Collection Bites at Manchester Museum

Yesterday I was thrilled to give a talk at Manchester Museum as part of their "Collection Bites" series, allowing an in-depth look at items in their collection and showing their significance.

For me, the museum has been a massive influence since moving to the city to study for my degree and learning on the courses and at the events they put on with experts and curators.

As a local artist the Museum is a fantastic resource right on our doorstep and I have enjoyed researching the amazing objects on display as well as getting deeper into the artefacts with the curators and the objects in storage.

There are so many amazing objects in the museum, I had plenty to choose from. I spoke about the pieces that had influenced me the most and some of the contemporary designers looking at similar themes, inspired by nature but using modern materials and techniques to synthesise organic processes.

I brought with me particular pieces which I had made in response to what I had learned  in the Museum and thanks to the assistance of Kate Sherburn and curator David Gelsthorpe I could show them with the museum specimens and curios that directly related to them.

The museum objects and my pieces sat side by side with other items from my studio.

I wanted to make something in the session too, as I find learning a lot more interesting if I get to create. To demonstrate one of the wonderful minerals which is a big theme and material in my work I brought along some gold cubes for people to assemble and attach together forming a pyrite sculpture, which will continue to grow and be displayed in our gallery. It s an idea I have wanted to make myself, but I didn't want it to be contrived.

By making it together with the assistance of others I like the organic way the structure develops, giving it an unpredictable shape. I am looking forward to seeing this develop and I will keep you updated on progress as more and more individuals add their own "cube".

For more events like this coming up you can join the Treasure Seekers mailing list  as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Massive thanks to Sally Thelwel, Gillian Smithson, Anna Bunney and Jamilla Howa for the Collection Bites event and everyone else making the Museum so great!

Collection Bites: Designed By Nature, Made by Hand

Check out the feature from this weeks Benchpeg's Newsletter on the event I'm running on Wednesday:

"Jade Mellor is a sculptural jewellery artist based in Manchester where she has been researching at Manchester Museum.

She will be showing work there to demonstrate how important the museum collections can be for inspiration for contemporary design from the 4th June.

Jade will share a unique insight into her experimental processes and unique designs which have graced the pages of Vogue Magazine, The Contemporary Jewellery Yearbook and Swarovski Trends. To kick off a series of events she will be hosting a free ‘Show and Tell’ where she will talk about how she utilised the museum collections and the importance of having these resources for process led and conceptually driven work. This show will delve deeper than surface aesthetics where science and nature meets art and design to create something new.
 

She will also be getting some beautiful treasures out for attendees to look at.

Since studying 3D Design at Manchester School of Art, Jade has found a rich resource in the Museum’s collections, her research and discoveries shaping the pieces she makes

The purpose of the events held at the museum are to encourage others to make use of our amazing Museums and see them as somewhere for new discoveries rather than just old things!"

Date Wednesday 4th June
Time: 1.05pm – 2.00pm
Venue: Manchester Museum, Seminar Room, 3rd Floor
Book on: 0161 275 2648 
Or email: museum@manchester.ac.uk
Cost: Free.

For more information:
[w] events.manchester.ac.uk

[w] www.jademellor.com

Many thanks to Benchpeg for supporting this event, I hope it will lead to some inspiration for all of us! You can read about more news and opportunities in the jewellery world on their website here and also subscribe to their newsletter. It's a great resource for everything going on in jewellery and it's all free! 

I am really looking forward to hosting my Collection Bites Event at Manchester Museum this Wednesday, 4th June. I have been to see many of the previous talks (and blogged about some including which you can read about here and here) and they have included a wide range of people who work with the Museum. From curators, artists, conservators and visiting experts they provide a personal insight into the influences the museum has and the importance of the objects it holds. My own talk will be a show and tell featuring the amazing specimens that have inspired my work and the pieces it has resulted in. I want you to experience the objects which have had an impact on me for yourself and hopefully we can engage in more of a chat sharing ideas and looking at some really cool things and some of my own one-off pieces, experiments and processes.

I may also be asking you to help me create something based on one of the objects!

Hope you can make it!