Jewellery, Jewel, Jewelry, in our time.

It has always been a part of human culture. It is a body adornment. It is a family heirloom. It is a states symbol or a talisman. In the present day, the question of “What is jewellery?” has been changing. Is it a piece of art or design? It is whatever is happening now through artists' works, whether or not, it gives pleasure to the wearer or the viewer. It is the medium that depicts human stories linking traditional and modern worlds.

Plastic is forever 鑽石恆久遠，一顆永流傳

"When our bodies feel uncomfortable, we go to the Doctor, but when the Earth is unwell, we must reimagine a home where humanity and nature blend in harmony."

Artist list
Farrah Al-Dujaili, Jivan Astfalck, Laura Bradshaw-Heap, Laura Brannon, Hannah May Chapman, Lana Crabb, Rachel Darbourne, Nanna Grønborg, Harriet Laurence, Jillian Moore, Zoe Robertson, Louise Thilly, Eva Van Kempen

What lies beneath the ocean?
What is the most dangerous to us in the ocean?
Exactly, how much plastic is there in our oceans?
What goes into the ocean? What goes into you?
Are we doing enough to control our waste?
Can we be part of the solutions?

Plastic is Forever would enable the restaurant SILO to become a repository to remind the awareness about the concepts of plastic pollution in the ocean during Brighton Fringe 2016. The Plastic is Forever will be an incubator on display and open to everyone. Plastic is Forever aims to create a platform where new jewellery movement will be introduced and jewellery made from unwanted materials will be exhibited, but at the same time, publicly tested. 

Modern makers explore materials with a different point of view than before. Swedish born Louise Thilly graduated from Design & Craft (BA Hons) at Brighton University. She specialises in wood and plastic, stemming from a desire to utilize sustainable as well as waste materials prominent in society, highlighting various ideas of sustainability in her work. Fascinated by ancient and traditional craft techniques, she often explores how modern design and materials can be complemented by ancient skill and wisdom.

Through recycling waste plastics, she is able to explore many design possibilities far beyond the disposable functions they were often intended for, and through this aims to challenge throw-away culture, by highlighting the beauty and strengths of this undervalued material. Exploring opportunities in materials has always been an underpinning theme in her work, and is a continuing process and journey.

Harriet Laurence, an MA student of Sustainable Design, specialising in jewellery, at Brighton University, seeks where is the gold? 

JUNK: Rubbish to Gold, is a playful exploration of community economies, which put on display the process of creating the work of art. It aims to foster and develop multilayered networks, challenging and extending jewellery as a medium to communicate with the public and and deepen our understanding of the impact of the arts. This project partnered with charities, who supplied JUNK jewellery. During a public performance of thirty-one jewellers gifted their skills, reconstructing pieces selected from a mountain of JUNK creating reimagined artworks for the exhibitions. The performance was live-streamed on screens in the mac Birmingham and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter and across the world.
(See streaming: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U--__TLQc_c)

Eva van Kempen is a Dutch goldsmith - designer, whose earlier work consists of merely traditional goldsmithing techniques, such as filigree, wax carving and embossing. Nature, indigenous jewellery and Art Nouveau still influence her design as well as used to. Her recent work and source of inspiration, however, is anything but traditional. The content finds its origin in a chemotherapy she had to undergo. That was when she discovered the immense value and beauty of medical tools such as hypodermic needles and intravenous lines.
She started experimenting with safe hospital waste, like out of date systems or materials otherwise no longer suitable for patients. By adding classical materials such as fresh water pearls, precious stones and metals, valuable jewels appeared.

New Jewellery Movement
From early humans and the rise of civilisation to the modern history of Renaissance to the contemporary Industrial revolutions and the digital age, humankind is evolving, this is also true of jewellery. People who have not followed developments in jewellery may be surprised at the variety of design and materials now in use. The boundaries of jewellery have been constantly reformed since 1960s. From materials, techniques, ornaments and functions, to the relationship between the wearer and the object. This relationship has always been an interesting topic since jewellery developed into a wearable art form. It does not overturn the traditional value of the object itself, but expands the meaning of jewellery beyond body adornment. These new meanings focus more on concepts deriving from the jewellery objects.

UK Craft Council: The New Jewellery movement of the 1970s saw jewellers using non-precious materials and experimental design to highlight contemporary social and political issues. This shifted our idea of what jewellery could be and had a profound impact on future making both in the UK and beyond. 

SILO , UK's pioneer zero-waste restaurant, was conceived from a desire to innovate the food industry whilst demonstrating respect: respect for the environment, respect for the way our food is generated and respect for the nourishment given to our bodies. This means that we create everything from its whole form cutting out food miles and over-processing whilst preserving nutrients and the integrity of the ingridents in the process.


Published at Klimt02

Jewellery 還有很多答案，應該會繼續出現...

I was looking for the answer to the question “what is jewellery?” when finished the latest study in curating contemporary design, I wrote down an explanation: 

Jewellery has always been a part of human culture.

Like dance or art, it has been with mankind since its earliest days.

it could be a body adornment,

it could be a family heirloom,

it could be a states symbol or a talisman

in the present day, the question of “What is jewellery?” has been changing.

is it a piece of art or design?

It is whatever is happening now, 

whether or not, it gives pleasure to the wearer or the viewer

it is a medium that depicts human stories linking traditional and modern worlds.

Mari Ishikawa

Brooch: Memory, 2013
Silver 925, Steel, Brass
5 x 4 x 2 cm

來英國念書前，我一直在尋找”什麼是珠寶？“ 研究所結束的那一刻，我寫下了一個答案：

珠寶一直都是文化裡的一環，像音樂跟舞蹈一樣，從開天闢地以來它就一直存在我們的生活裡，它可以是身體的裝飾，可以是傳家之寶，可以是身份的象徵，或者是護身符。

”什麼是珠寶“定義在當代生活中，已經跟從前不一樣。

有人問我，它是一件設計作品還是一件藝術品？我想，它是一個反映當代生活的載體。
不管如何，珠寶給佩戴者跟觀者同等的樂趣。

這個載體，刻畫著人類的故事，連接傳統跟摩登的世界。


人類史一直在進化，珠寶也是。

Burcu Büyükünal
Ring: Let It…, 2016
400 karat silver
2 x 3 x 3 cm
Photo by: Umut Töre

Bombane's attic 雯子小姐的布萊頓

The seagulls were clamouring something out side of the window.

The whisper of the ocean lingering in my ears throughout the dark night.

I always fell asleep in this attic with grapefruit aroma.

Sometimes, with the tales and music created by Jane,
she sings the stories with her mechanical hats.

Manuel, a wood engraver from Italy, inherited the traditional technique from 16th century.

Lynn played the accordion while Daisy demonstrating her monkey train in the Theatre Royal.

Rudi's charango doodle added another colour in my everything book.
Brighton pier shines in the glass case, the turning table surface makes you surprise when you are eating your friend's dish.

"Oh, my god, I think I will give you a bell like sheep... or a cat" Jane said after I made her jump in the staircase several times, and I love her witty words always. 

海鷗吵吵鬧鬧的聲音就在窗外
海的聲音在我的耳朵裡纏繞整個黑色的夜晚
而我，總是在葡萄柚的香味裡睡去
有些時候伴著珍的音樂跟童話
她總是戴著她的機械帽唱著歌
曼紐，一個傳承十六世紀活版木刻技術的藝術家
當黛西在皇家劇院演出她的猴子火車木偶劇，琳是他的風琴手
魯迪的中南美吉他在我的日記本裡添了另一道顏色
布萊頓碼頭在餐桌裡閃著光芒
還有旋轉餐桌，總是偷偷對調你跟朋友的晚餐

“喔！嚇我一跳，我想我要給你一個鈴鐺，就像綿羊，或者是貓一樣”
在我輕手輕腳地上閣樓時，不小心又嚇了珍一跳，而我總是喜歡她那聰明的英式幽默。

Miss Moski's Brighton 01

Humans are evolving, this is also true to jewellery: questions appeared after Schmuck 2015

人類史一直在進化，珠寶也是。

The boundaries of jewellery have being constantly pushing since the 1960s. In every aspect, the question: ‘What is jewellery?’ has been changing. The materials, techniques, functional, ornamental uses, and the relationship between the wearer and the object have all been developing. The "New Jewellery Movement" began in the 1950s, has spawned many debates between art historians, scholars, artists, designers, business organizers, museum curators and the like. These arguments centre upon the questions of whether a piece of jewellery is art or design, or can be both. Jewellery is categorised in decorative art but how we choose to categorise it is less important than whether or not it gives pleasure to the wearer and viewer.

“Those who use jewellery as a medium for artistic expression have to fight many prejudices.” Liesbeth den Besten stated in her book ‘On Jewellery: A compendium of international contemporary art jewellery’

This is one of the reasons that I visited Schmuck again, the famous jewellery week for people who speak jewellery. The interesting nickname “Bubble” that professionals gave it in 2013 which contains lots stories behind.   

There is a group of artists who have dedicated themselves to this movement and fought for their beliefs for over 50 years.

After a six-day visiting in Munich Jewellery Week, the question: ‘what is jewellery art’ became clearer to me. 

“What is art?” Of course,  definitions are vary.  

“Who has that authority to give the definition of what is art jewellery?” 

珠寶的界線，從西元六零年代開始，被藝術家，歷史學家探討並且推進一直到現代。
“什麼是珠寶？”這樣的概念一直在進化當中。
從材質，技術，功能性，裝飾，還有一個重點，跟人體之間的關係。
珠寶（在歐洲）被歸類在裝飾藝術這個學科裡，然而不管它被分到哪一個類別，對佩戴者及觀賞者而言，都是一種樂趣。

“拿珠寶當藝術品的作家們必須要跟很多先入為主的偏見奮鬥。” 莉絲白 丹 貝斯頓，荷蘭藝術史學家，在她發表的著作裡寫了這麼一句話。

這其實是我再次造訪2015年德國當代首飾展的原因。一些“圈內”的專家給了這個領域一個有趣的外號“泡泡”其實包含了很多故事在裡面。

有這麼一群人，已經為他們的信念奮鬥了五十年了，我的觀察，珠寶不是只是一件藝術品。

六天下來“什麼是藝術珠寶“我有了一點點答案。

“什麼是藝術？” 定義有很多，“又是誰有權力來決定什麼樣的珠寶是藝術？”

倫敦城裡遇見林士強

The images of our young energy emerged in my mind when I put the gramophone needle on the 7" vinyl featuring the Born Slippy by Underworld. I was looking at a sleeve that created by a Taiwanese artist Lin Shih Chiang in Somerset House London.

Secret 7" is a annual event combines art and music since 2012. This year they support Nordoff Robbins which is a charity dedicated to transforming lives of vulnerable children and adults through music therapy.

This event takes 7 tracks from 7 of the best-known musicians and press each one 100 times to 7" vinyl. Then invitees creatives artists around the world to illustrate for every 7". 700 sleeves are exhibiting now in Terrace Rooms at Somerset House till 3rd May 2015.

當我把唱針放在唱片上，耳朵裡傳來born slippy的鼓聲，熱血的回憶就蹦蹦蹦的出現在我的腦裡，而我當下正站在倫敦薩默賽特府的展廳裡與台灣藝術家林士強的入選作品相望。

Secret 7" 是一年一次的展覽，結合了藝術音樂與公益募款活動。今年選出7首經典單曲，各單曲壓製成100張7寸黑膠唱片，並邀請世界各地的藝術家以個人風格創作出單曲封面。這700張單曲會在5月4號以一張50英鎊售出。每張單曲只有一張，而且收藏的人不曉得會收到哪一首音樂，因為’秘密七寸‘是這個活動的精神。

今年的七首單曲分別為：
The Chemical Brothers - Let forever Be
Diana Ross and The Supremes - Reflections
The Maccabees - Go
Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer
The Rolling Stones - Dead Flowers
St. Vincent - Digital Witness
Underworld - Born Slippy
你聽過那幾首呢？

策展人運用當代影像設計師與音樂結合，替公益團體募款，非常聰明且獨特的方法，也讓世界各地藝術家有不同的展出機會。走進展場，左右兩面牆各別展出700張不同的封面。第一跟第二個展示空間裡各有一個中島，放置了7台唱盤，每個唱盤有4對耳機給觀眾聽覺上的享受。第三個空間裡的裝置是一個巨大木箱，往木箱裡望去，發現一個銅拔吊在中央，銅拔的前方有一個軌道，頓時明白了剛剛走近展場時聽到的銅拔聲就是從這裡傳出來的。
它的目的是讓來參觀的民眾經由銅板敲響銅拔一起贊助這個公益活動，以下是我嘗試了一下‘為善欲為人知’的影片。

Bubble Land in Schmuck 2015

 

“Capturing and reconstructing impressions on the land of our time”

They changed ‘constructing’ to ‘reconstructing’ on the wall in the gallery. This is an interesting point for a group of artists who work together. After all passion, thinking, and collective hit together, the word ‘reconstructing’ has a better transmission for this exhibition.

Gallery Kobeia featured10 artists from Taiwan who communicated to the audiences with their observations of the land they live in. When I walked into the gallery, there was a pile of ziplock bags which appeared in the form of a bubble, both individually and collectively. Jewellery pieces were hung on the wall and the video player was playing music that attracted my ears immediately. It was a Taiwanese traditional instrument to be heard playing when religious parades are shuttling through villages or cities.

I was pleased to have a short talk with one of the artists, Yung-Huei Chao.

Moski (M): This is the second exhibition you host in Schmuck. Could you tell me why chose Bubble Land as a theme this year?

Yung-Huei (Y): We chose “Ni Hao” last year, because it’s like saying hello in the UK or kissing cheeks in France. It was the first time for us to exhibit in Munich. We would like to “say hello” to this contemporary jewellery carnival. This year we chose “Bubble” because it has multiple-faces. When heard this word, most people may consider it as a cute expression, and somehow, actually it contains sorrow facts in it. For example, it could brake easily, fragile, and response to one of the popular topics from last year, which was Schmuck exhibition, is a bubble only insiders talk about it. However, there is an interesting viewpoint, when many bubbles are gathering together, it takes shape into a configuration of this culture. It contains many status and countless possibilities. It also represents 10 thoughts linking together from artists who are islanders. Each artist is a single bubble when we dedicate ourselves in creation world, however we also have the needs to interactive with more bubbles. When many small bubbles link together it could be a huge bubble.

It is a connotation of how human beings live together but still independent just like the number of contemporary jewellery artist is growing.

M: Why chose ziplock bag as a material to form your installation?

Y: These bags are similar to the bubble. Not only in the shape but also in the characteristic. When they are stack, they interactive to each other. This material is easily accessed in Taiwan, so we take this advantage to make this installation.

M: Do you design the lay out in a specifically reason?

Y: Because 10 artists have very different and specific style, so we have designed independent areas for each artist, and hopefully the audiences could connect to every artist’s bubble world. After these days, we have some interesting responses from the visitors as well, and that is also stimulation for artists.

Next are glimpses of current collections from 10 artists for Munich Jewellery Week 2015.

Mei-FangChiang – Picking Leaves Series interprets the relationship between plants and environment as well as the mutual dependence of jewellery and wearer.

Yu-PingLin – The Journey of Kaleidos

This is an interactive work by the artist; by flipping over the flower, audiences could experience the changing pattern and kaleido-like visual effect.

Ying-Hsiu Chen – Scenery in My Mind is the new creation of the Sketch Series collection. The golden particles are mimicking various kinds of creatures under the sea. Ying-Hsiu uses this creation recording her life of living at the seaside. Some visitors believe the colourful childhood nurtures her work.

Heng Lee – Floral Print of Formosa

This series explain the conflict between technology and natural nowadays. Although we could search most of the plants on the Internet, however we cannot touch or feel them. We all live in the impact of new technology and it is like a magnificent weave came into our life before our notices.

Han-ChiehChuang – Brick Series

Red is Chuang’s representative colour, her experiments playing with red in different mediums, brick, enamel, paper… etc., which builds up the pieces of the memories relating to her homeland.

ZitaYing-Hsun Hsu

Artist was made aware the value of traditional culture is rare and precious. Therefore she deforms traditional Chinese calligraphy and porcelain for the sake of cognition.

Yung-Huei Chao – transient Space

Artist’s work is a reflection of an existence that supposed to be invisible. The illegal structure is one of Taiwanese memories (such as me), also a silent toleration. The new work could expand and contract featuring the ambiguous of this silent toleration.  

Wen-MiaoYeh – Buzz Buzz

New creation is derived from the memories of artist’s childhood. She continues the concept ‘space as a memory’ to create these repetitive bicycle images. To Miao, space is not just for living, but a standpoint of life accession.

Shih-DeaTseng

The new collection is a conversation with artist herself. The talk is about internal, external, conflict, and self-discovery. The pure joyfulness of creating is a balance between pragmatism and idealization, moreover, it is a recording of artistic life in present days.

Cai-XuanWu

In relation to urban life, her work responses to human beings live together yet independently as well as ‘Two Make One Heart 1’ is cohered by several pieces of knitting acrylic. Artistic creating is an isolated status for Cai-Xuan. However the support from families and friends just like the connection of the bubbles weaving up the net of ‘group’.    

After Yung-Huei’s guidance, I had a peek at their catalogue. They printed it in two directions. These images were taken at different times in various locations. The purpose of this lay out is to encourage visitors linking the jewellery pieces with the images of their homeland. While I flipping back and forward this catalogue, the memory of home that lied hidden deeply in my heart was triggered by these art pieces and the photos.

Jewellery is one of the oldest archaeological artefacts. It is a unique language that we use in many occasions in our lifetime. It is not only a body adornment but also a way of learning about human cultures. The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘contemporary’ as relating to now, and also as living, existing, or occurring together in time. Contemporary jewellery is the new jewellery of the time, it is what jewellery artists are making in the present day; it is what is happening now. 

In Munich every March, Schmuck attracts a group of people who devote themselves to the contemporary jewellery movement. This does not overturn the traditional value of the object itself, but expands the meaning of jewellery beyond body adornment. These new meanings not only focus on concepts deriving from the object and the wearer relationship; but also a reflection of new artist working in the present generation. These artists present what they do and how they live now, as another page in jewellery history. For me, as an international student and possible future curator, Schmuck illustrates a positive direction and the message that jewellery can be more than a status symbol. (To be continued...)

Courtesy of Bench 886 & Miss Moski