Spotlight on the Creators: Rory Hutton
Despite the snow blizzard accompanying the train journey from London to Harrogate the evening before, the first morning of the Cultural Enterprises Conference and Trade Show was blessed with clear wintery sunshine. There were many of us who braved the elements, one of whom was Rory whose stand with colourful and vibrant silk scarves brought the promise of spring to the conference centre. Rory likes gardens and many of his silk scarves are inspired by them. I told Rory about Freud’s garden and his love of collecting.
The next time we met was at Freud’s house in Hampstead, where we were guided by Tom (the co-curator of the Freud’s Antiquity exhibition) around Freud’s study. In response to his experience of Freud’s study, Rory designed two silk scarves for the museum shop. We asked Rory to give us some insights into his creative process.
Rory Hutton by Elliot Wilcox
What was your first impression on seeing Freud’s collection and study, and how did you start thinking about the brief?
I first visited Freud’s study about 10 years ago as a tourist, as the son of a psychotherapist I have been familiar with images of Freud and his home since I was a small child. Being in the actual space I was struck by the stillness around me, it feels like a place for reflection and meditation, giving a strong sense of the personality of its creator.
As a collector of antique porcelain among many other things, I am always fascinated to see collector’s spaces and how they display and organise their treasures. Freud’s study feels so undisturbed, you get the sense that the man himself could suddenly appear in the doorway.
Long Silk Scarf by Rory Hutton in Freud’s Study
The most wonderful privilege of my recent visit was the opportunity to step beyond the ropes and get up close to the objects in their cabinets, there is so much to see it was difficult to edit my selection but the curator was really helpful pointing out some of the objects that held particular significance to Freud including the plaster cast of Gradiva. I also included some of the objects that appealed to me on a purely aesthetic level such as the Tang style camel.
How did the project develop?
The museum gave me freedom to select the objects from the study which spoke to me. The initial difficulty was narrowing down which objects those were as I really could make a thousand scarves inspired by the study alone!
After making my selection I made some drawings which later turned into the linocuts which can be seen on the scarves. I love linocuts that leave lots of ‘scratchy’ marks around the motifs, this gives them movement and a lively appearance. As lovely as it would have been to make my linocuts in the study sitting at Freud’s desk this would definitely not be allowed so I had to work from my own study surrounded by my own less orderly collections!
Linocuts by Rory Hutton
Perhaps there is something anecdotal about the project that you would like to share.
Seeing the museum on a Monday when it was closed to the public was a very special experience, opportunities to see incredible places outside their opening hours is one of the highlights of my work. I was also treated to a private tour with Iveta Rozlapa and Tom DeRose, seeing the house with these knowledgeable individuals really brought it to life and their passion and commitment to preserving Freud’s legacy is infectious!
Rory Hutton
You can read about Rory Hutton, an award-winning, Cambridge-based artist, print maker, and historian on his website.
Shop Now!
Shop Freud’s Study Silk Scarves online.
Interviewed by Iveta Rozlapa, Retail Manager
