A Name Change

inform contemporary jewellery in High Street, Christchurch has re-branded.

It's now called The National.

A place of dreamy collections of handcrafted jewellery by some of New Zealand's top jewellers.

www.informjewellery.co.nz

On Stamp Collecting

I used to collect stamps as a kid. My grandfather was a passionate philatelist and every year every grandchild received First Day Covers. I wonder now what has become of my stamp collection. It’s possibly stored away in one of my cupboards with all my school books (and my father’s school books and my own children’s school books). (It’s safe to assume I am a hoarder).

All this was brought to mind last week when I saw these terrific new brooches by Auckland-based jeweller, Pauline Bern, which are part of a collection (called Collect) that includes thirteen brooches made from old postage stamps that are now showing at inform contemporary jewellery in Christchurch. Last year Pauline undertook the job of clearing her childhood family home and in the process, she discovered a large carton containing used postage stamps that had been collected by her mother and grandmother over five decades. They meticulously soaked them in water overnight, slipped them off their envelope remnants, dried them on trays, sorted them, labelled them and counted them. Most were passed onto charities for fundraising but it was perhaps fortuitous for Pauline that this one carton remained.

“That is the serendipitous story behind Collect, thirteen brooches that include fragments from the native flora stamp series, stamps that have travelled some distance within New Zealand, some time in the 1960s, arriving at an address in either Howick or Devonport,” she says in her artist statement. Collect follows on from Pauline’s earlier exhibitions, Gather, Sort, Scatter 2007 and Glean, shown at Fingers, Auckland earlier this year. All conceptually address the idea of “reconsidering and reconfiguring materials that have a former usage and meaning and shifting them into the jewellery genre.” In their new life, they gather new stories as they go out into the world adorning their new owners and ‘meeting new friends.’ Pauline is a senior tutor at Unitec NZ in Auckland and this is her first exhibition at inform. All images have been supplied by inform contemporary jewellery. www.informjewellery.co.nz

Twin Arts

I'm featuring these two terrific photographs - supplied by inform contemporary jewellery, Christchurch - not just because they feature Sharon Fitness's fun, funky silicon jewellery that's currently showing at the gallery; but also for the photographs in their own right - quirky, fun, imaginative images taken by Sharon herself, that perfectly convey the spirit of her jewellery pieces. These two glow-in-the-dark brooches, photographed amid frosted winter grass, are in stark contrast to the summery pieces I featured here last week - images (also by Sharon) that turn the brooches into 'wild flowers' poking out between blades of grass. Sharon's exhibition at form - Jiggle, Wiggle, Wobble, Bounce - continues until October 3. www.informjewellery.co.nz

Hearts, Lungs, Lace

I love it when you think you know even just a tiny bit about someone and then you are surprised to discover a whole other side to them that you never knew existed. That happened to me last week when I visited my friends, Rudolf and Robyne at PUG Design Store here in Christchurch and came face-to-face with a cabinet full of exquisitely-crafted works by Jennifer Hay, who I have always known to be an arts curator and writer, not an actual maker-of-things herself.

Jennifer calls herself a textile crafter rather than an artist but to me, her miniature stitched treasures have all the attention to detail, all the deft craftsmanship, all the beauty and originality of any ‘artwork’ I’ve seen lately. The cabinet installation is called Quacksalver and the tiny embroidered and beaded purses, bags, brooches and pendants are all made of silk printed with Victorian anatomical drawings sourced from Gray’s and Quain’s Anatomy text books. A Quacksalver explains Jennifer, is a charlatan, someone who invents medicines and cures and boasts about their efficacy. She’s chosen both anatomical drawings and Victorian advertisements for medicines and cure-alls as the starting point for her works; and she’s then meticulously stitched, embroidered and beaded the finishing touches. Her interest in anatomy started when she came across an old medical book in a second-hand shop. “I was fascinated by the shapes and colours and the intimacy of the human body reflected in the illustrations,” she said. “It wasn’t until I was some way into the work that I remembered my brother actually has a PhD in anatomy.”

Jennifer has been working with textiles for the last two years, predominantly silk but she’s now exploring other fabrics too – and the three dimensional possibilities and the creative manipulation of fabric to create a wider range of work. “Dr Tibbald’s Collar” (green folds; above) and “Mrs Tibbald’s Collar” (cream and white folds) hint strongly at new directions influenced by Jennifer’s current interest in the Japanese aesthetic principle of wabi-sabi – often described as “a beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, incomplete.” Like many things Japanese, wabi-sabi is an enigmatic concept but for a simple understanding think asymmetry, modesty, imperfection, simplicity and natural processes and you might get half way to understanding what it means. In the meantime, if you haven’t been along to PUG to see Jennifer’s ‘small perfections,’ I suggest you get there before the end of October. It's a visual pleasure. www.pugdesign.co.nz

Jiggle, Wiggle, Wobble, Bounce

So you thought jewellery was all about gold, silver and gemstones? Well, think again because Sharon Fitness is just one jeweller exploring a plethora of new materials that bring a whole new meaning to contemporary jewellery. I think these three photographs – courtesy of inform jewellery in Christchurch, where Sharon has her latest exhibition – say it all. Colourful, tactile, original and fun.

Sharon, who graduated from Auckland University’s Manukau School of Visual Arts with a Bachelor of Visual Arts majoring in contemporary jewellery in 2007, has already had a number of successful exhibitions in high profile galleries like Masterworks, Objectspace and Fingers Contemporary Jewellery. I’m not surprised. Her work is distinctly different. It’s new, fresh and fun and people are invariably drawn to it – whether it’s in a gallery display case or on someone’s garment. What’s it made of? Can I touch it? What does it feel like? All common questions when you wear a piece of Sharon’s vibrant silicon jewellery. “I create silicon jewels that are fun by design; encouraging the wearer to interact with the object, negotiating how it is worn and how it appears to the outside world. This in turn encourages play and interaction between wearer and observer. These floppy, changeable objects offer new possibilities for adorning and viewing jewellery, creating temporal art experiences for random audiences,” says Sharon. They’re definitely conversation starters and for Sharon, the pieces have a life of their own. “My practice revolves around play, fun and random happenings. I work with silicon because it offers the flexibility, changeability and tactility I need to produce playful wobbly wearable beings. I like that they have a life of their own, that they prompt the wearer to jiggle wiggle wobble and bounce along with them.” www.informjewellery.co.nz

Crossing the Tasman

Six Australian Jewellers from Pieces of Eight, Melbourne. Images Supplied by Inform

Since my entire blog has virtually been Melbourne-based for the last two weeks, it seems only fitting to continue the theme (now that I’m home again), with this stunning show of Australian jewellery, which comes courtesy of Pieces of Eight Gallery – one of Melbourne’s newest galleries and artist workshops located in super-cool Brunswick Street, in Fitzroy. These six jewellers – showing in New Zealand for the first time - bring a diverse collection of gorgeousness to Christchurch’s inform contemporary jewellery in High Street. The exhibition opens on November 25th. If you can’t make the show you can read about the artists’ inspirations and see more of their work on the Pieces of Eight website. And if you're a jewellery fan, click on jewellery in the label line below to see several New Zealand jewellers and their work that I've written about recently. Works shown above are by: Top: Lucy Folk Second From Top: Rachel Gorman. Box of Four: Top Left: Melanie Katsalidis Top Right: Suzi Zutic Bottom Left: Nina Ellis Bottom Right: Krista McRae. www.informjewellery.co.nz www.piecesofeight.com.au

Precious Metals

Prototypes by Tatyana Panyoczki

Today is the last day of Tatyana Panyoczki's gorgeous exhibition Prototypes at Christchurch's inform contemporary jewellery. You can see others I've posted here by clicking on Tatyana Panyoczki in the label line below. www.informjewellery.co.nz

Precious Prototypes

Prototypes. Tatjana Panyoczki. Photo supplied.

Northland-based jeweller Tatjana Panyoczki grew up in Switzerland but luckily for us she came to New Zealand bringing her talent with her. Trained as a wig designer and make-up artist for theatre and film, Tatjana now produces exquisite minimal jewellery and her latest show, Prototypes, is on show at inform contemporary jewellery in Christchurch for just a few more days. Key elements of Tatyana's work are the repetition of simple forms found in everyday life and the observation of the way things meet and join. How they relate to each other is an important source of her inspiration. The works in Prototype are the result of a 7-month design process.

Going For Gold

Prototypes. Tatjana Panyoczki. Photos supplied.

And here is Tatyana's silver and gold necklace exploring the same inspirations.

Both pieces are made from stirling silver and 18ct yellow gold

Bears and Dogs

Top: Bear Brooch - Sterling silver, mother of pearl

Bottom: Dog Brooch - Sterling silver, mother of pearl, pink sapphire.

Photos supplied by informa contemporary jewellery.

If you live in Christchurch

Get to inform contemporary jewellery

Before September 6th

To see gorgeous works

by Auckland jeweller, Jane Dodd

Donkey, Donkey, Beautiful Donkey!

Donkey Necklace, Jane Dodd. Photo supplied. I just can’t help myself, I HAVE to have another rave about the exquisite works of Auckland jeweller, Jane Dodd, who is currently exhibiting “A Wild Woods Winter” at Christchurch’s inform contemporary jewellery until September 6th. I adore this piece – Donkey Necklace – made in 18ct gold, mother of pearl and pearl - even more than my other favourite Eagle, which I featured here a week or so ago.