High tech, fine craftsmanship fuse in wearable jewelry
High tech, fine craftsmanship fuse in wearable jewelry
By Parvathi Nayar Narayan
JAKARTA (JP): 'Triptych' is a traveling exhibition that brings
to Jakarta the concept of wearable jewelry viewed as works of
art.
The price tag is perhaps more for the designer than the
material -- unlike traditional jewelry fashioned from expensive
materials and often by nameless creators. The pieces in
'Triptych' are also distinct from branded jewelry like say Monet,
being hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind.
The name 'Triptych' was chosen because the exhibitors fall
into three categories -- students, previous graduates and
lecturers from North Adelaide School of Art and the University of
South Australia. The show was essentially assembled by the
lecturers; they picked the best from their own work and from past
and present students.
The emphasis is both on design and craft skills; it is
interesting to note that the pieces on display were produced
entirely by their designers from start to finish.
Some of the designers needed assistance from the world of
science to create certain special effects, to combine different
substances and make them stick together. With the use, for
instance, of rare metals like titanium and tantalum, some of the
first words that come to mind are 'high tech' and 'cutting edge'.
Wayne McIntosh's brooches Breastplate and Insignia are good
examples. The former is 100mm in diameter and, using just
titanium and sterling silver, achieves a variety of surface
colors and textures. Breastplate is in three layers; a ridged
honeycombed center at the base, seen through a disc with a hole
in the middle, above which is a quatrefoil loop. To get the
surface designs and colors McIntosh has used different heating
and etching processes and lasers, exploiting the properties of
titanium.
Phil Ward's Arrow Watch is another example, made from
substances including anodized aluminum extrusion, titanium and
crystal glass. As a working sundial is his other piece, it would
seem that it is his watchmaking skills that are on display;
within the context of a jewelry show one does wonder if he has
perhaps lost the plot just a little.
Of course not all the pieces fall obviously into the 'high
tech' category. Sue Graham's jewelry stands out for its
inventiveness and quirkiness. She is an artist inspired by
feminism. A brooch of Mulga wood and sterling silver is very
reminiscent of Cycladic idols from the Early Bronze Age of Aegean
Art. Though highly schematic and stylized, the reference to
femininity is very apparent. The little figure in Graham's brooch
has hair flying everywhere and a pair of tiny silver scissors
positioned over the body, representing a desire to break free.
Graham's pieces are not heavy on symbolism or clunky in any
way. Her other brooches are tapering chili-shaped forms, again
with tiny silver heads and stick figure arms. They are modern but
are best described by that old-fashioned adjective, dainty.
Almost baroque by contrast is a sunburst brooch by Melissa
Puust, with antlerlike 'rays' radiating from an amber center.
Another fine piece of hers is a dragonfly belt buckle. Though the
form might appear Lalique-inspired, it is fashioned from
industrial materials; optical screws, copper and chrome-plated
dome nuts. In Haidee Laws' work there is also a combination of
dressy elaborateness with a contemporary industrial idiom.
In the realm of the really unusual to bizarre, there is Steve
Sigler with his organic animalesque forms and use of materials
like echidna quills and buffalo horn. At the other end of the
scale there is Kym Gregory's gold earrings that at a casual
glance seem ordinary; a closer look reveals the unusual details
of their origami-inspired star shapes and exquisite finish.
Some exhibits do push the wearability aspect to the limit, one
of the considerations in designing jewelry. Take Claire Harkin's
'Tea Strainer'. It is certainly an example of fine silver
craftsmanship, but its potential as a piece of wearable jewelry
is dubious. Perhaps with this and pieces like the outrageously
large brooches, we are seeing the creation of a new category of
'exhibition jewelry ' to be seen on walls only. Jane Bowden's
geometric necklace is contemporary and smart; however the thought
of its sharp corners and angles pressing into one's neck does
give pause for thought.
This traveling exhibition has been brought to Jakarta thanks
to the efforts of The Helpmann Academy. Founded in 1994 the
academy is a consortium created in cooperation with the best
visual and performing arts courses from 9 partner schools. The
aims include promotional activities, pooling resources, raising
funds and offering professional training, said the coordinator
David Meldrum. The academy is rather unusual, and Meldrum himself
is aware of only one other similar organization, in Germany.
'Triptych', said Meldrum, is a deliberate attempt at
marketing the art courses and attracting potential students.
People tend to have preconceptions about Australian art and
creativity, so there is a degree of shock value, it is hoped, at
seeing work of this caliber from South Australia.
Marketing and art might appear to be strange bedfellows, as
many people believe that art and creativity should rise above the
realm of commercialism. The reality is that in today's world
marketing is a function that applies to all spheres of life from
people to products to philosophies. And even to art. One doesn't
buy what is not marketed.
The selection of jewelry on show at 'Triptych' at the Cemara
6 Galeri Kafe is of a uniformly high standard of craftsmanship.
At the same time the feel is so high tech and contemporary there
is even a web site for it. So if you cannot make it to the
exhibition, feel free to browse through the catalog at
http://ww.unisa.edu.au/jewelry.jewelry.html.