In the last 2 weeks I have given two talks on my work. This has lead me to thinking about why I make jewellery and what is important to me.
In the face of a mass produced market it has been important to me to create 'limited runs' of handmade jewellery, exploring different concepts. For inspiration, I mostly look to ancient jewellery and textiles. I referred to this in a previous post on an embroidered bag.
The Tree of Life is an interesting and rich symbol. I remember looking in a book on artefacts from South-East Asia, and seeing this motif repeated and abstracted across a wide range of media. When I did a search in the collections of the V&A Museum, artifacts from all periods and media came up again, mostly of articles that can be worn/carried on the body. If they could not be worn, they were made for display within the home. When I worked on a community project with a group of Turkish women, I was struck by how relevant these symbols still are and are lived with in an active way. Each week the women would bring in items that they had made, tea towels, pillowcases, curtains, tablecloths, headscarves, all embroidered worked with floral motifs, referencing among other things the tree of life.
Here is a selection from the V&A , the British Museum and the Louvre.
Workbag, embroidered in crewel wool and chain stitch on linen, 1701-1702
Belt, Skopska Crna Gora, 20thC
Jonah wall-hanging, third-fifth centuries AD, Louvre
Dress, Turkey, 19-20thC
In the face of a mass produced market it has been important to me to create 'limited runs' of handmade jewellery, exploring different concepts. For inspiration, I mostly look to ancient jewellery and textiles. I referred to this in a previous post on an embroidered bag.
The Tree of Life is an interesting and rich symbol. I remember looking in a book on artefacts from South-East Asia, and seeing this motif repeated and abstracted across a wide range of media. When I did a search in the collections of the V&A Museum, artifacts from all periods and media came up again, mostly of articles that can be worn/carried on the body. If they could not be worn, they were made for display within the home. When I worked on a community project with a group of Turkish women, I was struck by how relevant these symbols still are and are lived with in an active way. Each week the women would bring in items that they had made, tea towels, pillowcases, curtains, tablecloths, headscarves, all embroidered worked with floral motifs, referencing among other things the tree of life.
Here is a selection from the V&A , the British Museum and the Louvre.
Workbag, embroidered in crewel wool and chain stitch on linen, 1701-1702
Cuff, Greece, 20thC
Square of fabric illustrating "Aphrodite's marriage", Coptic-Arabic Period, 7th-8thC, Louvre
Headscarf, Zara, 1920-1930
Jonah wall-hanging, third-fifth centuries AD, Louvre
Gold band with sphinxes and stylized tree, late Bronze Age II (1400-1230 BC) Louvre
Æthelwulf Ring, niello, gold, late Anglo-Saxon 828-858
Dress, Turkey, 19-20thC