Guest Post (Raewyn Walsh)

Making

Still exploring my interest in the vessel as jewellery. Here I have raised a vessel from thin gauge copper and where it has split I have mended it with gold. Decided to use only the rim of the vessel because its function is not intended to hold liquid. Handles become device for cord to hang from. This is play time for me but I always find the marquette making part of the process quite interesting so thought I would share.

Wearing

A 10 minute necklace by Sharon Fitness that is quite hard to photograph. I am part of a jewellery group that gets together to talk jewel, organise shows, and engage in guerilla jewellery activity around town. (See more here.) To celebrate each others birthdays we drink lots of wine, lashings of tea, and and give jewellery that only takes 10 minutes to make and that uses the scraps from our workbenches. It was my birthday recently and this is what I got. Thanks Fitness!

Viewing (Reading)

The essays from European craft initiative, Think Tank. Every time they get together they have an essay and exhibition prepared around a theme. 'Speed' is the most interesting one. Masterworks Gallery here in Auckland has all the books for sale and recently hosted a floor talk by NZ potter/curator/writer Moyra Elliot who sat in on this years meeting. Great to read some critical craft discourse but it is Euro-centric and really highlights the need for more contemporary craft writers round these parts...

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Now, if you didn't already know, Raewyn is one part of the Amazing NZ Duo (Kristin D'Agostino being the other) who put together Touch Pause Engage . She is also one of my favorite people to talk jewellery with (yes we are self-professed geeks), sometimes I think I would want to climb inside her head, set up a hammock, grab a beer and just absorb her brain waves all day.

If you know what's good for you, you will head along to her website here.

Thanks a bunch Raewyn!!!

Cheers - Z

all about me. thanks.

Thanks to Chloe Cooper (of Toy Balloon fame) from the Lighthouse Blog, that features interviews with some cool kids (like me. ha.) and general inspiration. Follow the link to read my interview. But you should really check out the other interviews on the blog as well (here & here). Nice one miss Cooper. Thanks a bunch.

I got TAK. Hurrah.

Check it out. Look what arrived this morning. whooooo ha ha. excited? I think so. If you have no idea what i'm on about go here and here and that should give you a bit of an idea of what the fuss is all about. Isn't everything so much better when you have a new piece of jewellery?

I believe in low lights and trick mirrors.

In the last few weeks I have met a whole bunch of exciting, inspiring, interesting and fresh new people. I've hung out with some of my favorite people on the planet in Auckland, I've had some of the best conversations I've had in years, and I'm starting to feel a little less unsettled. One might even say I feel a bit more balanced (how long this will last is anybodies guess).

On two separate occasions, in two different countries, and with two people I had never met, the topic of my 365 Brooch Project came up. I tend to feel a bit embarrassed about this subject, mostly because I never finished it and because after about 100 brooches, it was beginning to get on my nerves. Of course I had these romantic notions of the end result up on a gallery wall, a catalogue and world wide fame and fortune, but the real fact of the matter was, it started out purely as an exercise in making, making anything, with anything, and not really giving a damn about what it was that I was making.

I still get the guilts that I never finished it, and perhaps even more now after these two recent conversations, that took place in two different countries, and with two people I had never met.

Conversation ONE took place in the car on the way to the Airport in Auckland, NZ (Jasmine and I had just spent a few days hanging out with the Jewellery Geeks and attending the opening of Touch Pause Engage). The topic of my 365 Project was broached (sorry), I squirmed in back seat of the car. The comments were positive, they loved the way I used different materials, and the excitement of coming back to the blog every so often and seeing a whole bunch of new and interesting brooches to peruse through, that they were inspired by the project.

Conversation TWO took place in my office at work, with an artist who had just opened her show in gallery 2 (go and see it, it's freaking GREAT). She mentioned that she always enjoyed looking at project (cue guilty squirming) and seeing the what materials I would use and even suggested that once she was back in Japan, that she would send me some crazy materials to see what I would do with them.

All these comments have had me thinking. Should I start again? I had always thought this project was just for me, but it appears that it connected with more people than I could have ever imagined.

While I ponder these thoughts, below are some images of work that I made last year, some of it just for kicks and others for shows.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers - Z

Guest Post (Nina Baker)

MAKING:

Street Sweeper Jewellery:

The first 7 finished pieces exhibited at gaffa

More pieces in the making on my bench

Is about collecting street sweeper bristles that are scattered all over the cities kerb sides. So far I have made 7 finished pieces. I must make 50 to finish the series. A wise Tutor once taught me- that to make 50 variations will make your brain hurt and suck out enough useful possibilities, then pick your favourite and make another 20 variations...maybe, maybe I wont do that hmm. So far It has been a bit of play, I want to give the project more depth and make clearer my observations which are:

1.Its quite ironic and funny to be picking up the debris and garbage that the city's cleaning device leaves behind

2.To bring such rubbish into the jewellery realm juxtaposed with pearl and silk.

3.What Is Rubbish / What is Beautiful...

4.Because after all pearl is oyster spit and silk is worm poop.

Finally, I think there is a possibility for this work to fit really nicely with an outside public installation project "To put it back to were it came" I don't know how to approach this yet- I'm all ears please let me know if you have any ideas on how this could work!

WEARING:

today I am wearing two humble shonky novelty elastic bands I found on different streets on the same day, a purple crown and a glow in the dark boat. I swear I'm not a bag lady! I don't find all my jewellery on the street, really!

Found Bracelets

Me wearing my wares, brooch plywood with paint.

And Also this wooden Brooch(not found on the street) sometimes I make these at home just for fun, to get away from thinking conceptual studio work.

VIEWING:

New Works by Rui Kikuchi (Japan) was the last show I went to at Studio 20/17

Rui Kikuchi (photo via 20/17 blog)

This was a really beautiful fun show, Rui had taken pet bottles and dyed and formed them into wearables that resemble sea corals, anemones and the like, very colourful, delicate and beautiful. Meeting Rui was great and we had a good old chat and two days later we crossed paths again at the cafe I work at which was all very friendly and excellent.

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Thanks Miss Baker for a great post. If you want to know more about Nina and her adventure fun times and recent activities visit her on her goodtimes blog.

Cheers - Z

Show me what you've got!

click on the image to make it bigger.

Please email me if you would like a PDF version and feel free to spread the word.

zoe@gaffa.com.au

Cheers.