About David -
in seven images
1.
Spectacles
Every morning I put my glasses on, my face is a bit boring without them.
These are a very specific choice...laminated wood with aluminium. Wooden glasses, not pure metal, but something different, a twist on the traditional. They always set the alarms off at airports and offer a new conversation.
2.
Customised tools
These hand tools were once cutlery. I totally appreciate the humble adaptation and customisation of these knives into scrapers/cutters. Absolutely fit for another purpose. The cross-hatch handle is an absolute winner. Within silversmithing there is the tradition of being able to repair and customise. I also love this tradition; selling for scrap to get some cash.
3.
Cake
Well, I should have been a cook and not a silversmith, but most weeks there’s a baked cake somewhere in the world of Clarke. Food history and table manners are brilliant, complicated and at times funny. I’m drawn to the events that occur as the evening goes on and excess and gluttony comes to the fore. I read cookbooks like novels; I don’t bother with novels.
4.
School report
I never really got school and why we had to learn what we did. I would bunk off and go to the Old Bailey Law Courts and become captivated by murder trials, it seemed so much more real. With education there is pass and fail. It took me 3 years to get into Camberwell College of Art and 2 attempts at the Royal College of Art: absolutely no regrets; shit happens when it needs to.
5.
AtoZ London Map
Google maps no thanks. Getting lost is the best. I have no interest in knowing everything. London is in a constant state of change, maps are wrong as streets have changed. Discovering new places and spaces is a pleasure. Look up and explore. You can’t beat it.
6.
Wooden spoon
The kitchen is the same as the workshop; both have a bench, knives or saws to cut and fire to heat. Old wooden spoons that have stirred a thousand soups hold traces of human action. It’s a recording of history. AND was there anything better than licking a big spoon as a kid.
7.
Holiday
A driving holiday where I travelled backwards. We started in London and drove to Italy via France and Switzerland. A family of 6 in a Volvo estate, I being the youngest and smallest was in the boot of the car. I faced backward so the rear window was my view. A unique view no one else had. Special times.
