Studio 4
Evocative Objects

Jewellers united this year in a studio that explored and continues to explore the identity of the wearer and the motives of the maker. With two central projects designed to explore their personal obsessions and to examine the broader arena for creative practice we engaged with two main briefs. The first, ‘Obsession’, was designed for students to explore personal motivations in preparation for a show at Christmas with designed and made jewellery for sale. This involved multiples and production alongside explorations of idea and of self. The second brief ‘NEXT!’ asked students to look at colonisation and colonialism as the broader context of practice. The finale of this project is yet to happen as we have teamed up with the University of Johannesburg for an exhibition in South Africa and another, later in the year, in London.

We asked students to;

Create an authentically new mix requiring a discussion about the tensions between the body as the canvas and the messages sent.. The creator communicates but where does that leave the viewer, the critic and ultimately the owner? Who are these people and can we really know them?

The Colonialism brief ‘NEXT!’

Colonialism (noun) is the practice of acquiring partial or full control over another country and exploiting it economically.

Colonisation (noun)

the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

the action of appropriating a place or domain for one's own use.

ecology

the action by a plant or animal of establishing itself in an area.

"bacterial/viral colonisation"

Whether you choose to discuss the influence of opinions or beliefs, to communicate to a broader audience about the environment or personal experiences of colonisation/colonialism, your jewels should be designed to be worn or installed as part of the exhibition proposed. Use the research ​you have prepared to discover your pathway forward. Look for the messages you wish to send in your jewellery range, religious, political, commercial, and social. Use satire and irony, horror and bliss, domination and attrition, then build a language of making that expresses and engages your intent.

Understanding the body context of your work is vital to jewellery, engage with wearability (or not!) and follow through your philosophy with a clear rationale for its validity in contemporary culture.

Students enjoyed their extrovert weirdness of thoughts and outcomes.. Looking at the awkward and uncomfortable, creating mastery of idea with an authentically dysfunctional process…then making sense of it. Understanding the relationships between research, drawing, experiments in materials and design. Making jewels speak to others, give a genuine and thought provoking response to the life we live. Wait and watch the dynamic. How can you control or lose control of this dynamic? Does it matter to you?

Work hard and listen to the stories they tell, the memories they evoke.