Manifest is a touring exhibition of jewellery by the Designer Jewellers Group to celebrate its fortieth anniversary. The Manifest exhibition showcases the work of 20 jewellers from around the world in a unique display, which is open to the public at Barbican Art Centre, London.
When you see Natalie Adams work you are immediately transported into a vibrant, exotic and colourful world, miles away from grey British skies.
Born in England, Natalie grew up in Hong Kong and Shanghai. She returned to the United Kingdom for her degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing at Edinburgh College of Art. Her jewellery is evidentially a reflection of her years in Asia: Modern, cutting edge architecture fused with the traditional lattice work of the old Shanghai, dipped in bright reds, pinks and greens .
The result is a mix of very intriguing 3 dimensional shapes, executed with great precision and attention to detail.
Her chosen materials are acrylic plastic tubing, enamelled coated wire, sometimes gold and silver.
Natalie’s work involves a great deal of precision work by hand:
The acrylic tubing is cut and sanded down.
All the grooves that hold the delicate wire are hand sawn.
Once everything is prepared, the tubes are hand dyed, giving the plastic such fun colours and delicious transitions from one shade to another.
Then the wires are woven through the grooves.
The colourful chain links are made from coils of jewellery wire and twisted to make double helixes.
I particularly love Natalie’s Sunset Collection: True statement pieces in a riot of pink, orange and blue colours!
Natalie is currently Artist in Residence at Edinburgh College of Art and her jewellery can be viewed and purchased from the Designer Jewellers Group exhibition at the Barbican Centre until 23rd December.
Natalie Adams has accomplished a fantastic first collection and I am certain she has a great future ahead of her!
US: Mireia your approach to jewellery making is very distinctive and, in my experience, unique. How did you arrive at this?
MR: My intention is to promote play. I play with my prototypes for hours and get inspiration for developments or entirely new concepts from my interaction with them. I love to think that the user would similarly be able to gain inspiration from my pieces and enjoy interacting with them as much as I do. It is through manipulation that the pieces come alive.
The flexibility of the materials, after I have processed them, inspired me to make the pieces that they create flexible in design. This means the bracelet can become a necklace or a pendant, the ring can be worn in different forms, as a pendant and by a wide range of ring sizes.
My transition from a commercial designer working for several large jewellery companies to producing work to my own brief, with freedom, is recent. I feel that this sense of liberation comes across in my work. I found a lot of the commercial projects I worked on bland: I always thought jewellery should be more interactive and playful.
US: Which came first, the abstract idea or was it through playing and experimenting with certain materials?
MR: It was definitely though play. After designing FLAT PACK-jewellery (plastic pieces which come flat and are given volume through the wearers choices in twists and folds) I began thinking about using more traditional jewellery materials. Speaking to people about the work I came to better understand the innate value attributed to precious metals and how that could be successful in a collection. The challenge was getting these metals to behave as I wanted! It took a great deal of work to perfect the technique I have now developed.
US: What are the practical considerations you have encountered in the manufacture of the Lissom collection?
MR: I make all the pieces by hand, myself. It is a time-consuming process but I am gradually getting faster! The greatest challenge was to get silver and gold to be highly flexible, and strong, especially after soldering them.
US: Which is your favourite material to work with?
MR: I have been surprised by how much I have enjoyed my return to working with silver and gold. I would not say I have a specific preference for one material as they have such different design potential, the exploration of which is key to my work. I often start with the material and work to find out what it’s qualities are, and what they offer me in terms of design.
Thank you Mireia, the exceptional quality of your work has been reflected in the enthusiastic reaction to it by our Barbican visitors!
Mireia’s work (which we first saw at the New Designers show, as shown in this film) can now be seen and bought from the Designer Jewellers Group pop-up shop in the Barbican Centre.
Kelly Munro has been selected to exhibit with us for our annual Winter show in the Barbican. DJG member Ute Sanne reviews Kelly’s jewellery.
Kelly Munro has recently set up her studio in Edinburgh, just off the Royal Mile, after graduating from Edinburgh College of Art earlier this year.
Her northern Scottish heritage is undeniable: her jewellery has retained a rustic look inspired by tangled fishing nets, peeling paint, and weather beaten artefacts found on the shore line.
Looking at her work though it is hard to guess, at first glance, that the starting point of her current collection might have been a mangled lobster pot!
Kelly has moved way beyond any literal interpretation of these fishing objects: there is nothing heavy about her jewellery. The scorched and coloured driftwood supported by saw pierced silver gives it lightness whilst retaining volume and strength. Her rings seem to float upon the finger.
Amidst the muted colours of wood and oxidized silver there is a sudden burst of bright orange and turquoise green, a hint at the use of modern plastics within the traditional fishing industry: the brightness of floating buoys and ropes.
Kelly told me about her future plans: a move towards larger wood turned vessels with pierced tops and a possible collaboration with a furnisher designer! I can really see her move in that direction.
Best of luck Kelly!
Kelly’s jewellery is on display and for sale at the Designer Jewellers Group stand in the Barbican until 1st January 2014.
Designer Jewellers Group 