a quiet afternoon.

So I guess you're all still waiting on some awesome jewellery related posts that will knock your socks off and get you super excited about life, the universe and everything in it. Well, sorry. You're probably not going to find that here today. But if you are having a quiet afternoon and need some pick-me-up content, I suggest you follow your nose, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

- Bangable Dudes in History

- A Conversation on Cool

- Ham and Heroin

- The Urban Optimist

- The Same Five Questions

- The Burning House

Enjoy.

- Z

Like a Japanese cowboy!

So it's a lovely autumn evening, I'm hanging out with my mateys Mr V and Miss Baker, curry, beer and love is just rolling on through the house. I have already hijacked Miss Bakers blog, and hence she has insisted that I should post here, because clearly I have been a bit slack of late. So here is a very non jewellery related post (execpt the fact that I'm hanging out with jewellers). Conversation has digressed, dear, I wish you were all here hanging out and talking troll dolls and shrinking Styrofoam with us.

next time.

- Z

*note to self.

*REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE A BLOG!

you should probably update it more often.

yes. mum.

I wonder if anyone comes by here any more*.

Good people doing good things.

link

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.

Guest Post (Phylicia Gilijamse)

Finished and unfinished Tak pieces on my bench

Making

I am about to graduate. My final presentation will be on February the first. So right now everything is chaos! My graduation Project is called “I want Tak” and the project consists of one hundred necklaces that seem identical but are all unique if you look at them carefully.

The repetition of something presupposes that there is or was an original. I am interested in working with the principle of the copy instead of the original.

If one hundred people were to record the same song from the radio onto a cassette tape, the song would appear to sound the same on all tapes, but if you were to analyze all one hundred tapes, you would hear differences in all one hundred recordings. Background noise, quality and clarity; even though each contains the same song. Additional sounds are added and details from the original are lost. The work I am making somewhat resembles this effect.

I have never really been interested in producing series in larger quantities. In fact, I enjoy producing my work myself, this means I can produce a smaller quantity then when I would use intermediate goods. I am working on the theme “copy”, so it seemed appropriate to develop a series that would actually reach more people than the pieces that I normally make. A series that is relatively easy to produce, yet unique. An affordable series consisting of unique pieces. Better yet, unique copies!

The enamel I use is light transparent and a bit stubborn, which I normally wouldn’t like. In this case this particular enamel, helps me to make all the pieces slightly different from each other. Somehow it is impossible to make to perfectly homogeneous pieces with this powder, all the parts are basically imperfect. The sizes of the ornaments are the same and the colour is about the same, but they are all a bit different, all with their own flaws.

Wearing Anne Achenbach’s jewellery

Wearing

Today I was wearing a necklace, or a pendant made from a bike, made by my dear friend Anne Achenbach. She took an old folding bicycle and sliced them in to elegant pieces. Her series consist of brooches and pendants.

Kolor Exhibition Cologne

Viewing

For the last past weeks I have only been working on “I want Tak” and haven’t had a lot of time for other stuff. But there was one exhibition I visited last week. It was a mixed exhibition from students who study on the FH Duesseldorf departments; Photography, Architecture and Product Design.

The location was one of my favourite things about the exhibition. The Exhibition was in an old cream factory in Cologne, Germany.

http://kolormagazin.de/home.html - http://www.peterinderkiste.de/

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What a great post!!! Thanks a bunch Phylicia!!!! Totally Rocking!

I first came across the "I WANT TAK" project on the AJF blog. It was just so nice to see something so fresh and new, and as I've mentioned before, I was totally sucked in by the concept and the marketing. Brilliant! I've placed my order and can't wait to receive it in the post in the coming weeks (I hear Miss Baker has two coming in her direction). Whoo Hoo! There may still be a few left, so I reckon you too should support this great project.

I can't wait to see what Phylicia does next.

Cheers - Z

ps. Just a heads up. You might notice that some of the links aren't in English, thats because Phylicia lives in Germany. ya.

Touch, Pause, Engage-a-go-go.

link

The Old Fashioned Way!

How cool is this??!! You can send your jewels through the post the old fashioned way, and write a little note on them.

This Jewelgraphy card was designed by Naoko Fukuoka for D-BROS, a graphic design studio based in Tokyo.

Image from Uponafold - buy card here or here.

Welcome to 2011 - I'm sure you will be happy here.

Yes, it has been a while, sorry.

2010. What a year.

2011. What will it bring? I expect bloody exciting things, opportunities, shows and more adventures than you can poke a stick at. I'm looking forward to putting new projects into action, collaborating with some exciting talent, and working on my writing (with a little help for Mr Skinner) and more frequent postings on this here blog.

Random:

# I want one of these - I WANT TAK (I'm a total sucker for marketing, and why not, love the idea)

# Touch, Pause, Engage - Is going to be shown in NZ, and this time they are also presenting the first 15 jewellers from Oz (including me, wooo). I'll be heading over to Auckland with my good mateys Jaz Matus and Vernon Bowden (who are also in the show) on the 4th of February. Hit me up if you want to go for a beer.

# I reckon if you're in melbourne you should get along to this - RJMP

# Do it yourself rings. Brilliant.

Hope your 2011 is looking gooood. Let me know what you're up to.

Cheers - Z

Catch me up.

So I guess apologies are in order, It seems it has been a little while between beers, sorry, posts.

Perhaps you might be interested in what's been going on.

A few great exhibitions:

Touch, Pause, Engage.

Marked by Sonya Scott.

The Box Project.

Wrapped.

Some great publicity:

'Sterling by Gaffa' in Vogue Living - Nov/Dec 2010 - Page 66

'Sterling by Gaffa' in SMH - Essential section- Thursday 21st October.

Something random I did:

What's mine is yours.

Guess thats all for now, hope you kids are all well and good, and make sure you check below for some more great guest posts.

rocking.

- Z

Guest Blog (Karen Thompson aka Melbourne Jeweller)

Making:
I wish I could devote more time to making! I am working on a small group for Studio 20/17 'Un-Wrapped' week-long exhibition (just before Christmas). I've been experimenting with making frames, which I'll powdercoat and over which I'll wrap narrow woven panels of paper/silver. It's a small progression from previous work, and I like the focus a themed group exhibition provides. They're only in the development stage at this point, so I need to move them along quickly.
Wearing:
The most recent addition to my collection is a Katherine Bowman parti-colour sapphire and white gold 'celebration' ring. I've only had it for a few weeks and I am as excited as a giddy child about it - it's beautiful! It has a weight that is so pleasing to feel; and from the first day I put it on it felt like it belonged.
I also always wear a more linear diamond and white gold I commissioned from my teacher at the Goldsmiths School in Brisbane about a decade ago (it's #17 in my collection stories on my blog).

Viewing:
I've been reading non-fiction books about science recently ... sounds duller than it is actually! I've read 'Unweaving the Rainbow' in which I fell in love with the phrase about stars: "The sky was full of ghosts". And the diary of Sir Joseph Banks on the Endeavour; I'm not very far into it, but a few days ago he described a "lunar rainbow" which has inspired me. I find my imagination catches on to such turns of phrase to make lovely images in my mind.
For the near future, I'm excited about visiting graduate exhibitions and 'Returning to the Jewel is a return from exile' at Tarrawarra (with Robert Baines, Karl Fritsch, Gerd Rothmann).
And of course I enjoy blog-surfing, especially jewellery-related blogs: I have a long list of regularly visited blogs, and I like also looking for new ones.

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A Huge THANK YOU to Karen from the very successful and amazing jewellery blog 'Melbourne Jeweller'. If you don't already know about this blog, where on earth have you been?!! Get on over there and check back there often, Karen is totally dedicated to her blog, unlike me of late. sorry.

Guest Blog (Michele Morcos)

M1

M2

M3

M4

Making -

I’m in the middle of many little projects at the moment. And I seem to be in the middle of many different studio areas too! After finishing a six -month studio residency at The Primrose Studios where I had a beautiful big studio to play in, I now seem to be struggling with settling back into my tiny studio at home! {M1 +M2} I call my home studio The Cobwebs + Laundry studio and I think the name should give you an indication of what the space is like!

It is cozy though…and I’m thinking/ reworking/ and playing with the sketches I did over the weekend, as part of a 2-day drawing workshop with the National Art School. {M3} Upstairs at my desk, I have an embroidery to complete for a commission. It is from a series called The Inquisitive Little Owl that I did for an exhibition at Gaffa called Le Fil. It’s lovely when a series of works take on a life of its own… and you get asked to do a commission, when a person is still thinking of a piece that they saw many moons ago! That’s always a treat! {M4}

W1

W2

Wearing –

For me colour is one of most important things!

To play with, to be creative with, to think in and dream about!

So I guess everything I wear tells a colour story of sorts and my jewellery plays a big part in that. Most of the jewellery that I have collected over the years, while working at places like Quadrivium and Object has been about fun, texture, and colour. Lovely artists like Anna Davern, Birgit Holdinghausen, Amy Jenkins, Stephanie Milne, Dani M, Sim Luttin + Leslie Matthews.

But one artist and friend that has featured heavily in my daily rotation of pieces is the lovely Mel Young, especially with her stack rings! {W1} I have about eight and counting… Every day I have at least one or more rings on my right hand, and they change every day. I also love to wear one of her thread neckpieces that I have in a beautiful red coral! That piece comes out for special occasions! {W2}

However I did make a sneaky purchase a few weeks ago at Gaffa’s gallery shop Sterling, where I bought a sewn neckpiece Phoebe Miller which I cant seem to stop wearing!!

It is purple + blue +maroon+ red and I love it!

V1

V2

Viewing –

A LOT! I seem to go in phases of seeing exhibitions, reading books and collecting art publications. And at the moment I’m doing all of the above! I just finished reading Haruki Murakami’s amazing book Kafka on the Shore’, which blew my away! I’ve now borrowed another one his books from my local library called Sputnik Sweetheart. I love going to the library and wandering the aisles when I have a free moment. I guess its alittle nostalgic, but it’s also about not having to take ownership of every single object in your life… I love borrowing, swapping, exchanging, bartering, + recycling.

But in saying that I have bought some lovely books lately! {V1} A massive Frank Auerbach hardcopy hardcore art book I’ve lusted over for many a year since my art school days over 10 years ago! I was so so happy when it arrived in the mailbox after finding it on Amazon! I also found a lovely new publication on Frida Kahlo, which looks at her sketch diaries. They were so textural, raw and colourful + inspiring, giving a true insight into her creative process and intuitive mind. She dealt with a crippling amount of set backs due to illness and continued to express it all through her art, which is something I try to do through my life.

And finally… for my birfday I bought myself a sneaky present, which was Shaun Tans new book of sketches, called The Bird King. He is such an amazing drawer/illustrator from Australia.

And as for seeing… bloody hell…too many great shows at the moment!

Primavera at the MCA, a great solo exhibition of a mate of mine - Kath Fries- who showed at The Japan Foundation this month, The Secrets + Stories exhibition at Object Gallery, Gaffa’s never-ending schedule of great exhibitions such as Say your Piece,{V2} which was a brooch exhibition curated by Jessica Page. And then there are all the great Art+ About events which have just begun around the city with many crafting sessions taking place which will be fun!

I have to admit the Sydney Biennale was a brilliant arts event this year, especially the exhibition out at Cockatoo Island! I loved seeing it all…

But most days you will find me at my computer writing my blog – tinytrappings – or in the studio thinking, dreaming, drawing + painting!…

So even though I’m gazing at a few shows at the moment, I’m mostly found in a tiny spot, listening some of my favourite music ( at the moment it’s a mix of Ezel, QTip, Dwele, Janelle Monae, Recloose + plenty of jazz) while I type or draw away…

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I must thank the amazingly kind and supremely lovely Michele Morcos. You might again notice that this is a little late on getting to you guys. It's been stupidly crazy in the world of brand.

Also Michele has just launched her online shop, Tiny Trappings now you can snap up her beautiful artwork, christmas is coming!!

Maker-Wearer-Viewer- Caz Guiney (Guest Blog)

Brooch 1-salvaged plastic from Harmers Haven beach

Brooch 2-salvaged plastic from Harmers Haven beach

Brooch 3-salvaged plastic from Harmers Haven beach

Making - from the bench…not quite…but from the beach! The following 3 brooches were made whilst away over the school holidays in a magnificent place called Harmers Haven. Although I have a history of hesitating making from recycled remnants (only because I am never able to decide what to do with them), I was drawn to collecting mostly red pieces of plastic from the beach. As I was collecting a very clear image was forming in my mind as to how they would go together……nothing original here but I enjoyed the spontaneity. Superglue from Wonthaggi supermarket, brooch pins from the bead shop and voila! They will remain down at Harmers Haven as the owner has quite a social life down there and I thought she might like to wear them on rotation to her lunch and dinner dates.

Cass Partington earrings

Wearing – Cass Partington earrings, sterling silver, oxidised fans. I received these from Cass for my 40^th and have worn them almost every day since then…..guess how long that has been!

Viewing – yesterday I went to a lecture at NGV Australia titled “With Mari” obviously referring to the late Mari Funaki. This was given by Otto Kunzli. It was actually more like a eulogy, quite an intimate, personal account of Otto’s journey with Mari. The slides accompanying his ‘conversation’ were mixed; some of Mari’s jewellery and sculpture, some of Otto’s work and many images of Mari very relaxed…even in swimwear (with a resort pant of course). Although I didn’t know Mari well I couldn’t help but imagine her squirming at the thought of these personal images being shown at a ‘ticket only’ event at the National Gallery of Australia. It did seem rather odd.

Viewing the exhibition of her sculpture was particularly moving following Otto’s talk. Although familiar with Mari’s work I find it continuously refreshing because there is nothing else quite like it out there in either the jewellery or sculpture world that I am aware of.

Just as arresting was the exhibition next door ‘Presence’ a John Davis retrospective. John Davis was the sculpture lecturer at VCA when my partner studied there in the late 80’s so I was very keen to check it out. It was so great……..I could have stayed there for hours only I had to get home for dinner and kid business. I urge everyone to see it.

Typically whilst at the NGV I ventured into the bookshop, dug deep and bought a couple of books; John Davis-Presence catalogue and Martin Parr ‘Object’. Martin Parr is a photographer with a passion for collecting and this book is documentation of some of his collections. His photography really appeals to me and his collecting helps me justify my endless passion for collecting…as he says ‘I have a very strong collecting gene’.

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I've been a bit busy of late and didn't get a chance to post this as soon as it came in. So when Caz writes 'yesterday', what she really means is 'oh about a week ago'. Thanks so much Caz (visit her blog here) and those brooches are totally rocking!!