curiouser & curiouser

HandSHAKE @ Toi Poneke gallery

2012-01-27T21:13:00.002+13:00

things to come.... at JEMposium

2012-01-19T22:03:00.001+13:00

I am working on a project:
Who are you wearing? And what are you thinking about?: a jewellery symposium in pictures
that will be shown at Masterworks Gallery following the conference.

Jewels at the Pah

2012-01-18T14:35:00.002+13:00

This exhibition, curated by Jo Mears, involves twenty New Zealand contemporary jewellers reflecting on their practice alongside the ‘Far Sight’ installation by artist Peter Deckers which is owned by the Wallace Arts Trust

The Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre, Auckland

72 Hillsborough Rd, Hillsborough

The Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre Wednesday 1st February –Sunday 15th April 2012 and Wallace Gallery Morrinsville Thursday 19th April – Sunday 10th June 2012
Opening: Tuesday 31st January 2012, 6.00pm
Master Bedroom Gallery at the Pah Homestead, TSB Bank Wallace Arts Centre and Wallace Gallery, Morrinsville
www.tsbbankwallaceartscentre.org.nz

RETROSPECT brings together Peter Deckers’ 2007 Far Sight installation - a work exploring 20 years of his jewellery making practice in New Zealand- and a 20 strong contingent of New Zealand emerging and established contemporary jewellers, many of whom have participated in one or two of the projects curated by Peter Deckers since 2005.

Octavia Cook Raffle via workshop 6

2011-12-17T20:25:00.000+13:00

For more information email workshopsix (at) gmail
Here is a note from Octavia:

Hi everyone,

Please find attached a poster for the jewellery raffle that Workshop 6 is kindly holding for me to help me get to Munich next year for the international jewellery fair 'Schmuck'. I've had four pieces of work selected to be shown there and would love to attend this auspicious event!

There are nine prize draws of jewellery by myself and the generous ladies of Workshop 6; Jane Dodd, Cheryl Sills, Mia Straka, Anna Wallis and Jasmine Watson. Also kindly donated is a beautiful jewel by Renee Bevan.

First prize is my brooch featured on the poster: 'Her Majesty c.1948', edition 2/5 and the second prize is the cameo brooch or ring of your choice from my 'classic' collection. I will provide photos of the other prize jewels next week to tempt you....

I would be most grateful for any support or if you know of anyone else who might be interested, please pass it on. The prizes will be drawn on January 28th 2012.

If you would like to purchase a ticket from the comfort of your home I can provide bank account details and email you a scan of your ticket.

all the best and have a great Christmas,

Octavia

2011-12-11T19:39:00.000+13:00

The family goes to the Handshake opening

See Subliminal infiltrations for more of what people were wearing to the opening.

HandSHAKE Artist Talk December 3 @ Masterworks Gallery

2011-12-01T21:58:00.000+13:00

Artist Talk Dec 3 12:30

Round 3 of HandShake opened at Masterworks Gallery on Wednesday night. It is intersting to see how people's projects have moved and evolved.

I have purposely tried to hold onto one idea/body of work through these three shows, which I am finding hard. I get antsy quickly and am ready for a new phase. But it has been a good exercise, I have had some important failures that are leading to the next step.

Now Showing at Masterworks from 1 – 18 December

Handshake is the brainchild of contemporary jeweller Peter Deckers who, at the beginning of 2011, brought together 12 graduate jewellers with the artists that most inspire them for an innovative mentorship program. The 12 ‘apprentices’ teamed up with their jeweller icons, exchanging images and ideas through the Handshake website. The collaboration has resulted in a series of local and internationally based exhibitions, this being the first to come to Auckland. Visitors will experience excitingly fresh and provocative new work by Debbie Adamson, Becky Bliss, Nadene Carr, Kristin D’Agostino, Gillian Deery, Sharon Fitness, Sam Kelly, Jhana Millers, Neke Moa, Lynsay Raine, Sarah Read, and Jessica Winchcombe.

Raewyn Walsh takes home the Objective Award 2011

2011-11-07T20:07:00.002+13:00

Congratulations to Raewyn Walsh who picked up this year’s biggest prize – the premier award for Vessel 2011, (copper, paint, graphite and cast resin)

Guest judge Deborah Crowe said that the first prize work was striking for its simplicity and confident in its execution. “This work stood out to the judging panel for its poise, deft manipulation of materials and sophisticated referencing of the past in a contemporary context” she explained.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1110/S00452/objective-art-awards-announced.htm

Jewellery made a clean sweep with runner up going to Kvetoslava Sekanova and third prize awarded to Jasmine Watson

Feedback as good as ice cream

2011-11-04T22:31:00.000+13:00

Flora Sekanova 2010

Current Broach of the Month Club wearer, Anna Miles, wrote a beautiful reflection on her experience wearing Flora's Sekanova's brooch. I find her style of feedback extremely inspiring. Even though it is not my work, I feel like I have been given a gift after reading this.

Whitireia Jewellery Auction _ Nov 4

2011-11-03T07:30:00.000+13:00

Ohh La La!!! I wish I was in Wellington for this! I donated a piece this year and am drooling over many of the works on display. Check out the full list of items here:http://jewelsofwhitireia.wordpress.com/

Broach of the Month Club + Masterworks 2011

2011-10-12T21:42:00.000+13:00

We are four months into the third iteration of Broach of the Month Club and there are some interesting conversations shaping up.

brooch by Ross Malcolm

The Overview - September Issue out now

2011-10-11T21:41:00.000+13:00

If you are a jewellery geek and not reading the overview.... we need to change that. Send an email and we'll add you to the list.

This is the fourth outing of Overview and, like
other periodicals that come out at this time,
the September Issue is the biggest one yet.
Big because there are more pages and more
contributors than before, and Big because
it looks at those issues that loom large over
contemporary jewellers in Aoetearoa, New
Zealand. And just like the fashion mags, in
this issue hot items of interest sit alongside the
perennial classics that return every season.
Here at the Guild headquarters there has been a
great deal of discussion surrounding the issues
faced by jewellers year in and year out. Who are
we; what is it we do; and why do we even do it?
Do we need definitive answers we ask? Does
it help to catagorise ourselves and our making
in such a way? And does definition change the
substance of what we do and the impact it can
have? Jewellery is still jewellery whether we call
it craft, art, design or fashion, right? Not so it
transpires, and even within our peer group there
is a wide range of opinions on these matters.
Some align themselves with movements and
groups, while others refuse definition and
believe good work is just that; good work. We
have had disagreements and there has been
awkward silences. Much cake has been eaten.
We suspect that there is no teleological jewellery
truth to which we all aspire. Instead, a number
of positions can mark out a valid spot on the

contemporary jewellery spectrum and it is
where the maker, the curator, the writer; all
invested parties, locate themselves that makes it
interesting. So in this issue we have decided to
make a call, and put our stake(s) in the ground
in the hope that lightening doesn’t strike.
- Raewyn Walsh from the Icebreaker, Overview issue 4, 2011

Free community art workshop!!

2011-09-22T13:42:00.000+12:00

Celebrating International Day of Older Persons with free community art workshops!

Celebrating the International Day of Older Persons (1 October 2011), From Bauhaus to Your House is a series of four FREE one day modern art and craft workshops supported by Auckland Council and presented at four north Auckland community arts facilities, exclusively for a limited number of older and retired people.

Attendees at these FREE workshops will learn about their artist-teachers making practice and spend time sharing experiences, creating a small artwork and learning a new skill! This is a fantastic opportunity for older and retired people of all abilities to learn from established professional artists in an age friendly environment, so don’t miss out - numbers are limited to 15 per workshop. Art materials, tea and coffee will be supplied. Make sure to bring a packed lunch.

When and Where

Wednesday 5 October, 10am-3pm at Mairangi Arts Centre. 20 Hastings Rd, Mairangi Bay. With artist Niki Hastings-McFall. For bookings email or phone Mairangi Arts Centre mairangiartscentre@xtra.co.nz 09 478 2237.
Friday 14 October, 10am-3pm at The Arts Centre Helensville. Cnr Karaka St and Commercial Rd, Helensville. With artists Kristin D’Agostino and Raewyn Walsh. For bookings email or phone The Arts Centre Helensville admins.artcentre@gmail.com 09 420 9374.
Wednesday 19 October, 10am-3pm at Kumeu Arts Centre. 14 Oraha Road, Huapai, Kumeu. With artists Renee Bevan and Ross Malcolm. For bookings email or phone Kumeu Arts Centre thetinshed@clear.net.nz 09 412 9480.
Wednesday 26 October, 10am-3pm at Northart. Norman King Square, Northcote Shopping Centre. With artist Regan Gentry. For bookings email or phone Northart manager@northart.co.nz 09 480 9633.

For more information about this programme and to make a booking contact the above community art centres. Alternatively, email Matt Blomeley Matt.Blomeley@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or Liz Watkins Liz.Watkins@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

HandSHAKE @ New Zealand Jewellery Show

2011-09-21T13:36:00.000+12:00

I went down to Wellington to help with the setup and meet the other HandShakers. It was a great group to work with and I really enjoyed the hospitality.

The Egalitarian project in full force....

Jhana Millers performance piece was a real treat!

The full project is documented on the handshake website.

Studio 20/17 Install

2011-09-20T13:36:00.000+12:00

This is a detailed image of my Egalitarian Project. The brooches were all the same price but some where just tin and others were silver, contained pearls, aquamarine, etc. A bit like the lotto. See the HandShake site for full details of the project.

HandSHAKE – shots of the 20/17 show

2011-08-17T14:26:00.003+12:00

http://studio2017.wordpress.com/2011/08/08/sneak-peek/kristin/

Here is a picture of my work at the HandShake show!

photos from the opening:

http://studio2017.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/some-snaps-from-celebration-drinks-handshake/

HandSHAKE – Prentice and prodigy

2011-08-03T09:00:00.000+12:00

A mentor project, called HandShake has been taking up all of my blog energy these last few months. You can visit the project here.

The first show in association with this project is opening on 9th August at Studio 20/17 in Sydney.

Egalitarian project -
Kristin D'Agostino

Opening Drinks – Tuesday 9th August 6-8pm.

To be formally opened by Dr Karin Findeis Subject Chair, Jewellery and Object Lecturer, Jewellery and Object,Sydney College of the Arts
An exhibition of work by 12 New Zealand contemporary jewellery recent graduates developed over a period of time with their chosen mentors.
Curated by Peter Deckers.
Karl Fritsch for Neke Moa, Lucy Sarneel for Nadene Carr, Iris Eichenberg for Sarah Read,Warwick Freeman for Jess Winchcombe, Fabrizio Tridenti for Becky Bliss, Andrea Wagnerfor Lindsay Raine, Hanna Hedman for Debbie Adamson, Estela Sàez Vilanova for Gillian Deery, Judy Darragh for Kristin D’Agostino, Suska Mackert for Jhana Millers, Lisa Walkerfor Sharon Fitness, Rian de Jong for Sam Kelly. The combination of this esteemed group of masters and their prodigies of budding New Zealand jewellery artists makes for an exciting and much anticipated exhibition of fresh, invigorating and sometimes challenging, work.
In presenting this exhibition in conjunction with Sydney Design 2011 a tradition of cross-cultural collaboration between Australia and New Zealand, and within the discipline of contemporary jewellery, will be continued.
The nature of this project departs from more common exhibition formats, which focus on a theme or the curator’s perspective to bring to together a group of artists. Here, a group of emerging artists will have the opportunity to develop work in collaboration with a mentor. In this project, the traditional practice of the passing on of craft/artisan skills through a classical apprenticeship is revived in a contemporary context. The partnership and dialogue between the graduate and their mentor is a great opportunity for the graduates to learn more, but also for the established maker to bring forward their knowledge and share with the new generation of makers. See the blog of the project development at http://handshakejewellery.wordpress.com

Nadene Carr

Broach of the Month Club + Masterworks 2011 is born

2011-07-03T09:57:00.000+12:00

The 2011 Broach of the Month Club kicked off last week. The work is super exciting and the wearers are thrilled to don their brooches. With the new club is a new BROACH OF THE MONTH CLUB WEBSITE.

Drawing collaboration

2011-06-14T16:51:00.002+12:00

As part of the Broach of the Month Club Thinkspace show, wearer Garth O'Brien and I collaborated on a drawing project. He saw an antique brooch an bought it. So together we drew up new brooches from the antique and the brooches in the BOM 2010. This is what I came up with. To see the originals BOM brooches go here.

Kristin D'Agostino + Tatjana Panyoczki + Garth O'Brien Antique

Raewyn Walsh + Anne Baynham + Garth O'Brien Antique

Tatjana Panyoczki + Garth O'Brien Antique

Rachel Bell + Tatjana Panyoczki + Garth O'Brien Antique

Broach of the Month Club 2010 - Masterworks ThinkSpace

2011-06-10T20:02:00.000+12:00

1. Wearer Jo Mears takes Ross Malcom's 'In the Pink' on a Kombi tour of the South Island

2. 2010 Broach of the Month Club brooches

3. Photos of the 2010 launch party by Rebecca Robinson

4. Wearer responses: Bronwyn Cornish brooch, Jenny Robertson tapestry book, Garth O'Brien antique brooch

5. Wearer journals and photos

6. Video of wearer interviews

The National enters blogland

2011-06-03T20:43:00.000+12:00

The National State of Emergency Blog is up and running.
Go visit here
There will also be pop-up shows happening in Christchurch.

why so silent.....

2011-05-26T08:51:00.000+12:00

Well I have been unfaithful to this blog.
I have been lucky enough to be involved in a mentor ship with the wonderful Judy Darragh and it is being documented here!

I have also been working on Overview, a bi-monthly NZ Contemporary Jewellery Newsletter. If you haven't seen it and would like to flick me an email.

And the 2010 BOM club is just finishing., with a lovely wrap up party... and 2011 is gearing up. Watch this space.

Box Project at Masterworks

2011-05-17T07:42:00.000+12:00

The box project curated by Jasmine Matus is currently showing at Masterworks. I really like the display. One person I talked to was disappointed that the work seemed to take the obvious form. ie lots of necklaces. It was hard for me to comment, being a necklace making member of the project, but I think that is sort of the point. Maybe it would have helped to see the 'box' the makers received to get a feel with how far this jewellery had come.

My whiffle golf ball necklace.

This was made almost a year ago now and looking back, being pushed outside of my comfort zone forced me to work a bit differently. It was really hard for me at first, but by the end, I was on a role and really enjoying the material. Looking back, it has really influenced some of my current making.

Collaborative Jewellery

2011-04-28T20:06:00.000+12:00

Karl Fritsch @ Govett-Brewster - Stealing the Senses

ArtNews reported the following:
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery New Plymouth 12 March - 6 June

Stealing the Senses brings together international and New Zealand artists whose practices propose new ways of experiencing the world. This diverse group of artworks, largely newly commissioned and site-specific, includes collaborative and community involved projects, across a variety of media.

A key installation in the show, Gesamtkunsthandwerk is the result of a three month long collaborative project between NZ sculptor Francis Upritchard, Italian furniture designer Martino Gamper, and NZ based German jeweller Karl Fritsch. Not to be missed, Gesamtkunsthandwerk will also be shown atHamish McKay Gallery, Wellington, in mid-June.

Image: Karl Fritsch, Martino Gamper & Francis Upritchard, Gesamtkunsthandwerk, 2011. Courtesy of Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. Photo: Bryan James

Winter Neckpieces '11

2011-04-22T14:08:00.001+12:00

If you are in Sydney, these two neck pieces of mine will be showing at Studio 20/17 Winter Neckpieces show from 3rd May – 4th June 2011.

Jewellery on the Brink of a Relationship #201

Foliage and Ripe Fruit 2011

Here is a description of the show:

This year we invite a selected number of Australian and International artists to make contemporary versions of this ancient form of self expression. Expect to see works ranging from eye catching, oversized statement pieces, through to delicate pared back jewels. The only limitation will be that the finished work can be worn around the neck.

The Box Project Wellington

2011-04-08T09:05:00.000+12:00

The Box project, work from SharonFitness and I is now showing in Wellington at The See Here.

The Box Project

Monday 28 March - Sunday 17 April

Lauren Simeoni, Too a Tee, neckpiece, glass beads, golf tees, resin dipped capacitors, 2010

On Collaboration

2011-04-07T15:14:00.000+12:00

While I am on a kick about the radio,
Michale Parekowhai and his sister were interviewed a few weeks ago. I think that this is a very interesting idea of how a collaboration might work.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/20110312

Octavia on the Radio

2011-04-06T09:02:00.001+12:00

Octavia Cook: Counterfeit Epidermis

Last weekend Octavia Cook was interviewed by Lynn Freeman ion National Radio. To listen to the interview follow this link.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/artsonsunday/20110403/gallery2

Photography and Jewellery

2011-04-03T07:56:00.001+12:00

Hanna Hedman, jeweller & Sanna Lindberg, photographer, are collaborating on show called “Still-Jewelry” opening at Silke & The Gallery. So if you are in Antwerp......
Here is what the gallery has to say about the show:

Hanna Hedman & Sanna Lindberg

With the reference to still-life paintings and photography and its inanimate subjects. The photographs are portraits, but its main focus is not the person, but the jewelry. In most of my photographs the people are in many ways life-less with surreal elements.
I am interested in showing my art in diverse ways not just inside the glass-box. Installations, exhibitions, through wearing and through photographs.
Hanna Hedman

Exhibition "Still-Jewelry"
Hanna Hedman & Sanna Lindberg
Monday 4th april to Saturday 9th april
Bar Nadar, Ernest van Dijckkaai 19-20
2000 Antwerp, Belgium
Opening Sunday 3th april 7pm

handShake

2011-03-30T21:53:00.005+13:00

handShake is a mentor ship project and show that will be held at Gallery 20/17 in Sydney. The project is being curated and conceived by Peter Deckers. The line up of New Zealand jewellers is comprised of eleven other emerging jewellers who chose their superheros as mentors for the year. The project culminates in a show at Gallery 20/17. I was lucky enough to be chosen as a participating jeweller and I in turn chose local artist Judy Darragh as my mentor. She has been wonderful so far and I am sure she will give me a run for my money!

I have decided to send Judy post card updates on my making progress. Above is post card #1.

The project is being recorded on a blog and will be updated continually for the year. You can view the blog here: Handshake blog.

New Ceramic Jewelry

2011-03-28T21:45:00.004+13:00

Two worlds collide in an exciting exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in NY. Here is what the MAD website has to say about the show.

A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry

March 15 - September 4, 2011

Museum of Art and Design

A Bit of Clay on the Skin: New Ceramic Jewelry explores the manifold appeal of ceramics, especially porcelain, in jewelry. Organized by the Fondation d'Entreprise Bernardaud and curated by the renowned German-born goldsmith and jewelry artist Monika Brugger, the exhibition showcases the versatility and allure of the medium, which can be modeled or cast, used alone or with metal, wood, and stone, and vary in color and texture. Best known as the stuff of the luxurious and the mundane, of fine tableware and technical equipment, when used in jewelry, porcelain sparks the visual and physical sensations to become an object of desire.

Rian de Jong

n° 4 (brooch) 2007

The exhibition showcases the scope and ingenuity of the more than one hundred works on view and features the work of 18 cutting-edge jewelry artists, including creations by such notables as Peter Hoogeboom, Evert Nijland, Ted Noten (The Netherlands), Gésine Hackenberg (Germany), Marie Pendariès (Spain), and Shu-Lin Wu (Taiwan). While some make reference to traditional jewelry in materials and symbolism, others altogether redefine it in substance, form, and matter.

Mia Straka @ Masterworks

2011-03-26T22:13:00.001+13:00

Mia Straka – Model/Jewellery

31March – 20 April

as per the masterworks website:

In the jewellery box programme this month is an exciting new experimental range of neckpieces developed by Mia Straka in response to a jewellery workshop she attended recently in Melbourne held by internationally acclaimed Manon Van Kouswijk. Come and see Straka’s exploration into the potential of PVC and silk thread in jewellery.

Lucky Charm: Making Good Fortune Happen

2011-03-26T21:31:00.000+13:00

Lucky Charm. Making Good Fortune Happen, is an online auction fundraiser coordinated by Melbourne based jeweler, Natalia Milosz-Piekarska, in order to raise much needed funds in support of the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Rescue services.

In light of the recent bout of devastating natural disasters that have taken place around the world, in particular, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, it became apparent that humanitarian charities such as the Red Cross have become increasingly stretched for funds and resources which allow them to respond quickly and effectively in critical times.

The Lucky Charm fundraiser will see a cornucopia of amazing contemporary jewellery works auctioned off online as a means to show support and help raise much needed funds for the Red Cross - Australia.

All works have been donated by an incredibly generous and highly respected assembly of local and international contemporary jewellers who have banded together to create what organizer, Natalia Milosz-Piekarska calls, “An unstoppable force of GOOD nature”.

Established and emerging makers alsike have come together, with names such as Lucky Folk, Julia deVille, Nicholas Bastin, Melinda Young, Anna Davern in the mix. It’s a rare opportunity to view and bid on such a vast and varied collection of amazing jewellery works. What is even more amazing is that ALL pieces start at a reserve price of only $30!

Thank you for your support, spread the word far and wide, good luck, happy bidding, and may you yourself become a Maker of Good Fortune!

Bidding is open now, all auctions end on April 21^st at 11pm EST.

Go to: http://www.luckycharmfundraiser.blogspot.com

Octavia Cook @ Anna Miles Gallery

2011-03-26T20:06:00.001+13:00

Art of Engagement reflections

2011-03-14T14:07:00.001+13:00

White Night Auckland: Tonight

2011-03-12T14:07:00.000+13:00

The Auckland Arts Festival is on full swing and a treasure trove of jewellery, craft, talks, and performance art.

Highlights as I see it:

MARCH 12 - White Night. For the first time the festival offers White Night, a special one night only evening which sees the city turned into a bustling outdoor gallery, adapted from the popular French Nuit Blanche where museums, public and private galleries open their doors throughout the city until midnight with special programmes of performance, music and other art events.

My top picks include:
___________________________________________________________________
MARCH 12 - Jim Allen @ Artspace 6pm

"Contact, Parangole Capes. At its core Contact speaks about a release from social alienation through collective activity—literally ‘making contact’. The three elements—Computer Dance, Parangole Capes and Body Articulation/Imprint—deploy formal structures in which the interplay of bodies use movement, form, sound and light to strive for transcendence. Parangole Capes begins from a point of restraint as bodies cocooned in fabric slowly move towards each other to find release." (text care of Artspace)

MARCH 12 - Ross Malcom talking @ Fingers 7-8 pm
From 7-8pm Ross Malcolm will be in the gallery conducting an informal discussion about his new work on display,
'Home Sweet Home'

MARCH 12 - Niki Hastings-McFall @ ArtStation:..Make lei with Niki on Saturday 12 March 6pm to
midnight, for one of her infamous 'Polynisation' installations that
will be in Artstation. Then help the 'Knitterati' knit for the
'Beanies for babies' charity in a glow-in the dark knit off. These two
events are part of White Night presented by Auckland Arts Festival.

MARCH 12 - Anna Miles Gallery open
MARCH 12 - Objectspace open

___________________________________________________________________
Other highlights include:

13 March: 4pm, Public Talk: Dr Rachel Carley on ceramics, still life and the floral. Plus Afternoon tea.
@ Letting Space
14 March 14 - Easy Listening: Francis Upritchard in conversation with Tessa Laird 6.00pm
@ Elam Lecture Theater
16 March: 6.30pm, Public Talk: Anna Miles on the invented and imaginary world of flowers on textiles.
@ Letting Space
19 March - Jim Allen Performances
@ Artspace 6pm

The Art of Engagement: Floortalk

2011-02-22T13:54:00.000+13:00

The Art of Engagement:

Floortalk Tuesday 22 February,

5:30-6:00pm

Objectspace

Raewyn and I will be talking about the premise of the show, our interpretations, and our role as curators vs initiators. Please join us.

Art of Engagement opening tomorrow night

2011-02-03T13:09:00.000+13:00

Natalia Milosz-Pieraska (image credit: Kim Brockett)

Opening 6pm Objectspace alongside Best in Show.

Matt Blomeley has written up a nice post on his blog:
http://mattblomeley.co.nz/2011/02/02/the-art-of-engagement/

happy birthday GD

2011-01-30T10:28:00.000+13:00

while this is no mona lisa, it was a 5 minute birthday present and it was really fun to make. so my belated new years resolution, "make sure I am always having fun while making".

Touch, Pause, Engage Auckland Rematch

2011-01-15T13:26:00.002+13:00

Katherine Wheeler (Aust) Existence Ring

Touch, Pause, Engage 2011 opens on February 4th alongside Best in Show 2011

When Touch, Pause, Engage went to Sydney in October 2010 we were looking for the same sense of community and collegial spirit that gives the New Zealand contemporary jewellery scene its energy and identity.

We found it and now, thanks to the support of Programme Director Matt Blomeley, in February there will be a re-match on home ground when the NZ fifteen together with fifteen Australian jewellers show in the Window at Objectspace. (text by Raewyn Walsh)

More information and Australian jewellers' profiles here

Happy New Year

2011-01-12T16:20:00.000+13:00

The Jewellers Guild of Greater Sandringham wishes you a Happy New Year!

We are warming up 2011 by bringing Touch, Pause, Engage to Auckland. The show opens in the window of Objectspace January 29, 2010. More on that soon.

Subliminal Infiltrations show at Masterworks

2010-12-05T15:12:00.001+13:00

The results of infiltrations thus far is now on show at Masterworks Gallery until Feb 2011.
The documentation of the whole project can be found here: http://subliminalinfiltrations.blogspot.com/

A Brief and Un-concise History

By happy coincidence, three Auckland Jewellery Geeks (yes, we are trying to think of a better name) wore Cath Dearsley felty brooches to the Fingers Contemporary Jewellery exhibition opening on 04 August 2010 featuring new work by Nadene Carr (MSVA), Kristin Toller (Unitec), and Debbie Adamson (Otago Polytechnic).

The Geeks had been planing to do some guerilla actions at openings for a while but had not yet found a suitable behaviour to get ourselves out there and noticed without looking like complete dorks. Being smart and perceptive like we are, we quickly realised the potential of this three Cath Dearsley accidental happening and set about creating a cunning plan to Subliminalli Infiltrate the Auckland Contemporary Jewellery and Art scene in the four months leading up to our pencilled in THINKspace show.

The plan: keep it simple,showcase on Geek's work at each opening leading up to the THINKspace, take photo documentation, and keep simple notes on the interactions as we went along.

The Geeks are: Kristin D'Agostino, Raewyn Walsh, Cath Dearsley, Nadene Carr, Lynsay Raine, Gillian Deery, and Sharon Fitness. We are very grateful to the satellite geeks who helped us with this project, especially Joey, Renee Lilian, and Sinead and all the others who wanted to play in our sandpit.

Nava Lubelski : more textile painting boundary slurring

2010-12-03T20:41:00.000+13:00

Following the breadcrumb trail from Bad at Sports >>>to the The Present Group. I found this great interview with textile artist and innovative maker, Nava Lubelski on the Present group blog. I love her angle on deconstruction and mending.

Her work, dedication to craftsmanship and ability to step outside of craft and peak around the corners of what is possible is really knocking my socks off.

maps, quilts, painting and craftsmanship

2010-12-01T13:16:00.000+13:00

I have been swerving towards textiles lately and seeing this lovely quilt by Ian Hundley

on Alabama Chanin made my heart jump. I love the work in these peices.

How Might One Live? #1: The Present Group

2010-11-16T08:34:00.001+13:00

I am on a Deleuze kick at the moment and am loving the question he poses.... 'how might one live?' as applied to an art practice or the movement of art in society.

The Present Group : an art subscription service Exploring new ways to fund and distribute arist projects. I'd say this is answering the Deleuze question in a very innovative way. I found the The Present Group via an interview on Bad at Sports, and think they are just the bees knees. TThis sbuscription based art distribution group is located in San Francisco. The way it works is for 150 dollars a year you recieve 4 art works. Money is given to the artist to produce the subscribed number of works and then they are distributed. They are a true inspiration, so simple and yet so brilliant!

Artists apply to be involved. And with each release there is a critical essay that accompanies the work.

Check out their blog for more infomation.

Bad at Sports treats

2010-11-15T16:02:00.000+13:00

Contemporary art talk. These weekly pod casts are just about the best thing a girl can ask to listen to during her 9-5 stint. They are a ray of sunshine straight from the heart of the good old Midwest. Thank you Bad at Sports!

Not only is there a weekly podcast, there is a blog and an amazing archive.

There is so much to listen to, but here are two of my favourites.

Episode 267: James Elkins and the Stone Summer Theory Institute

Episode 243: The Present Group

The Box Project

2010-11-09T20:29:00.001+13:00

Come enjoy the unique works made by eighteen contemporary jewellers from Australia and New Zealand using unexpected materials they received in a mysterious brown box. An unusual ear plug neckpiece, shuttlecock earrings and brooches sprouting living grass adorn Gaffa Gallery’s walls amongst many other delightful pieces.

Curator Jasmine Matus conceptually revisits her childhood busy box, a box full of collected items brought out on rainy afternoons to inspire the making of imaginative objects. Twenty years later, The Box Project involves professional jewellers using complex materials and techniques to bring to life this intriguing past.

‘Working with a limited palette of things you would never choose yourself is quite a challenge but sometimes the best things come from foreign places’ ⎯ Sharon Fitness

theboxproject.tumblr.com

Triangular Design Manifesto

2010-11-06T17:54:00.000+13:00

While I don't use the word designer to describe myself, I like this, see no.2
Thank you Conceptual Devices

00_ Design should not be based on formal principles – but always on an idea of society.
01_ Designed forms represent possible social orders and a lot of their contradictions.
02_ Design is everything. Anything could be designed. Everyone is a designer.
03_ Design allows social innovations. Often it is not made by designers.
04_ Design has not scale. It could be small and have great impact.
05_ Design is not an innocent practice. Designers are wicked.
06_ Design should engage people and interact with them.
07_ Design is an interdisciplinary applied science.
08_ Design produces visual consciousness.
09_ Design is a triangular manifesto.
10_ Design makes you smile.
11_ This is the top.
12_ Enjoy!

kicked into touch

2010-11-02T20:20:00.002+13:00

Phew. Back from the whirlwind of a Sydney visit, full of wonderful people and galleries. Overall we were really happy with the show and its reception.

It is hard to believe that it is in it's final days today.

The show might be coming to an end, but Raewyn Walsh has been keeping the blog evolving with featured artists: whose pictures are all remarkably indicative of their personalities.

We have had some good attention from the blog community:

and we even subliminally infiltrated our own show: subliminal infiltration

Lisa Walker at Objectspace

2010-11-02T17:21:00.000+13:00

Objectspace window will host Lisa Walker 6 November - 15 December 2010

Here is how Objectspace is billing the show:

This installation presents a selection of recent neck pieces by Lisa Walker, each of which utilises a range of materials from New Zealand collected by Walker when she returned home from Munich last December after 14 years abroad. The construction of the neck pieces resembles that of contemporary Polynesian lei, where the designs frequently draw upon found materials, both natural and manufactured, in
bright colours and textures.

Announcing Touch, Pause, Engage

2010-10-09T08:03:00.001+13:00

Touch, Pause, Engage is an introductory snapshot of contemporary jewellery from Aotearoa, New Zealand for the Australian community. Known primarily as the call the referee shouts before two rugby teams lock into a scrum, in this context Touch, Pause, Engage becomes a call to look fully and interact with jewellery as you see it.

And so, this innovative jewellery showcase is designed to reset the trans-Tasman rivalry between our rugby-loving brothers and sisters, and to build new jewellery relationships. The show will be hung at the Keeper Gallery, at the Gaffa Art Complex in Sydney, and will run from 21 October – 2 November 2010. Opening night, October 21st will also mark the release of an accompanying publication.

The initiative of Kristin D’Agostino and Raewyn Walsh, Touch, Pause, Engage, has invited a diverse team of fifteen New Zealand jewellers to submit inventive and inspired works. Although many of the makers’ practices focus on different issues and are expressed in a wide range of forms, the side is fit and game ready. The roster is comprised of talented individuals with varying skills, strengths, and experience but who all make a target of pushing the experimental aspects of their jewellery practice.

-Kristin and Raewyn

Jewellery events in Auckland

2010-10-06T13:19:00.001+13:00

Back in Auckland just in the nick of time and ready to jump back into the buslting jewellery world.

Craig McIntosh @Fingers - October 4th

Amanda Game @Objectspace lecture series - October 6th

Cheryl Sills and Mia Straka @ Royal - October 8th

Artist Alliance Workshop Day - October 9th

Peter Deckers and Nadene Carr @ Masteworks - October 13th

Broach of the Month Club/Masterworks Dinner - October 13th

Peter Deckers Floor Talk @ Masteworks - October 14th

I've got a mild fascination for collectors

2010-09-08T10:47:00.000+12:00

This song and youtube video say it all.
your girlfriend says its time to sell,
but everything fits so well.

submliminal infiltrations

2010-08-31T04:11:00.000+12:00

I have a sneaky feeling Auckland jewellery is taking an interesting turn. This blog: subliminal infiltration catalogs the adventures of guerrilla jewellery in a guerrilla world.

Here is how the subliminal infiltrations work as per the blog:

A brief and unconcise history:
By happy coincidence, 3 auckland jewellery Geeks (yes we are trying to think of a better name) wore Cath Dearsley felty brooches to the Fingers Contemporary Jewellery exhibition opening on 04 August 2010 featuring new graduate work by Nadene Carr (MSVA), Kristin Toller (Unitec) and Debbie Adamson (Otago Polytechnic).
Now, the Geeks have been planning to do some guerilla actions at openings for a while but hadnt yet found a suitable behaivour to get ourselves out there and noticed without looking like complete fools.
Being smart and perceptive like we are, we quickly realised the potential of this 3 Cath Dearsley accidental happening and set about creating a cunning plan to subliminally infiltrate the Auckland Contemporary Jewellery and Art scene in the four months leading up to our pencilled in THINKspace show at Masterworks Gallery opening on 04 December 2010.
The plan: keep it simple, showcase one Geek's work at each opening leading up to the THINKspace, taking photo documentation and keeping notes on comments and feelings as we go along.

The Geeks are: Kristin D'Agostino, Raewyn Walsh, Cath Dearsley, Nadene Carr, Lynsay Raine, Gillian Deery and Sharon Fitness.

Art News NZ - Spring 2010

2010-08-21T02:24:00.000+12:00

Bold, new and curious forms:

Kristin D’Agostino and Craig Foltz trace the new wave of jewellery and its embrace of sculpture

First Edition ~ 10 emerging jewellers ~ the National

2010-07-19T09:50:00.000+12:00

10 emerging jewellers group show

Now on at the National, 158 High St. Christchurch

Nadene Carr

Suni Gibson

Gillian Deery

Lynsay Raine

Raewyn Walsh

Anne Baynham

Kristin D'Agostino

Apologies to Tara Brady and Cath Dearsley whose pictures didn't turn out.

View from the street

Time for a Scavenger Hunt!!

2010-07-17T10:42:00.000+12:00

A fungal bloom hits Christchurch.
As part of the First Editions show, I thought I would sprinkle some love throughout Christchurch and subconsciously draw the public in. I am very excited about the idea that jewellery can link people to a place and an experience. So in the cold and early hours of the morning, Lynsay Raine and I set out to create a viral, fungal bloom around town.
Headquarters:

We put between 30 and 40 blossoms around town, how many can you find?
They are all in places worth travelling to.

Raewyn Walsh - jewellery box last day

2010-07-17T09:23:00.001+12:00

photo courtesy of Raewyn Walsh

Raewyn Walsh is in the Masterworks jewllery box this month. She taken a nice step from her dark stacked objects into colour. She is still investigating the silver tea service and intervening with its reading and function, but the subtle introduction of colour adds an exciting new aspect. Here is how Raewyn describes the work:

photo courtesy of Raewyn Walsh

I am still interested in the vessel, especially the silver tea service, and this time I have set my sights on the vessel accoutrements; those parts that are added on but which also define the use and function of said vessel. Here the teapot spout is recast as a brooch and spoon handles become pendants that are long enough to be held.

The National - First Editions Tuesday July 6th, CHC

2010-07-03T10:21:00.000+12:00

The National is very pleased to present "First Editions", an exhibition of 10 selected Emerging Jewellers:

Anne Baynham
Tara Brady
Nadine Carr
Kristin D'Agostino
Cath Dearsley
Gillian Deery

Suni Gibson
Lynsay Raine
Robyn Singh
Raewyn Walsh

6 of the jewellers will be at the Opening so we would love you to join us!

Meet the artists and preview the work

Tuesday 6th July, from 5pm

The New Zealand Jewellery Show - Regal Casting Awards

2010-06-27T00:14:00.002+12:00

The results are up for the finalists. This year seems to be an Auckland sweep. Congratulations to Gillian Deery, Nadene Carr, Kvetoslava Flora Sekanova. I am honored to be a member of this gang.

I submitted this piece after working and working on a planned masterpiece... that refused to let itself come into being. I had been twiddling away on this piece (pictured) between melt downs on version A, B and C of afore mentioned failed masterpiece. All the good stuff happens when you are not trying. From the sound of it Nadene and Gillian also had similar, last minute changes of heart when it came to the work that they eventually entered. I think that judge, Lisa Walker, might have sniffed out the blah-fuck moments.

http://www.jewelleryshow.co.nz/2010-regal-castings-jewellery-awards-finalists

"Topography of Metal" Now accepting entries from the sunny shores of Lake Erie

2010-06-03T09:33:00.000+12:00

There is a call for entries for a jewellery show in my hometown, and I thought I would pass along the good word.

Now accepting entries for "Topography of Metal"
at Tap Studios/Gallery M in Cleveland, OH
Oct. 150 Nov. 19, 2010
Curated by Susan Skoczen

Topography of Metal is an exhibition to investigate and discover jewelry and metal artists who explore the manipulation of the surface of metal. This manipulation can be either purely associated with alteration of the metal and/or the addition or use of other non-traditional materials

Gallery: Tap Studios / Gallery M is a unique studio and exhibition space dedicated to the creation and promotion of art jewelry. We offer a regular program of exhibitions featuring national and international artists in an eclectic setting based in Cleveland’s Asia Town neighborhood. A program of classes and workshops is scheduled on an on-going bases. www.tapstudios.com

Curator: Susan Skoczen is a studio jeweler in Cleveland, OH. Her work has been shown in San Francisco, Massachusettes. Texas and New York. She also teaches jewelry/metalsmithingaroundtheClevelandarea.Inaddition to making and showing her own work, she has been a curator and.or juror for such shows as Cain Park Arts Festival in Cleveland Hts, OH, “In Between” and “After Hours” show at The Reinberger Galleries, The Cleveland Institute of Art, was Chair of the SNAG student show, “On the Verge”. www.susanskoczen.com

Eligibility: This exhibition is open to all artists over the age of 18. All entries must be original, completed within the last three years and accurately be represented in jpeg images. Works not meeting these criteria will not be exhibited. Work not to exceed 24” x 24” x 24”

Theme: “Topography of Metal” is an exhibition to investigate and discover jewelry and metal artists who explore the manipulation of the surface of metal. This manipulation can be either purely associated with alteration of the metal and/or the addition or use of other non-traditional materials.
Format: All entries will be juried from high-resolution (300 dpi) jpeg digital images on CD. Maximum 3 pieces, each with a detail image, if necessary.

more info:
http://www.klimt02.net/showcase/index.php?item_id=18615

ENTRIES DUE: July 9, 2010
Notification of Artists: Sept. 17
Shipping/Delivery of Accepted Work: Oct. 1-6
Exhibition Dates: Oct. 15- Nov. 19
Opening Reception: Oct. 15, 6-9pm R
Return of Work: Nov. 20-24

Lineage - Raewyn Walsh

2010-06-02T11:40:00.001+12:00

Raewyn Walsh introduces her new work at Masterworks, June 9th. 6pm.

Rumour has it, the show is a bit familiar and a little new.

We are all very excited to see how her work has progressed.

re:production project

2010-05-27T09:49:00.000+12:00

Here is a sneak peak of one of the photos that I have sent off to the re:production exhibition.

The show is curated by Zoe Brand at the Keeper Gallery @ gaffa in Syndey. This is how Zoe describes the project. By removing the ‘end product’ of a work and displaying only the documentation in the form of a series of images, the viewer is given a different perspective from which to understand further the workings of contemporary jewellery practice.

The show is supported by a lovely blog so that all of the overseas jewellers can appreciate the show.
There are a few spots still available if other makers are interested in participating.

Exhibition Dates: 3rd June - 29th June 2010, blog live now.

a selection of magpie treasures

2010-05-26T10:37:00.002+12:00

DIY Magpie Workshop Walking Tour of Taupo part 2

2010-05-25T07:37:00.002+12:00

six for gold

Drew's Goldsmith's

Joanna Campbell's ribbon necklace

seven for secrets not to be told
Taupo's question mark
Octavia Cook's brooch

eight for a wish
wishing well
Matthew McIntyre Wilson's coin brooches

nine for a kiss
rose garden
Pauline Bern's Mend brooches

ten for a bird not to be missed
Magpie
Lisa Walker talk 2pm

At this point we laid out the collections and started making, making, making.

DIY Magpie Workshop Walking Tour of Taupo part 1

2010-05-18T21:52:00.000+12:00

instructions: go to the magpie show. check out all of these artists. walk around taupo and draw connections between the old folk rhymes and themes in the jewellery show. make. make. make.

one for sorrow

early settlers cemetery

Mary Curtis, black brooch

two for joy

Salvation Army

Cath Dearsley, theory of toys

three for a girl

Taupo primary

Rachel Bell, found-feminine domestic

four for a boy

Taupo primary

Ross Malcolm, necklaces

five for silver

The fly

Jennifer Braithwaite, necklaces

(real silver I am sure!)

..... more soon

MAGPIE review

2010-05-11T16:53:00.000+12:00

MAGPIE: New Adventures in Jewellery opened last weekend as apart of the Taupo Erupt festival. I may be a bit biased, but I thought that the show looked fabulous. The tiding, charm, gulp, flock, murder of jewellers descended on Taupo for a weekend of talks. Lisa Walker spoke on Saturday and Pauline Bern/Tim Walker on Sunday. It was a lovely event.
I led two public workshops on Saturday and Sunday that involved a walk around town linking concepts in traditional jewellery to works in the show via the magpie rhyme. The particpants magpied up lovely treasures that we then made into pendants. More pictures to come shortly.

one for sorrow,

two for joy,

three for a girl,

four for a boy,

five for a silver,

six for gold,

seven for secrets not to be told,

eight for a wish,

nine for a kiss,

ten for a bird not to be missed,

Good Moodies

2010-05-03T20:10:00.002+12:00

The Wire: Adventures in Modern Music saves the day, and provides a much needed performance art/ experimental music fix care of The Moodies. The link will take you to two interviews with the band.

(photo via The Wire)

Here is what The Wire has to say about the interviews:
Hear two Clear Spot documentaries where Adrian Whittaker talks to members of The Moodies, the musical and performance art group which grew out of Reading University Art Department in the early Seventies.

The two programmes, originally aired on Resonance FM on 24 and 25 February 2010, also include archive live recordings from 1974 and examples of various ex-Moodies’ later work with Brian Eno, Ian Dury, Michael Karoli and Paul Burwell.

Ira Glass: encouragement for those of us starting out

2010-04-26T13:35:00.001+12:00

So true and in an odd way, comforting.

You will be fierce, you will be a warrior, you will disappointment yourself for a long time.... but do not dispair, that is the mark of good taste.

Watch the whole thing here:

http://www.youtube.com/v/-hidvElQ0xE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1

via Arthur Hash

Interview with Stella Chrysostomou

2010-04-25T08:26:00.003+12:00

New Zealand jeweller, Stella Chrysostomou has initiated many collaborative projects. Her latest being a Nelson based event called SKATE organised by the group called CJP. I asked Stella about CJP and to reflect on some of her past projects. Thank you Stella for the fantastic answers!

*** *** ***

KD: Who is CJP, how long has the group existed and how did the idea the SKATE project emerge? Is there a second event in the works?

SC: CJP stands for Community Jewellery Projects. I set up this group last year in an attempt to provide something outside the confines of either the traditional gallery exhibition or production selling models that are prevalent in contemporary jewellery making. CJP encourages jewellers to produce ideas driven work within a framework that is playful and non-threatening. Hopefully this will lead to a more vibrant  jewellery community in Nelson which builds connections between like-minded artists and instills a sense that jewellery can be interesting and challenging. Membership of the group is not confined to jewellers. While the focus is the jewellery object, anyone can participate in any event run under the auspice of CJP. The participants in SKATE, our first event, included jewellers, installation and performance artists.

SKATE was an idea I already had been playing with and felt that it would convert nicely to a group exhibition. SKATE required the exhibitors to find a music box and make a related jewellery work. Taking the exhibition idea to an one-night event gave the show immediacy and an extra dimension - we hired a church hall, (they were happy for us to skate in the hall - wheels no problem, highland  dancing prohibited!) and provided cups of tea and appropriate eats for a hall meets roller rink experience.

More CJP are planned for this year. A Bejewelled Winter Solstice (- I'm thinking a nice cold refrigeration truck in the middle of town with some lovely icy jewels) and An edible jewellery picnic is on the cards for Spring possibly to tie in with Nelson's first fringe festival.

KD: Are you approaching CPJ as a side project or an extension of your personal practice?

SC: CJP is probably more of a side project for me. But saying that, it does tie in with my philosophy about what jewellery can be. I have been living in Nelson now for just over ten years. I felt that I still had stronger ties to the Wellington jewellery community (I trained at Whitiriea), but realised that  the time had come to participate more fully in my own community. I'm passionate about jewellery, and the more conceptual it is, the more my passion for it. For me, Nelson was offering very little in terms of a challenging jewellery environment, despite the reasonably large amount of jewellers here. So, hence CJP - an opportunity to add a bit of conceptual spice. Also from a practical viewpoint, CJP works can be immediate in the making and are not too time consuming which is useful for me at the moment with a family and a full-time job.

KD: Many jewellers spend time honing their skills, what motivates you to go beyond the act of making to incorporate other aspects (i.e demonstrated in your project Hidden: Lost)?

SC: While advancing my technical ability is always in the back of my mind when I'm making, ( I usually feel the eyes of my technical master watching and tutting over a clumsy solder or saw-cut), I'm more interested in the end goal or the whole picture. (The desire to perfect is something that can trip us up. With jewellery the mistakes are noticeable, but sometimes its the 'error' which makes the work interesting, or teaches us something new.) Somewhat unfashionably I'm a fan of metal and have a preference for working in sterling silver, but hardly ever in a conventional way. Technically I like to give myself a challenge, but ideas are what drive my work. If on the way to the end goal, there's a technical hitch I find a solution.
Much of my jewellery-making is project based, so the objects tend to be groups of jewellery and often these are supported by some aspect of installation or specific display.

KD: Who are your jewellery/art heroes and where do you go for inspiration?

SC: While I don't have any specific jewellery/art heroes there are a few that stand out for different reasons. Mostly I'm drawn to artists who have a strong focus and conviction in their work. I'd have to say that I admire Peter Deckers (who I trained under) for his total commitment to jewellery and teaching. I think I was incredibly lucky to find a tutor who paved the way for me to incorporate my intellectual ideas with a practical skill. I like the work of jewellers Erik Kuiper and Caroline Gore, artists Joseph Beuys, Eva Hesse and Rachael Whiteread, Du Champ's chess playing, and I'm a big fan of literature. I have a double life as a bookseller. Fiction has a big influence in my life as a jeweller. Authors of inspiration include Haruki Murakami, Jose Saramago, Margaret Atwood, Angela Carter, Viktor Pelevin, and Elizabeth Knox.
Mostly I find inspiration in the everyday, the small things that we fail to notice unless we are looking... the way in which a drain pipe meets the ground, a perfect circle of grass growing in a missing piece of footpath, the forgotten and obsolete. I explored this idea in a project called A Month in May.

KD: I read that Roseanne Bartley considers her practice as three-pronged.  One aspect of her work focuses on making based on memory, one is making bodies of work for exhibitions, and the final aspect has a performative focus.  Do you see your practice as multi-focused, and if so how?

SC: If I made a division in my practice it would be along the lines of making and curating. As a maker, my work for exhibition, tends to intersect and grow from and between the projects. So while the projects are distinct in feel and content, there is a fairly singular focus in what I am trying to achieve in the realm of contemporary jewellery. As a curator, I'm only just dipping my toes in the water. While I've co-organised a few group shows, and the CJP takes a bit of planning, LIKE was my first major show.

Planning and organising are things that come easily to me. I find that making and curating offer different kinds of challenges and rewards.

KD: Looking back on your different projects, what are the common themes?

SC: I have explored ideas of memory, loss, perception and observation through my work. I am interested in how people interact with their world, and how and why they interact with jewellery objects.

KD: I am interested in the current status of the Hidden: on Loan project, where you gave ‘a piece’ with two components to one person instructing them to pass half of it on. I wondered if you could give me an update. Are people still wearing the work?  Have they been lost? Recalled? Has a mini-community formed around the participants? Are they in contact with one another?

SC: That project feels so long ago. some of the jewellery pieces came 'home', while others have disappeared into the ether. A few I don't even know if they made it to their destination. At least two pieces have been lost by participants. There was a mini-community between the participants, especially of those works that had been lent twice. I found people's reactions greatly varied, from being offended (affronted that I had asked them to participate without requesting their permission first) to a kind of elation to be part of an art project.

KD: Was the on Loan format successful and did it achieve the desired results?

SC: It was surprising (in as far as the diverse reactions from the participants) and partially successful. Where the participants reacted, whether positively or negatively, it succeeded. When there was no response the thread was lost. This format relied on a continued communication through the jewellery object, so as soon as no one engaged with it the conversation stopped.

KD: In a quote from your website regarding your project, Hidden, you said.  “The object is our visual reference point. It is the catalyst for a conversation.  Do we need the object to be present to enable the conversation to take place? How important is the object to our art experience or to our understanding of it? Do we need a physical object to interpret ideas?”
Reflecting back on the work, the show and the feedback, what do you think?  Do we need a physical object, especially in relation to jewellery, to interpret ideas?

SC: We don't need a physical object, but we do need the idea of the object. Ideas are built from what we know, and what exists, and with flexible and imaginative thinking new possibilities arise.

Charm, Tiding, Murder: a Magpie view of Taupo

2010-04-23T08:13:00.000+12:00

If you are in Taupo in May, then you won't want to miss the opening of the Magpie show at
the Taupo Museum. You could also join me for a jewellery walk of the town at noon on May 8th and 9th.

Magpie New Adventures in Jewellery workshop kicks off by walking to 9 different sites around Taupo linked to the 'Magpie' rhyme. At each site there will be talks about traditional and contemporary jewellery, and a collection of materials and objects to take back to the Museum. There you will learn on both days how to make cord and transform your findings into jewellery.
The Sunday session will be more informal so bring your items from home and transform into your view of Taupo.

the-best-bedazzled-kombi-road-trip-ever...

2010-04-14T22:56:00.000+12:00

photo credit: Sharon Fitness & Jo Mears

Brooch: Pink by Ross Malcolm

One of the nicest things happening in the 2010 Broach of the month club is that PINK, the broach, is on a Kombi tour of the South Island of NZ. Sharon and Jo are my official heroes of the Broach Club.

http://www.broochonkombitour.blogspot.com/

Broach of the Month Club 2010

2010-04-12T13:08:00.000+12:00

The comments have been fantastic and it's only the first month! To read the latest posts click here.

in good company

2010-04-08T21:15:00.002+12:00

Best in Show is the subject of a feature article in the April 2010 issue of Metro Magazine. The article includes pictures and quotes from Sharon Fitness and Raewyn Walsh. Also, Jacqui Chan, Gillian Deery and Broach of the Month Club all get a mention.

Broach of The Month Club on Art Jewelry Forum

2010-03-29T08:21:00.001+13:00

Broach of the Month Club got a lovely mention on the Art Jewelry Forum

You can read the article here:
http://www.artjewelryforum.org/blog/2010/03/26/audience-issues/

Family and Friends from far and wide visit the Best in Show Opening

2010-03-28T09:17:00.001+13:00

Following this invitation on facebook....

These visitors made their way to the Best in Show opening at Objectspace

my display

Jewellery on the Brink of a Relationship

at Objectspace

Mom and Dad taking in the show

All the overseas friends getting a nice close peak at the work

It turned into a bit of an overseas reunion really. It was fabulous.
I even got to meet my new born niece!
And the whole family turned up wearing my jewellery, how lovely!

Best in Show 2010 Opening 26 March

2010-03-23T22:11:00.000+13:00

Please join me for the Objectspace opening 26 March, 2010 6pm & artist talk 27 March 11am.

This is how the show is described on the Objectspace website:

Objectspace's annual graduate showcase is now in its sixth year. Best In Show 2010 (27 March- 1 May) will feature 17 contemporary design, craft and object graduates from around New Zealand. Best In Show is a fantastic launching pad for emerging practitioners and represents an exciting professional development opportunity for these new voices in the design and craft communities.

Makers:
Kate Butler, Nadene Carr, Ko-Hsin Chen, Emma Cullen, Kristin D'Agostino, Matt Fanning, Sunni Gibson, Emma Grose, Gwen Hudson, David Kaho, Corinne Lochner, Sita Main, Jade Muirhead, Helen Perrett, Lars Preisser, Robyn Singh, Raewyn Walsh

Curator:
Matt Blomeley

Fristch on the Lower East Side

2010-03-20T19:05:00.001+13:00

These are a few of my favourite things, Karl Fritsch + Lower East Side NY.
I can only imagine how exciting this jeweller/painter pair will be!

Karl Fritsch + Richard Wathen

Salon 94 Freemans
East Village / Lower East Side
1 Freeman Alley,

March 2 - April 10, 2010

Here is the show description as posted on the Salon 94 Freemans' website.

Salon 94 Freemans is pleased to present a new exhibition of jewelry by Karl Fritsch and paintings by Richard Wathen.

Challenging the conventions of both sculpture and jewelry making, Munich-based artist Karl Fritsch creates rings that read as miniature sculptures. Often intricately constructed yet coarsely finished, Fritsch’s rings are marked by rough, oxidized finishes and detectable fingerprints, conveying the urgency of the rings’ materialization. He playfully mixes high and low materials, giving equal billing to diamonds, rubies, plastic pearls and glass gemstones. By making all his sculptures wearable in the form of rings, Fritsch liberates his media from static presentation and creates an unprecedented intimacy to the works, simultaneously subverting the notion that jewelry is mere décor and that sculpture must be admired at a distance.

Broach of the Month Club + Masterworks Gallery 2010

2010-03-16T09:46:00.002+13:00

Rebekah Robinson snapped these great photos of the Broach of the Month Club 2009 show opening at Masterworks Gallery on Sunday. True to form, the orginal brooch clan created a fabulous buzz and it was a very fun opening!

The 2010 Broach of the Month Club - Masterworks Collaboration kicked off as well. The brooches for the 2010 round are fabulously exciting. The wearers seemed thrilled to take home thier new treasures! All very fun indeed.

Big thank yous to all of the out of town guests Lillian who came all the way from Sydney, Pene from Gisbourne, Mary from Michigan.

chromophobia....

2010-03-10T15:14:00.002+13:00

Chromophobia by David Bachelor discusses colour and it’s historic association with “a Fall”. Bachelor explains western cultures fear a fear of corruption or contamination through color. he says that colour is "dangerous because it is secondary... The minor is always the undoing of the major."

In this section he is discussing J-K Huysman's hero, Des Esseintes, in his novel A Rebours published in 1884 and translated as Against Nature. I love reading this quote, looking at my monochromatic work, looking at the Naturally, Unnaturally show and plotting my FALL into colour.

“.. this is after all also a story of a Fall. But not before he has figured out the problem of flowers. For flowers, like precious stones, are both brilliantly coloured and often utterly commonplace. And flowers are also of nature rather than against it. Des Esseintes begins his careful selection by classifying flowers in terms of social class. He identifies the ‘poor, vulgar slum-flowers’, a middle class of ‘pretentious, conventional, stupid flowers’ and lastly, ‘flowers of charm and tremendous delicacy… princesses of the vegetable kingdom, living aloof and apart, having nothing whatever in common with the popular plants or bourgeois blooms’. Naturally, Des Esseintes admires only the 'rare and aristocratic plants from distant lands', and these mainly for their unnaturalness, as they are kept alive only 'with cunning attention in artificial tropics'. This 'inborn taste for the artificial' in turn leads him - in an entirely post modern way, - to begin 'to neglect the real flower for its copy', which in turn leads him to cultivate an interest in flowers that are literally artificial, those 'faithfully and miraculously executed in indiarubber and wire, calico and taffeta, paper and velvet.' And yet he is still not satisfied, which is perhaps the entire point and dynamic of the book. Des Esseintes is never satisfied with his orchestrations artificiality, perhaps because even the most extreme artifice, once familiar, becomes a kind of nature to him.

So he turns his attention to another king of flora: ‘tired of artificial flowers aping real ones, he wanted some natural flowers that would look like fakes.’ On taking delivers of these naturally artificial blooms, Des Esseintes falls into a kind of delirium or conscious dream-state, which, in some respects at least, is not unlike Le Corbusier’s oriental delirium. Glancing from flower to flower and inspired mainly by the exotic plants’ intense colours, he begins to blur the distinction between flower parts and animal parts, between different types of flesh, between the vegetable and the mineral, between the healthy and the diseased. One plant ‘looked as if it had been fashioned out of the pleura of an ox or the diaphanous bladder of a pig’; another ‘seemed to be simulating zinc, parodying bits of punched metal coloured emperor green and splattered with drops of oil paint streaks of red lead and white’; another ‘flaunted leaves the colour of raw meat, with dark red ribs and purplish fibrils, puffy leaves that seemed to be sweating blood and wine.’ … Eventually Des Esseintes becomes exhausted by the ‘crude and dazzling colours’ of his ‘depraved’ and ‘unhealthy’ hothouse collection. Gradually, his conscious colour-delirium lead him to fall into a restless sleep and then into a colour-nightmare …

chromatic dreams

2010-03-09T13:14:00.001+13:00

I am still thinking about naturally, unnaturally!

I found the material and the colour in the show, very intriguing.

The press release from Masterworks, said this.

With a focus on ideas of botany and the body – the artists have created edgy jewellery that utilises and manipulates non-specific artificial objects including vintage fake flowers and beads alongside silver, gold and wood. Changing the unnatural to the natural the artists have developed two playful bodies of work, which speak to each other through an excited engagement of ideas and material sensibility.

Exciting Blog Finds #1 - Amy Tavern

2010-03-09T11:24:00.001+13:00

I stumbled onto Amy Tavern's jewellery blog and it was such a delight.

She has Guest Star Fridays featuring different jewellers, what a treat!

I cannot wait to catch up on all of the back reading....

I also love her jewellery/drawings.... mmmmm

http://amytavern.blogspot.com/2010/03/guest-star-friday-54maranon.html

Broach of the Month Club + Masterworks Gallery 2010

2010-03-04T11:52:00.001+13:00

You are invited

Naturally, Unnaturally

2010-02-18T13:04:00.002+13:00

A littering of frippery and fakery, jewellery and objects by Lauren Simeoni and Melinda Young

Winter Neckpice and Red Droplet Brooch

via Masterworks Gallery

Naturally, Unnaturally opened last night at masterworks and was such an exciting show.

This collaborative show is exciting, surprising, playful and beautiful, all at the same time. I declare, it is NOT to be missed. The display was fantastic and made me feel like I had indeed died and gone to jewellery heaven. The makers, Lauren and Mel, were both present and that was just the icing on the cake for me. I even got to wear one of the necklaces for the evening. Gosh darn it, it was FUN.

But wait, there is a very interesting story about the collaborative process that should not be overlooked. Metlab blog has a great interview posted here.

Fragmentation and the Found - Rachel Bell

2010-02-11T19:09:00.002+13:00

#21 - Rachel Bell

image courtesy of the artist

Rachel Bell has been working on a new project called Fragmentation and the Found. She is documenting it here, and it is very exciting.

The project will be shown later this year in the Masterworks THINKspace. According to the Masterworks website, this is what Fragmentation and the Found is all about,

I liken my process of making to that of a Situationist on derive or a post-modern hunter-gatherer - collecting fragments from the surrounding environment and reconstituting these in the studio into new forms.
I am currently in the midst of my Masters project, the working title being: Fragmentation and the Found in the Production of Contemporary Jewellery . Within this I am investigating how objects and histories can be linked by a methodology of making that utilises fragmentation and the found.
These objects are informed by a number of concerns: post-modernism, Dada, Situationism and absurdist logic, object theory and history, experimental and conceptual art of many forms, domestic handicrafts and social politics.
The results are sometimes attractive, sometimes not. Often they are awkward and unsettling. Sometimes they have a clear use but other times are ambiguous. This pleases me!

Scout reports back on Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry Show

2010-02-07T10:34:00.003+13:00

Renee Bevan "Favorite Varieties" Brooches

via Velvet da Vinci Gallery

Kate Taylor a former wearer in the Broach of the Month Club has moved to San Francisco. I told her the Pocket Guide was not to be missed. Here is what she had to say about the show:

I had THE most amazing time last weekend when I went to the Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry exhibit. I had no idea it was going to be as amazing as it was, and i'm trying to get back there today to spend more time there as I was a bit rushed last time. Ray was with me and we were both astounded by the volume and uniqueness and often comedy in the work.. plus the co-curator who is Mike was there and was super excited telling us about it! ... We need to start a campaign to get the show to NZ as there are NO plans for that which is about as bad as Flight of the Conchords being famous in the US and not in NZ!

You tell 'em Kate!

Bedside Table - january

2010-01-29T07:59:00.000+13:00

Chromophobia - David Bachelor
The Politics of Aesthetics - Jacques Ranciere
Coming up For Air - Craig Foltz & Shelton Walsmith
From Hand to Hand - Carole Guinard, Monica Gaspar, Liesbeth Den Besten
The Craftsman - Richard Sennett
Participation - Ed Claire Bishop
On Longing - Susan Stewart
A Sculpture Reader: Contemporary Sculpture since 1980 - Ed Glenn Harper and Twylene Moyer

Pocket Guide to New Zealand Jewelry

2010-01-27T19:36:00.000+13:00

photo of A.Preston's kiwi via Velvet Da Vinci

The Pocket Guide to NZ Jewelery show opened this month in San Francisco. Curated by Damian Skinner the show starts at Velvet Da Vinci and then travels to SOFA in Chicago. I am very much hoping it makes a local loop once it returns.

"You're going to like New Zealand and its people. American troops that have preceded you have made plenty of firm friends and thereby paved the way for you. You'll soon feel at home, particularly if you remember from the beginning that you have plenty to learn, especially from New Zealanders themselves. No warnings are needed by any man of common sense and good will." Pocket Guide 1943

The idea was to use the Pocket Guide given to US service men on R&R in New Zealand during WWII as the premise for a show to introduce NZ jewelry state side. The 124-page catalog goes on to explain it in full. If you are not lucky enough to be in SF at the moment, you can read some of Skinner's thoughts along similar lines here, and here and here on paua dreams,

The artists include are: Anna Wallis, Jane Dodd, Jason Hall, Peter Deckers, Fran Allison, Warwick Freeman, Areta Wilkinson, Alan Preston, Renee Bevan, Lisa Walker, Peter McKay, Lynn Kelly, Octavia Cook, Andrea Daly, Pauline Bern, Niki Hastings-McFall

Velvet Da Vinci, San Francisco

January 13 - February 28

biscuit packer's test

2010-01-26T12:22:00.000+13:00

Santa is great for bringing me a Cabinet magazine subscription which included this postcard of the 'biscuit-packers test'. I really like the looks of that.

This 'test' consists of a tray holding four wooden biscuit shapes, three thin strips of cardboard to wrap them with and a diagram showing the most efficient solution. Developed by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology, tests such as these could help employers recruit manual workers who showed good aptitude to specific manual tasks.
- description care of the science museum

my architect

2010-01-21T16:36:00.002+13:00

photo via Studio Gang

My lovely sister works for Studio Gang Architects. The small firm headed by Jeanne Gang is carrying the torch for Chicago architecture and constantly working on amazing projects with a keen awareness of materials. Their brick weave house is an award winning example of this. I also loved this conversion of a ballroom to apartment

gisborne pecha kucha in review

2010-01-20T08:11:00.000+13:00

The first inaugural Gisborne Pecha Kucha was fabulous, if I do say so myself. Sarah, Darryl and Pene pulled off a great show and the Winemaker's Daughter was bursting at the seams. There were a huge range of talks, all interesting and well done. They spanned from dolphins, painting, photography and the state of the beaches, to poetry game shows and brooches.

I couldn't resist wearing all of the brooches. And the crowd really enjoyed hearing the wearers commentary on the brooches. There were lots of laughs. It is a really short time to talk about 12 brooches and explain the project, but I managed (thanks to the fragment sentance). Someone commented that my project was really out there. Yeah!

I highly recommend this format as a great way to raise the profile of fun "out there" jewellery project.

Craig used his 6 minutes as a performance piece and played a fluxus game show. He showed 20 slides of NZ and read his geographic focused poems. The first person to guess the title aka the location or feature won the post card/poem. It was wonderful, I have never seen people listen to a poem so intently.

In the news....

2010-01-12T07:29:00.001+13:00

Here is a link to the Gisborne herald article about the Pecha Kucha.

Broach of the Month Club goes to Pecha Kucha

2010-01-12T07:27:00.000+13:00

So if you are in Gisborne on the 13th of January, swing by.

My side project round-up 2009

2010-01-08T08:35:00.001+13:00

Broach Of the Month Club: brooches in the form of a book club

August 2008 - September 2009

Closing Party: Raewyn Walsh and Pauline Bern

photo by Kiti Swanell

The first Broach of the Month Club finished successfully and I am dreaming up phase two and a documentation project of sorts. I am in the process of purchasing the original BOM brooches from the makers, accosting people who look like they might be a book club willing to dabble in brooches and working on a manifesto for future clubs. I miss the regular interaction I had with the wearers, they were a fabulous group.
If you happen to be in Gisborne over the summer, I will be talking about the project at the pecha kucha there on 13th January. The event organised by lovely wearer, Pene Walsh.

Rare Fungal Behaviour: time-share brooches
July 2009 - ongoing

Chris Jones pictured with picture of pen pal Doug McEachern

This project kicked off with a fabulous auction in Auckland and mirror distribution in Brooklyn. The brooches were then worn by the NZ owners for the winter and have all been sent back to the Northern hemisphere to begin their winter life there. There were a few lost brooches and one that has gone missing. This project is much more fluid and slower than Broach of the Month Club, mimicking the ebb and flow of the seasons. Many NZ co-owners got very creative with their parcels to the north, sending pictures of themselves wearing the brooch, or little gifts from Aotearoa. It is shaping up to be a lovely exchange.

Jewellery on the Brink of a Relationship: Thank notes to in the form of jewellery
November 2009 - ongoing

jewellery on the brink installation

While still in its infancy, I am extremely excited about the potential of this project and I think it is shaping up well. I have sent three items out and received two response back so far. I am already breaking the rules I have set for myself. For instance, there is a secret, second list of thank you notes that will push me over the original number of 26. I am rethinking my initial delegation of items due to potential issue with customs laws regarding the shipment of plant products. I have decided to give myself and the hard working posties a Christmas holiday off before sending any other items out. I will kick back into gear in mid-January.
I am still really excited about this body of work and continuing my explorations.

Perishable Show - RM

2009-12-27T20:01:00.001+13:00

This picture is from the last day of the shop so many items have gone. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot from the ground, because the plinths were fantastic. The bases were comprised of all manner of fruit and vegetable slowly juicing themselves under the weight of the work. It forced the viewer to kneel down before the art or pick up individual pieces. That was fine for the seed bomb necklaces and Art toilet paper, but posed more of an issue for the cast-candy, fancy-pants, car keys.

The optimistic voodoo rings didn't fully eventuate, aka burn, because of a sensitive sprinkler system/fire alarms. Tisk, Tisk, I will have to be a bit more health and safety conscious next year.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-25T07:50:00.000+13:00

paint by numbers style

Walking the Grey Area to Apparatus and Leonor Hipolito

2009-12-20T07:20:00.073+13:00

Leonor Hipolito @Objectspace

I love synchronicity, who doesn't?

1. The window show entitled Apparatus @ Objectspace came highly recommended by a friend. So I went to see it. It is a work that just sings. The pieces are beautifully carved from natural, unstained wood. The finish is smooth giving the objects a sense of light and weightlessness. The forms are familiar but not necessarily obvious. As a group, the work has a beautifully, lyrical quality. I liked it. The maker is jeweller, Leonor Hipolito from Portugal.

The description accompanying the work quotes Hipolito pertinent environmental concerns in saying, "Apparatus weaves a thread between the thought and the action. Like a conscious gesture it leads to reflect upon a series of pertinent questions relating to global environmental relation."

2. I have been reading walking the grey area blog that was created as a project culminating in an exhibition at the Grey Area Symposium in April 2010. The concept is that a Latin American and European jeweller will be paired and tasked with investigating jewellery, global mobility and identity. All curators and participants are migrants. And guess who is participating? Leonor Hipolito!

The blog is a little overwhelming so I am taking it one pair at a time. Hipolito originally paired with Miguel Luciano, ends up having a fabulous volley with Dani Soter. And there are side conversations going on all over the show!

All in all, I have found her posts very interesting. The project is a fascinating way to learn more about jewellers and their practice and modes of operation in a collaborative sense. I love the fact that she would have been writing these posts as she was preparing and sending the above mentioned show, how fun! Here are some of my favourite snippets from Hipolito.

Leonor Hipolito - December 11th

States of Mind

Illustration, Leonor Hipolito, 2009

Leonor Hipolito - November 24th

... Here I am quoting an extract of Keru Tuberg text for 'Chroma/Monochroma'

Nomad jewellery

Contemporary jewellery carries the philosophy of traveling in itself. The one who makes jewellery is traveling, the one who wears it is traveling, and the one who notices it is traveling. Paths are different and travelers are different, but at same point they all have recognised their resting place or their home in jewellery. They have discovered something that accords with their nature.

Leonor Hipolito - September 29th

... It took me years of experiments to realise my realation with jewelry is that of mental correlation rather than material. Materiality is indeed a great part of the process but not the leitmov. I am very focused on stretching my thoughts about specific concerns. I am keen to scrutinise some facets of the human psychology and defy the borders of perception.
Jewelry is controversial and therefore an interesting open subject.

Dear Jewellery Gods:

2009-12-19T09:19:00.001+13:00

I would like to know how my two most anticipated jewellery events of 2010 have ended up on completely separate sides of the globe within 12 hours of each other? re-Source, Grey Area, re-Source, Grey Area. Is it physically possible to actually be at both?
So, dear jewellery Gods, I will be expecting the help of both Superman and King Midas to get from Perth to Mexico city on April 12, 2010.

(Actually, I am easy and will settle for either.)

- your unamused jeweller
K

BEST BEFORE: perishable artworks @ RM

2009-12-19T08:36:00.001+13:00

If you are in Auckland this weekend come along to the opening/project launch at RM to the Perishable shop. I have two little projects, Optimistic Voodoo: Rack-o Patriot Act Rings (pictured above) and a wee collaborative piece via PaperWasp Collective which is a poem/ring, to read the poem you have to destroy the ring. Fingers crossed that these don't trip the fire alarm/sprinkler system.

BEST BEFORE: perishable artworks (the annual RM shop) and RM Archive launch

3pm Saturday 19 December 2009

room, ground floor, 295 K Road, Newton, Auckland

Here is what RM has to say about the event:
"Since 2003, RM has ended the year by bringing together a shop full of art multiples, miniatures, catalogues, handicrafts, food and beverages. This year they thought they would change the format slightly - focusing on perishable art: objects with a shelf-life, art multiples with use-by dates, self-destructing sculptures, a slowly disappearing inventory of stock."
And all proceeds go back to the artists.
At the same time, RM will be launching an archive of the last 12 years of activity. An exciting move for a space that has provided a consistent experimental outlet for Auckland art.

Jewellery on the Radio

2009-12-14T11:43:00.003+13:00

Radio NZ interviewed Lisa Walker on the Arts on Sunday this past weekend. Listen to the interview here:

picture via the New Dowse: Lisa Walker: brooch, 2007

Having listened to this a week ago, I am still loving the line, "Everything is food for jewellery"