Angela Mellor and Urs Roth , Sea Anenome Wall Lamp (detail)
Image courtesy Victor France

Angela Mellor is well known for her expertise in working with porcelain and bone china but in the exhibition, Ocean Light we see her artistry in a whole new light. Working in collaboration with designer Urs Roth (of Ropa Lighting) and lighting design specialists Mondo Luce, Mellor presents a fascinating collection of functional art objects that own a contemporary elegance.

Mellor's art is influenced by features of the landscape and organic forms found along costal environs. Her work stands as testimony to the artist's ability to translate her ideas and experiences of land and sea into fine bone china designs that exemplify both a keen curiosity and excellent craftsmanship. Mellor is also attuned to the translucent quality of her material and the effect natural and artificial light has on her work. All these influential concepts and practical considerations come together beautifully in Ocean Light, a series of domestic light fittings inspired by the delicate patterns of marine fossils, sea anemone and coral.

The works exhibited here strike a perfect balance between the rough and the refined, art and science, modernity and timelessness. Mellor's bone china vessels are enhanced with paperslip, a thin compound of white tissue paper pulp mixed with bone china slip, and incorporate either a light emitting diode (LED) or halogen light. These oceanic inspired forms are supported by either stainless steel, satin chrome or a slab of granite to produce wall sconces, hanging pendents, small votive and tall cup shaped lights that radiate a sense of warmth as well as soft light. This is an enchanting exhibition that creates an environment of quietude and beauty.

Entering the Craftwest Gallery is like walking into a different world; a cavernous space illuminated by a gentle glow from unique luminaries made of translucent white bone china, gleaming metal and polished stone. The first thought is of some underwater cathedral where phosphorescent creatures, rather than burning candles, light the way. This concept is reinforced by the plinth installation Dendrophyllia. This exhibit consists of a group of inverted etched bone china cones, each lit from within by an LED and set on a highly polished dark granite base that, mirror-like, reflects the installation in reverse. The cones stand at different heights and in random formation like glowing stalagmites of salt found in a sea cave or, if viewed with a different mind-set, as a collection of beeswax candles in a church. Either way, they capture the imagination while attesting to the success of the collaboration.

Much appreciated is the series Artic Fold where torn pieces of paperslip are moulded into cowry shell shapes that are illuminated from within. These oversized textured white shell forms are presented singly, or as a set of three, on a smooth dark granite base that brings to mind a priceless museum relic from some prehistoric era. But these are not cold lifeless exhibits as the warmth emitted by the hidden light source gives them life and draws us near. I was particularly attracted to the Artic Fold Table Light where the textured bone china paperslip shell clings to the centre of a steel rod, one that echoes the gentle curve of the shell as it reaches upward from a polished granite base. I can just imagine reading oceanography books by this soft lamplight.

Other series are named for their inspirational collectives, like Cretaceous or Coral Cluster. The former includes delicate white cylinders with surfaces that appear like a section of some natural sea wall, one that is encrusted with fossils and tiny shells. As the light shines through the uneven surface of these hanging pendants and wall sconces, the small shapes are defined by their own shadows. These are fascinating and beautiful works that invite tactile inspection.

The Coral series also owns an intriguing surface. Here the bone china is etched with a subtle pattern of random ripples and formed into cup-like shapes. Three different Coral Cluster table lights involve groups of two to five of these bone china cups, each containing an LED and set atop a metal rod. The rods rise to different heights from a stainless steel base. These works are ultra modern yet somehow they seem to hold the hint of a memory from another era.

The crown of the Coral series is Coral Bud Chandelier an elegant creation of china and steel and the perfect example of an exciting collaboration between talented and creative people. The light fitting is a linear cascade of thin metal rods that fall in a cluster from the ceiling then, emulating a splash, gracefully separating to arc outward and upward in perfect symmetry. Each rod is crowned with a pure white etched china cone. Now this is a chandelier worthy of building an entire house around.

Mellor also exhibits small vessels and bowls that are not self-illuminated. The smooth white bone china contours of these vessels rise up to blend with the textured paperslip that encircles the lip of the form. The paperslip hosts marine inspired motifs and patterns. This combination of rough and smooth, the perfect geometrical form melting into a random organic edge works beautifully. Each piece has its own unique attraction, I wanted to reach out and hold the satin smooth base of these bowls in one hand and run the fingers of my other hand over their textured rims.

Almost overlooked but a treasure when found are two exhibits that add a touch of gentle colour to the soft black and white world of the gallery. Serenity consists of four small beautifully formed bone china bowls, washed with waves of green soluble colourant and set on Pietra Serena stone. Tranquillity offers three small vessels touched with mauve. Each sea bowl holds an LED that shows off the delicacy of the colour and elegance of the shape.

This collaboration has proven to be a highly successful endeavour. Exhibitions of this calibre and collaborations like this one, between other kindred practices, will no doubt provide a catalyst for new and exciting creative partnerships in the future. It augurs well for art, craft, industry and innovative thinking.