DAVID CLARKE
DAVID CLARKE The Troublemaker – A Residency at Studio Rö
LONDON’S REBEL ALCHEMIST David Clarke doesn’t just craft jewelry, he rewrites its rules. A self-taught silversmith with roots in London’s raw creative underground, Clarke transforms sterling silver into wearable acts of defiance, blurring the lines between fine art, adornment, and quiet protest. Trained at Central Saint Martins but shaped by the city’s gritty edges, his work is a love letter to imperfection: oxidized surfaces, hand-hammered textures, and pieces that bear the scars of their making. "I want my work to feel alive, like it’s still evolving on your skin," he says. And evolve it does, his designs, often unisex and modular, challenge the sterile precision of traditional jewelry, embracing instead the beauty of decay, the poetry of patina.
His signature? Silver as a second skin. From the jagged elegance of his Spike rings to the haunting fragility of his Relics series (cast from discarded urban fragments), Clarke’s creations are tactile stories. Exhibited at Saatchi Gallery and worn by those who prefer their luxury unpolished, his pieces ask: What if jewelry wasn’t about perfection, but about presence?
WHY STUDIO RÖ? Because Studio Ro is a space for artists who refuse to be boxed in. Clarke’s residency with us isn’t just about creating, it’s about colliding worlds. This autumn, he joins forces with Omer Asim (the Sudanese-British duo) for a limited-edition collection that fuses their obsessions:
David’s silver: a metal of contradictions, pure yet tarnishable, precious yet punk.
Omer Asim, driven by an obsession with deconstruction and ritual form, creates garments as living experiments - alongside co-founder Maya Antoum, whose sculptural copper jewelry echoes the same raw, architectural spirit.
A pop-up exhibition at Studio Ro Milan (25-28 Sept), featuring never-before-seen works.
IN CONVERSATION
Q : When you’re in your studio, what’s the first ritual you do before starting to create?
A : The walk to the studio is essential. As I go, I tune into my thoughts and surroundings, mentally opening the day for creativity. Arriving, I open four doors—each one bringing me fully into the moment. Inside, a pair of wooden shutters awaits. I throw them open, and that’s when the fresh coffee goes on. I've got to have a good coffee.
Q : Do you see your work as carrying a sense of humor, rebellion, or poetry, or maybe all at once?
A : Yes—always in varying amounts, for different reasons, across many projects. I have a reputation as a troublemaker, especially in silversmithing—a craft in desperate need of disruption. Humour is my way in, letting me tackle serious subjects and reach a wider audience; sometimes, it takes people a moment to realise what they’re seeing. Poetry can’t be forced, but it often emerges alongside the thinking and making. I spend ages pondering ideas, but when it’s time to work physically, I make things quickly and efficiently.
Q : Studio Rö will soon bring your work together with Omer Asim’s universe during Fashion Week. How do you imagine your pieces conversing with his silhouettes?
A : I’ve known Omer and Maya for years; however, SHIFT is our first creative collaboration. Our works echo each other both in form and tone, growing into a visual conversation. If you take the time to look and think, you might find many associations and connections to the fragility of the world and society as it is right now. Though our approaches and cultural backgrounds differ, we share a sense of how much to transform the material, revealing unexpected connections. Both of us investigate: void, volume, and surface: in my pieces, movement is captured and frozen; in Omer’s, it’s animated when activated.
Q : Looking at this upcoming exhibition, what excites you most about presenting in this dialogue between art and fashion?
A : New collaboration, new space, new audience, different audience, Italy, Milan. For me, anything that is new is good. It triggers fresh thinking and questions - some of which don't need answering
Q : You often transform everyday or discarded objects. What draws you to give a second life to something forgotten?
A : We create mountains and mountains of waste every day. Objects are endlessly produced—far more than we need—many flawed and useless from the start. I see these unwanted items as raw material, saved from the scrap heap. I aim to adapt, repurpose, and transform them, giving new meaning to what was once discarded. They all have a history, a story, and a connection to another human. I'm curious to release them from this and offer them another opportunity with a different voice.
Q : If your practice had a soundtrack, what kind of music would play while you work?
Improv jazz. I love the thought of it, the freedom it offers in a moment. However, I often hate the sound of it.
Q : Do you feel there is a shared language between design, fashion, and objects, where boundaries dissolve into something more fluid ?
A : For me, boundaries and limitations need to dissolve; it's the opportunity to break inward-looking, narrow, and insular conversations into broad, exciting, and connected visions where combinations of 'stuff', whatever it is, engage, activate, and make life richer and more diverse.
Q : If you weren’t an artist, what do you think you’d be doing with your hands and creativity?
A : It’s simple—I could have been a cook. My creative process blurs the line between studio and kitchen: both rely on fire, water, and tools for shaping. I’ve even used my oven and hob to make art. Food from my kitchen often finds its way into the studio for guests—cake is always a hit. I love the act of coming together around a table and sharing food with generosity and thoughts with consideration and joy.
Q : Cooking and silversmithing both involve transformation through fire. Do you see parallels between the kitchen and your studio ?
A : Absolutely. I spend as much focus on my kitchen as my studio. Preparing food and gathering people feels like curating an exhibition—both are acts of generosity and sharing. The kitchen and studio are equally creative spaces: one feeds the body, the other the mind. Together, they’re a powerful combination.
Q : For “The Circle”, we love to share personal details, could you tell us a favorite recipe, a ritual, or something small that always brings you joy ?
A : I live in London, and I often set out to get lost—no phone, no map, just wandering. I dive into unfamiliar streets, new neighbourhoods, and experience different smells and sounds. Yesterday, I rode the tube to its end and walked for hours along the Thames, exploring liminal spaces—neither residential nor industrial— it's this that fires up my senses and imagination.
Q : If you could leave one message to the future visitors of Studio Rö during Fashion Week, what would it be ?
A : Slow down and take a really good look.
David Clarke
Born in Nottingham in 1967, David Clarke lives and works in London, where he has become known as the “silversmith’s silversmith.” A graduate of Camberwell College of Art and the Royal College of Art, Clarke is celebrated for pushing the boundaries of contemporary metalwork.
Through deconstruction, wit, and unexpected transformations, he redefines silver and pewter, blurring the lines between function and sculpture.
HIS FAVORITE RECIPE
DAVID’s APPLE CAKE
Ingredients
80 g sultana raisins
60 ml water
280 all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
120 ml olive oil
160 g granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 whole eggs (Substitute)
2 egg whites (Substitute)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 medium-sized Granny Smith apples
For the maple icing
100 g unsalted butter, softened (Vegan)
100 g golden brown sugar
85 ml maple syrup
220 g cream cheese (Vegan)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Butter 20 cm tin
Place sultana raisins and water in a saucepan and simmer until the fruit completely absorbs the water. Set aside. Peel apples cut into cubes. Place olive oil, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and mix. Gradually add the whole eggs and mix until the mixture becomes smooth. Then add apple, soaked raisins, and lemon zest and combine. Finally, add all the sifted dry ingredients. In a bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks. Add it into the main mix. Pour into the cake pan bake for 90 minutes. Let it cool in the pan. The maple icing, place softened butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add cream cheese. Assemble the cake.
Listen up.
*
Listen up. *
A poetic clash of rhythms, raw beats, and unexpected echoes - this is the soundtrack that runs through David Clarke’s studio as he hammers, bends, and reinvents metal. Each track fuels his playful rebellion against tradition: bold, restless, and unapologetically free.