and South Korea, and is expected to attract an audience of more than 20,000. Craft Scotland has described it as the most important platform to show Scottish craft to the world.

Mr Goldsworthy was skiing competitively for Great Britain when he suffered the devastating accident in 2017. He said: “When metal plates were put into my spine to support the healing process, I decided to start using wood as a representation of myself and my body and looked for ways to fuse metal into the sculptures.

“I carve out an area like a root system and pour in melted down pewter, which fuses to the wood like a tree rooting itself in the ground. I then work on the wood using carving, sanding and burning to make unique pieces.”

When he graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 2019, he was awarded the RSA Barns-Graham Travel Award and was named one of Saatchi Art’s Rising Stars. He is based at Marchmont House near Duns in the Borders where he works with wood from trees felled in recent storms.

Kelsey Johnston, of Craft Scotland, puts the finishing touches to the Close to Hand exhibition. Picture: Iona Wolff/Craft Scotland

Mr Goldsworthy said: “I was lucky to hit the ground running in terms of opportunities. I feel really privileged to be selected for Collect. It’s a huge opportunity to get my work seen by a wider audience, as well as to show alongside other amazing artists and makers.”

Other Scottish artists who are part of the Collect showcase include Iona Turner, who makes sustainable jewellery from foraged seaweed, and Jo McDonald, who creates intricate ‘tapestries’ from the cut-up pages of old books.

Craft Scotland director Irene Kernan said: “Scotland is a nation of makers and Collect is the benchmark for those working internationally in contemporary craft today. The quality of the work coming out of Scotland is extraordinary, and we don’t have enough platforms to show it. Collect is really important for reaching an international audience.

“Scottish contemporary craft continues to be recognised by and sold to collectors, museums and tastemakers. This points not just to the talent and skill we have here in Scotland, but also to the rising global appetite for Scottish craft.”

She said it was a “worrying” time for the sector, citing uncertainties over funding and the closure of craft organisations such as North Lands Creative, the renowned glass studio in Caithness, which ceased trading in August. Scottish Goldsmiths Trust, which supported gold and silversmithing, has also closed its doors.

She said: “Makers are feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, the rising cost of materials – and everything else – is having an impact on their practice. That means showcases like Collect are all the more important because people see the value of craft and see it’s a continued area of development. There’s so much to celebrate.”