Give Me A Spoon, Exhibition at Atta Gallery

This Fantastic exhibition at Atta has been extended until  Sat 15th Nov! 

The jewellery gallery in Bangkok is currently home to a collection of amazing wearable objects, all developed from the idea of a simple spoon.

The artists featured all have their own unique approach to this humble utensil, demonstrating various techniques and a utilising a variety of materials.

Albert Setyawan, ceramic wearable "spoons"

Ho Koo's side scoop spoon and precious  "grains"

Poly Nikolopoulou unusual, textured spoons

Simon Cottrell's spoon Silver +10% Zinc alloy, Monel, Recycled woven nylon cord.

You can see Cottrell's work at Schmuck Munich, where he has been selected to show next year!

I am a lover of spoons, using them to mix and make my work which themselves become records of the colours and textures that I use.

One of my Hewn rings and a spoon from my studio.

The idea is to challenge artists to create something that they do not normally create and exercise their creativity by translating their practice into a new kind of work. Most importantly, it is for the artists to have fun!" - Vipoo Srivilasa, Curator (you can view the website here)

For this exhibition it was a chance to take an everyday object and explore it's shape, symbolic meanings or function with the individual artists creating their own interpretation of a spoon. The simple brief allows exploration of ideas and materials leading to a fabulous array of textures and shapes and making a familiar object into a wearable, thoughtful piece of art.

Yiumsiri Vantanapindu

Whether a usable object or decorative, spoons have many meanings. Love spoons were a folk tradition, made by young men and given as a token of their affection to a woman they admired. The wooden carvings were a chance for them to show their skill, taking time and patience. The complicated shapes and symbols  communicated how deeply they admired their loved one. If a girl accepted a spoon form a suitor she might then wear it or tie it to her clothing to show that she was taken, in a similar way to an engagement ring. Even more of a reason for them being the perfect focus for a jewellery gallery!

For practical purposes wearable spoons make sense. In a nomadic lifestyle you would carry the objects that you used daily. They were useful, and therefore precious and important. 

Spoons in my studio

Easily overlooked, the spoon is simple & reliable, perfectly formed for it's purpose and a daily necessity. I am happy to celebrate this essential tool (and I couldn't polish off my dessert without it!).

Hooray for the beautiful, useful spoon!

You can see plenty more pictures from the exhibition here on the Atta Facebook page.

Galactic Exhibition

One of my necklaces at the exhibition: Pyrite encrusted cube necklace on oxidised silver chain

An Exhibition of Jewellery that is Out of this World!

At the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists 

22nd July - 19th October 2013

Here's a new pair of earrings in granite and sterling silver

I was so excited to be invited to take part in this exhibition. There will be ceramics, jewellery and glass all by artists inspired by outer space.  Here's a list of those taking part: 

Tracey Birchwood, Annie Cracknell, Jemma Daniels, Christine Davies, Simon Denvers, Samantha Donaldson, Emma Farnworth, Alice Gow, Akiko Hirai, Jade Mellor, Ros Millar, Myung Nam An, Mandana Oskoui, Danny Ries, Charlotte Sale, Alex Shimwell, Emily Thatcher, Perin Towlson, Irena Maria Varey, Charlotte Verity

The Other Side of The Button

Tools from the trade, Silk Museum, Macclesfield

"The old craftsmanship will survive. There is room for it in the modern world....The man who builds a boat for his own sailing and the woman who embroiders a quilt for her own home are getting satisfaction far beyond that given by any passive pleasure. Making things is a good life." W.B. Honey

Jade Mellor "Fasten" Necklace, Resin, metal powder & leather. One-off 2013

The Button Project exhibition is still available to check out at Macclesfield Heritage Centre. With around 300 buttons each hand made by a range of artists, designers and crafts people it is a showcase for personal skill and the joy of creating an object which is beautiful as well as functional.

The museum curator, Annabel Wills, says "The great thing about The Button Project is the way that it brings together the historical collections with contemporary artists. The town has its beginnings in the button trade, and Macclesfield silk buttons were all handmade. Today's makers help to keep that heritage very much alive."

One of my photos from a recent trip to Greece, a collection of ancient Fibulae brooch style

fasteners

Life Before Buttons

"Unlike most modern brooches, fibulae were not only decorative; they originally served a practical function: to fasten clothing, such as cloaks. Fibulae replaced straight pins that were used to fasten clothing in the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. In turn, fibulae were replaced as clothing fasteners by buttons in the Middle Ages. Their descendant, the modern safety pin, remains in use today." Wiki

Decorative and functional fibulae brooches were used to fasten clothing before buttons. 

After Buttons (clothing fasteners go electric! Well we all know of Lightening zips)

Selection of zips used in garments by Elsa Schiaparelli, a pioneer in this new garment fastening technology. Many of these pieces didn't survive or were in a fragile condition due to the unstable nature of the early synthetic  materials. Images courtesy of V&A curating dept.

I made this necklace to show the harder edge of buttons. Cast from a selection of old pressed metal buttons, they would fasten functional clothing for working in. Made to be used and last, they showed their quality by having the companies name written on the button, like a designer label or branding motif today. Cast as a one off in resin combined with metal powder, the rest is made from leather and secured with a small steel hook at the back.

 Lots of beautiful sewing machines, some huge and industrial, some small and neat for intricate work (in Macclesfield's Silk Museum)

Wood and metal printing block in Macclesfield's museum, it is full of  beautiful objects like these used in their textiles production, often displayed "in situ".

Here's my button which you can see at the exhibition at Macclesfield's Heritage Centre until 8th Aug.

Macclesfield's SIlk Museum has plenty of ephemera from the old silk production on show. These original tags were a sign of quality for their products-made in the style of sealing wax-just like my resin and silver trompe l'oeil button!

The Button Project has been the work of glass artist Victoria Scholes. I'm so glad she had the idea and passion to create this exhibition, bringing together so many people who love making things.