Calendar: March 2014

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post last updated: 22nd March

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Sharing the jewellery love

I’ve been made aware (thanks to Zoe Brand and Wit Myt) of a collective of British-based jewellers wanting to take a contemporary jewellery exhibition to Milan Design Week.

Think big Moving On Collective, YEAH.

I think this is a great idea; so I’ve given them a little support (via KickStarter).

fundraising media

I look forward to seeing them succeed; and I hope they document their excursion for international jewellery lovers.

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Update (18th March): excellent news, Moving On Collective have been successful in raising funds to get to Milan! I can’t wait to see what they do

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Past exhibition: ‘The Jewels of JAR’

A recent post by Marcus Banyan (ArtBlart) pointed me to a current exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – Jewels by JAR.

The photographs on his post, and the museum website, reminded me of the exhibition JAR pieces I saw in London many moons ago; apparently the only previous one of his work.

photograph of catalogue

From memory there was no lighting in the rooms, or perhaps only the barest to be able to navigate oneself safely about. My memory is of visitors being furnished with their own little flashlight to illuminate each piece in the wall-recessed display cabinets. Looking at photographs of the current show, it seems that the lighting is within the vitrines and no-one has flashlights – I wonder if I imagined that part?

photograph of catalogue

I especially liked this text from one of the catalogue essays: “Every piece, once it is ready to be sold, comes with the ghost of the person who will eventually wear it.” (‘Solace’ by Frederick Seidel, 2002, included text); while I’m not convinced I can see souls haunting these particular objects, I do like the idea in general.

However I do remember at the time realising that I would never make pieces like this – not the least because of the incredible technique I’d need to master, but due to my aversion to all things representative.

photograph of catalogue

If you do happen to go to the current JAR exhibition, prepare to be dazzled, metaphorically and physically (just do a simple google image search and you’ll know what I’m saying). It could almost be too much of a good thing with over 400 pieces. For interest, there was a rather brutal review of the show in the NY Times.

‘The Jewels of JAR‘ was held in the Gilbert Collection at Somerset House, London from 2nd November 2002 – 26 January 2003.

Tinkering

I’m tinkering with an idea.

Yup, I thought it was such a rare and special moment I would share it, as we all know how there has been a dearth of ideas lately…. at least in this house… in this mind…

tinkering

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Update (about twenty minutes after original publication): … and to somehow prove the unexpected value of sharing, when I saw this photograph as part of the post (as opposed to the drawing being on my desk and having looked at it for the last few hours) I suddenly saw it differently and had a blinding new idea.

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