Jesmonite to stand on mantle pieces in Scotland as new award launched

A bit of Jesmonite will be on mantle pieces across Scotland after a new award was launched this month.

The trophy given to winners and runners up in the Scottish Album of the Year Awards was made of Jesmonite – thought to be the first such accolade made from our product.

A Triumph Arch trophy, moulded by Glasgow based architect Rekha Barry, was handed out during a glittering online ceremony on October 29.

She said: “The reaction I have had to the award has been very good.

“It took about six weeks to create, I made 14 of them in total and there were lots of variations before the final edition.

“Some I made were too heavy, some too big, there was lots of back and forth to get it right. But Jesmonite is great for this, it sets quickly, is versatile and the tactile element of it meant I got the pigment I wanted too.

“Other materials just weren’t satisfying what I wanted. I think this might be the first award made from Jesmonite and I am super chuffed with it, it is really flattering to be asked.

“Thinking about how an artist might feel when they’ve been shortlisted for The SAY award, I immediately thought of triumph. A triumphal arch is a great reference for me as it is a piece of architecture and a sculpture at the same time.”

Entitled Triumph, the striking arches are cast in black and white marbled Jesmonite with a smooth polished finish and also double as a candle holding table centrepiece.

Rekha first heard about the material as she trained as an architect but has since started a craft business called Rekha Maker where she makes candle holders exclusively from Jesmonite.

Tim Sharman, sales director at Jesmonite, was delighted to see another use for the product.

“Jesmonite is widely used in building and artistic projects but since lockdown we have seen more and more artists and creative industries using it,” he said.

“This is the first time we have heard of an award being created from Jesmonite in Scotland, so I’m very pleased to hear possibilities are still being explored.

“There is so much that can be done with it, on a large or small scale, and were hearing lots of different reports from all over the world, which we’re delighted with.”