Handthought Discussions - crafthaus2024-03-28T22:35:43Zhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/group/handthought/forum?feed=yes&xn_auth=noWhat's Happening? [Part Three]tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2011-08-18:2104389:Topic:2813482011-08-18T05:24:33.782ZTimothy McMahonhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/TimothyMcMahon
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="540"></img></a></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br></br><br></br></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em>[Part Three of Four]…</em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br></br></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="540" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="540" class="align-right"/></a></p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br/><br/></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em>[Part Three of Four]</em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br/></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058075578?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058075578?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p>If you attended SOFA New York this past April, chances are you noticed there was something interesting <i> happening </i> at Sienna Gallery. If not, you may have read something about it online, maybe AJF’s blog or right here on Crafthaus. Perhaps, though, <i>it found you,</i> snaking its way into your periphery via your Facebook “newsfeed”. </p>
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<p>The Opulent Project’s <i>Costume Costume</i> was presented in a section of Sienna’s space at SOFA, essentially in an adjacent micro-gallery. Inside, the work was presented minimally and for good reason, as the work was intended to be tried on with abandon. The shelves lining the walls served more the purpose of a resting place between bouts of adornment than display. The far end of the space was outfitted with a photo booth functioning as the lynchpin of their efforts—to document the interaction between participant and jewelry. Once captured, images were then dispersed threefold: as printed souvenir to be share firsthand, displayed onsite via a monitor so to entice new accomplices passing by, and most effectively, uploaded to Sienna Gallery’s Facebook page. </p>
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<p>I became enamored with the excitement surrounding <i>Costume Costume</i> and spoke to Erin Gardner, organizer of the event, to learn more about the goals of the project.</p>
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<p>Erin cofounded The Opulent Project with Meg Drinkwater in 2006 while both were undergraduate students at the University of Oregon. After relocating to Portland, they’ve since reached out to other emerging jewelers to create themed bodies of work with the goal of using “collective power to generate interest and ultimately be collected, worn and woven into contemporary material culture.” In addition to <i>Costume Costume</i>—which had a previous incarnation in Portland and plans for more in the future—The Opulent Project has also curated and organized exhibitions under the name <i>18K Gold Tone,</i> and most recently hosted the <i>Gallery Reject</i> event in their studio.</p>
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<p><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058077766?profile=original"><img class="align-left" width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058077766?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></a></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p><i>Costume Costume came out of several projects Meg and I were working on in collaboration and independently. We were drawn to costume jewelry because of our interest in objects that exist as simulations of unattainable luxury items. Several months ago Sienna asked me to organize a project for SOFA NY and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to expand on Costume Costume. I presented this project to several emerging contemporary art jewelers to address the current trend to re-consume material culture, and to question the nature of costume jewelry. </i></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><em><b>–Erin</b></em></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><i>[Pictured left- Erin Gardner (facing us) engaging participants of Costume Costume during SOFA New York.]</i></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058084309?profile=original"><img class="align-right" width="350" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058084309?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></a></p>
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<p>Walking through the rows of booths at SOFA, I was first made aware of something peculiar happening at Sienna Gallery by the cloud of excited chatter and gesticulation hanging in the air; the cynical Brooklynite in me thought:</p>
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<p>“Ok, what are <i>these</i> people so happy about?” </p>
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<p>It may seem strange to think so, but this sustained level of happiness was out of place at SOFA. It <span class="font-size-2">was due, not to some intrinsic sadness, but to its nature as a sensensory rather than emotiona</span>l experience. </p>
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<p style="text-align: right;"><em><b><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058075599?profile=original"><img class="align-left" width="200" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058075599?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a></b></em></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058076834?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="150" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial;" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058076834?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="150" class="align-right"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="font-size-2"><br/>The sensory-emotional connection in the display </span>(marketing?) of art jewelry is a worthwhile topic that deserves—and is in need of—attention, but cannot be properly explored in the confines of this discourse. In passing, the happiness Costume Costume participants expressed can be attributed to key components: nostalgia for the photo booth and its association with celebratory times and exciting locales, being given control of their interaction with the jewelry and selecting pieces to self-identify with, and gaining ownership of their experience through the photo strips documenting the event.</p>
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<p>In addition to being handmade in limited edition, all the work in <i>Costume Costume</i> was priced under $400. Erin points out: “We acknowledge the gap between art and consumer-based jewelry and seek to produce idea-based jewelry that is accessible to a broad audience. We strive to produce work that can transcend mainstream preconceptions regarding jewelry and that generate discussion for both the informed and uninformed viewer.” </p>
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<p>By creating work and presenting it through modes that address both the <i>Who</i> and <i>Why</i> of their audience, The Opulent Project approaches the subject of exhibiting contemporary art jewelry qualitatively. As a part of SOFA, <i>Costume Costume</i> engaged both the internal and external audience firsthand and made use of social media (Facebook, Flicker) to access the hyperexternal realm. But what if the booth was installed just outside SOFA on the Park Avenue sidewalk, or even a busier place like Columbus Circle, within shadow’s reach of MAD; how might location affect the methods, materials, and prices participating artists might choose?</p>
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<p>An interesting development takes place in their most recent project, <i>Come Apart,</i> at Heidi Lowe Gallery: “<i>The work in this show explores various forms of fragmentation visually, physically and/or conceptually. Wallpaper is the second collaborative piece produced by Meg Drinkwater and Erin Gardner that explores adornment related to the body and interior space. The viewer is invited to participate by pulling jewelry from the wall to adorn themselves while at the same time revealing a pattern in the negative space that remains.”</i></p>
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<p>Not only is the viewer invited to interact with the jewelry, but in doing so, leaves evidence of the act and permanently alters the experience for all who come after.</p>
<hr/><p align="center"><span class="font-size-1">A new edition of <i>Costume Costume</i> is on view until Aug.31<sup>st</sup> at Sienna Gallery in Lenox, MA. <a href="http://www.siennagallery.com/">www.siennagallery.com</a> For more info about <i>Come Apart</i>, visit <a href="http://www.heidilowejewelry.com/">www.heidilowejewelry.com</a></span></p>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-1">To learn more about The Opulent Project and their plans visit: <a href="http://www.theopulentproject.com/">www.theopulentproject.com</a></span></p>
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</div> What's Happening? [Part Two]tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2011-07-27:2104389:Topic:2726472011-07-27T03:29:07.129ZTimothy McMahonhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/TimothyMcMahon
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="540"></img></a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br></br><br></br></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em>[Part Two of Four]…</em></span></span></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="540" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="540" class="align-right"/></a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em><br/><br/></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3"><span><em>[Part Two of Four]</em></span></span></strong></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058073234?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058073234?profile=original" width="216" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>The sheer act of taking the jewelry out of the gallery, and into the immense space of the world is enough to engage the hyperexternal audience. The quickest route would entail a literal spillage of jewelry onto the streets, creating a spectacle in the process. Such blunt actions may garner attention, and certainly have their use, but do they serve the work as well?</p>
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<p>Estonian jeweler Tanel Veenre likes the challenge of exhibiting in difficult spaces, predominantly those with high ceilings: “It’s like directing a play—when I am telling the story I have to make the viewer believe in it; there is a crucial role in the atmosphere I create.”</p>
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<p>In bringing his exhibition <i>Paradise Regained</i> to Munich during Schmuck, he knew he wanted some kind of antique environment to complement his work but struggled to find the right place.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><i>It was really hard to find the place via long distance—I met a lot of incredulity and narrow minds on the way…After all it was a lucky chance that I ended up in this historic building materials shop by Homayoun Ardehali. I have a friend—talented jeweler Doerthe Fuchs—living in Munich and then she got an idea to introduce me to Homayoun. </i></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i> <b>-<i>Tanel</i></b></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058073579?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058072900?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058072567?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="216" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058072567?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="216" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p>The historic building materials shop was just as it sounds. The small, wondrous, space had all manner of ornate and antique building materials, and standing there within it, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was breathing <i>time</i>. The most prominent fixture, a large iron-and-glass set of gates, became Tanel’s gates of paradise. The work hung from the gates and was simply, but seductively, lit.</p>
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<p>The colorful, plump, and youthful forms seemed to colonize the weathered, somewhat wizened objects, and shared a similar visual language; it was as if the soul of this old salvage had been reborn—in concentrated and wearable form—through Tanel’s hands.</p>
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<p>Other pieces adorned great wooden doors resting against the walls of a small alcove. One piece even appeared to mimic the doors hardware, as if it found itself there accidently and had morphed into something less suspect.</p>
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<p>Tanel could have brought these antique gates and doors out of their element and into the gallery, but they would lose their authenticity, severing contemporary jewelry’s tenuous connection to the outside world.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">There’s no doubt that Homayoun’s shop held great potential, but not just any body of work could integrate so successfully. Tanel held an idea of what he wanted going into his search, and once he found it he thought of himself: “like jelly, taking the form of the environment, not vice versa.” He succeeds in the context of the shop due to it’s ability to support not only his aesthetic, but also his conceptual interests. And there, in that space, they belong to each other in equal measure.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-1"><i>[pictured below- Of the spaces Tanel has chosen to exhibit within, his favorite was a 100-year-old storage house that came with the challenge of ceilings 15 meters high and 500 square meters of space.]</i></span></p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058072379?profile=original"><img class="align-center" width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058073403?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center"> </p>
<div align="center"><hr align="center" width="100%" size="2"/></div>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #888888;" class="font-size-2">For more info and images from <i>Paradise Regained</i> as well as other exhibitions and interesting installations,<br/></span><span style="color: #888888;">Please visit Tanel’s website: <a href="http://www.tanelveenre.com/">www.tanelveenre.com</a> Tanel can also be found on <a href="http://www.klimt02.net/jewellers/index.php?item_id=700">Klimt02</a></span></p>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;"><hr align="center" width="100%" size="2"/></div>
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</div> What's Happening? [Part One]tag:crafthaus.ning.com,2011-07-15:2104389:Topic:2683972011-07-15T03:08:12.550ZTimothy McMahonhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/TimothyMcMahon
<p style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064220?profile=original" target="_self"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="540"></img></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family: helvetica; color: #808080;"><span style="line-height: 0px;"><em>[Part One of Four]…</em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064220?profile=original"></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=original"><img width="540" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064115?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: helvetica; color: #808080;" class="font-size-3"><span style="line-height: 0px;"><em>[Part One of Four]</em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: helvetica; color: #808080;" class="font-size-3"><span style="line-height: 0px;"><em><br/></em></span></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><span style="font-family: helvetica; color: #808080;" class="font-size-3"><span style="line-height: 0px;"><em> </em></span></span></strong>What makes a contemporary jewelry exhibition successful? The most common answers might relate to the amount of sales, a positive reception of work, or how well an exhibition is attended. Unfortunately, relying on such quantitative indicators of success is shortsighted and overlooks potential long-term success. It is vital for us to not only introduce new individuals to the field, but to expand our presence in contemporary culture. While each exhibition of jewelry occurs within the field at large, they exist as isolated events, and it is still possible—in the broader scope—for independently succeeding exhibitions to collectively fail.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><br/>Over time, I’ve come to think we have three distinct audiences: internal, external and hyperexternal. Two of which we regularly engage and one that is largely neglected. Exhibitions that engage the internal audience are a type of communication within the field, disseminating and broadcasting current states of interest and accomplishment, e.g. thesis shows, work and lectures presented during gatherings of jewelers, and guild/organizational activity. We engage the external audience through the presentation of work in established venues to a predictable audience, e.g. typical gallery and museum exhibition, artists’ websites, trade fairs. The hyperexternal audience is unpredictable and ignorant of the field, they must be engaged through exhibition occurring outside the traditional jewelry context, events that could be considered a spectacle or happening.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064227?profile=original"><img class="align-left" width="265" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064227?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a></p>
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<p>One way we can engage the hyperexternal audience is through sociopolitical context. In Munich last March, I had the pleasure of experiencing <i>A Pieceful Swedish Smörgåsbord</i>, as well as getting to meet the Swedes who envisioned it—Sanna Svedestedt and Karin Roy Andersson.</p>
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<p><span class="font-size-2">Karin and Sanna conceived the <i>Smörgåsbord</i> after working together in Spain last spring and, in Karin’s words, being “surprised by the image the people there seemed to have of Sweden and of Swedish people—a mix of the myth that we are tall, blonde, rich, and beautiful, and the recent news about the abuse of women, suicides and—with the reports of Julian Assange—something that appears to be a corrupt legal system.”</span></p>
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<p>Together they chose to project their own image of Sweden and chose to invite additional jewelers who share a similar background—young, fresh out of school, and female. The curatorial decision was made on the grounds that their intention as Karin put it,<br/> “wasn’t to show <i>the truth</i>—just to communicate our view.”</p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064208?profile=original"></a><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064197?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="568" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064197?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="568" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Märta Mattsson,<i>True Colours</i>, object. Taxidermy rat and blue topaz</p>
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<p><u>Märta’s exhibition statement from <i>A Pieceful Swedish Smörgåsbord:</i></u></p>
<p><span class="font-size-1">“The Swedish Rat: tall, dashing, blond hair and blue-eyed. There is long list of clichés regarding Swedish women. But is this really what Swedish women look like? Most Swedish women are not real blonds. Many women bleach their hair and the most common hair colour in Sweden is ‘The rat colour’. It’s a greyish brown colour, also referred to as cendré or dark-blond. In the English language there are two ways of describing this hair colour, ‘mousy-blond’ and ‘dirty-blond.’ Being able to joke about yourself and honesty are two Swedish attributes that I am proud of. Comparing your hair colour to a rat is about as honest as you can be.”</span></p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064332?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058064332?profile=original"/></a></p>
<p><span class="font-size-2">(Installation at the Schwedische kirche, Karin’s <i>A Constant Grinding</i> necklaces in foreground, Sanna’s <i>Fashionista</i> Bracelets midground)<br/><br/></span>Sanna and Karin approached the Schwedische kirche (Swedish Church) in Munich to host the exhibition tio accomplish another one of their goals—“to introduce jewellery to people who hadn’t been in contact with it in this way before”. They enjoyed seeing the reactions of the church members to the work and also cooperating with them in preparation of the exhibition. The audience was invited “to the table” not only through the context of a projected contemporary Swedish identity, but also by occupying a (co-opted) space where the jewelry itself exists as a foreign body and commands attention. Each artist’s viewpoint is offered for consumption in great contrast to the sterile whitewash of the table setting, while the Schwedische kirche casts its shadow onto the work as well. It is not hard to imagine some sort of ritual—in the context of communion or even the last supper—where the offering is instead a piece of their collective Swedish identity. </p>
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<div align="center"><hr size="2" width="100%" align="center"/></div>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-1"><i>A Pieceful Swedish Smörgåsbord</i> will be exhibited again in Umeå, Sweden at the end of October.</span></p>
<p align="center"><span class="font-size-1">For more info, images, and to keep up with <a href="http://www.svede.se/">Sanna</a> and <a href="http://www.karin-roy.se/">Karin</a>, visit their blog on Klimt02: <a href="http://www.klimt02.net/blogs/blog.php?Id=10&Id_post=19&Directe=Si">Diagonal</a></span></p>
<div align="center"><hr size="2" width="100%" align="center"/></div>
<p> </p> Politely turning our backs to crafttag:crafthaus.ning.com,2011-04-11:2104389:Topic:2204062011-04-11T03:15:52.156ZTimothy McMahonhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/TimothyMcMahon
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027104?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027104?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500"></img></a></p>
<p>I recently had the opportunity to spend time in Munich during the week of Schmuck. The trip was invaluable and surprising, in that it wasn’t the work itself—and there was LOTS—that had the biggest impact. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing to see so much work in such a short amount of time and to experience pieces firsthand that I had only…</p>
<p align="right"> </p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027104?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027104?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p>I recently had the opportunity to spend time in Munich during the week of Schmuck. The trip was invaluable and surprising, in that it wasn’t the work itself—and there was LOTS—that had the biggest impact. Don’t get me wrong, it was amazing to see so much work in such a short amount of time and to experience pieces firsthand that I had only seen in print. Norman Weber’s brooches were much less demure than I imagined, having a scale bold enough for a brooch to also exist as a standalone object. Some of the more transient spaces housed work from younger artists I was unfamiliar with but whose work I was happy to be introduced to. Also, it interested me to see some of the work I expected to have a high level of craftsmanship, didn’t. </p>
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<p>I kept thinking about the relationship between spontaneity and craft; are they mutually exclusive? Do we expect less from new and non-traditional materials and technology? I have my own instinctual answer that new technologies or materials shouldn't be held to a lower standard than those that are tried and traditional; experimentation isn’t the end of the craft—it’s the beginning of it. Honestly though, I’m still mulling that one over, and besides, towards the end of my trip and since returning home it was ultimately another question that’s haunted me: <b>What is the cost of craft—and I don’t mean a labor rate—when we want to expand the reach of our work. </b> What opportunities are allowed to pass and what potential business is neglected by choosing creative paths that emphasize handwork and lead to inherently higher pricing?</p>
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<p>My quandary was set into motion by two pieces of jewelry in Munich, the first two pieces of jewelry I ever bought. I bought both for three reasons: I liked them aesthetically, the intention resonated with me, and most importantly—I could afford them. The first piece was a ring from Stefan Heuser’s <i>The Difference Between Us. (Pictured below—orange dots placed for sold rings)</i></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027581?profile=original"><img class="align-left" width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027581?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a><i>The Difference Between Us</i> consists of 100 cast sterling rings nearly identical save for an edition number. There’s something else that no two have a like—price. To ascertain the price of each ring, multiply the edition number times one euro: #1 = €1, #100 = €100. As you can see the majority of the rings sold were on the lower end, except notably, #100. So, although the difference between us can be many things it’s most likely one of two things: how much money we have available to spend or how much we are willing to spend. Ring #100 was the back-left corner as pictured above, with numbers descending across then down. (I should disclose that I too bought the cheapest available ring at the time, #43, upturned).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"> </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025832?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="562" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025832?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="562" class="align-left"/></a></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027662?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="562" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058027662?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024"/></a></p>
<p>What fascinates me is the idea that the lowest-cost rings are, in effect, subsidized by those priced higher. With the right timing, anyone could walk in off the street and have a piece of contemporary jewelry for €1, regardless of knowledge, appreciation, or experience with it. </p>
<p>I wonder if we are alienating proto-collectors with generally prohibitive prices before they are educated enough about the field to appreciate what we do. </p>
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<blockquote><p>The common question of “<i>where are the new/young collectors”</i> comes to mind, and part of the answer is: <i>They’re broke. </i></p>
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<p>The second piece of jewelry I took home was a production piece designed by Herman Hermsen <i>(below)</i>. I came across the piece in a small bin near the cashier at the Kunst + Handwerk Gallery of the Bayerischer KunstgewerbeVerein (Bavarian Arts and Crafts Association). Of course, Hermsen is known not only as a jeweler but also as a product designer. The small sea of brooches were made in varying colors of plastic vacuum-formed over gemmy clusters, each with what I believe is a simple stud earring with a clutch back which is inserted through a hole to affix the brooch. I’ve been searching for my receipt—I know it’s here somewhere—but it was either €28 or €38. Now yes, I genuinely like it, it has an aesthetic I relate to, but what I was really drawn to was the fact that it was a piece of jewelry by a jeweler whose work I appreciate <span style="color: #000000;">AND</span> I could afford it. </p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025425?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="532" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025425?profile=original"/></a></p>
<p>I certainly didn’t go to Munich expecting to buy jewelry of any sort, but without seeking it out, I came across jewelry within my means—and it made a collector out of me. These two pieces, and my ability to purchase them, has had an impact on the way I think about my work and the range of people I want to share it with. If I can sell a brooch that represents me for $50 and make a profit, why aren’t I, and if designing work that makes use of industrial processes and modern technology in lieu of skilled labor allows me to reach more people—by selling at a lower price—should I?</p>
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<p>Shouldn’t we be competing with cheap—in a good way—mass produced products? If 20-something year olds can only afford to buy commercial jewelry, it sets the trend and taste for their future spending when their income increases. I too wonder who will be <i>collecting the future</i>. Let’s face it, as a younger jeweler I’ll be depending on those people everyone has labeled <i>no-shows,</i> but what if they’re all there waiting and we’ve been doing it wrong? We’ve got our store set up with the door locked and the curtains drawn.</p>
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<p>Well known contemporary jeweler <a href="http://www.tednoten.com/">Ted Noten</a>, who had work in Schmuck 2011 from his ongoing series “Haunted by 36 Women”, has been utilizing CAD/CAM technology to expand the reach of his work. Noten begins by creating a “real” object, or an assemblage of real objects, and captures their form with the use of a 3d scanner. Once digitized, the pieces can be scaled to jewelry-appropriate size and most importantly, recreated in a variety of materials. A single work can be created—and sold—as the original object, rescaled as colorful glass-filled nylon jewelry, and made in a range of metals including gold. This allows Noten to sell and interact with a variety of buyers: those that want a unique one-off, those who want a precious object, and those that want it separate from value and rarity—or can’t afford it any other way. We must consider, though, that to design, produce, and sell work in such a wide range may take the time, experience, and skill of more than one person; it is Atelier Ted Noten after all.</p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025766?profile=original"><img class="align-left" width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058025766?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a>A glass-filled nylon ring goes for € 75 (~$110) and can be purchased directly from the Atelier Ted Noten webshop. Much of the available work is only available online, which I imagine aids in offering the lowest possible price by avoiding the wholesale/retail pricing structure.</p>
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<p><br/> <a href="http://www.tednoten.com/webshop/items/miss-piggy-in-pink/">Miss Piggy in pink</a></p>
<p>Atelier Ted Noten</p>
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<img class="align-right" width="300" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058026532?profile=original"/><br/>
<p>Another price-conscious solution is the Icon earring series, simple silhouettes in silver of some of his more well-known pieces. </p>
<p style="text-align: right;">For example:</p>
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<p style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.atnsupermarket.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=36&category_id=1">Ted Noten Icon Earring "Bag"</a> <i>(left)</i></p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Atelier Ted Noten</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Superbitch Bag 2000 <i>(right)</i></p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Ted Noten</p>
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<p>For the record, I consider the castings of multiples from a master model the same as a 3d print from a file obtained from a 3d scan—one’s just a much more recent technology. I feel differently about 3d prints from a file created completely from scratch, in that they are not reproductions of an actual object, but instances of a virtual object (which is not meant to be derogatory in anyway, it’s just a distinction I think is important).</p>
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<p>There are other ways to consider reaching out at lower price points. We can consider publication of artist’s work as a stepping stone to collecting, but there’s quite a gap <i>(chasm?)</i> between a wearable object made by a jeweler and the documentation of it. Certainly though, enticing and engaging books like those from Darling Publications and Arnoldsche Art Publishers are capable of satiating some of the desire to <i>own</i> while maintaining a hunger for jewelry. </p>
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<p>Since last September, <a href="http://www.mijramhiller.com/">Mirjam Hiller</a> has also sold digital pigment prints (which have greater permanence over dye-based prints) of the blueprints of her pieces. The beautiful prints, reminiscent of cyanotypes, don’t simply document the work as an image of its final state but let the owner in on the secret of its two-dimensional origins. The prints themselves are created in editions, so although they are not unique they are still rare and very worthy of ownership.</p>
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<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058026952?profile=original"><img class="align-full" width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1058026952?profile=original"/></a></p>
<p>Mirjam Hiller - <i>Mavalis</i> (1/5), 2010</p>
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<p>There is an undeniable benefit to creating multiples; splitting the cost of designing, creating, and presenting the work among a greater number of pieces lowers the price. On the other end of the spectrum we have the importance of a unique object, unapologetic in its need of skilled attention and deserving of its high cost. </p>
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<p>If more contemporary jewelers offered work in wide range of prices could we fertilize the barren soil? Could the seeds planted by low-price (let’s say sub $100) creative design be cultivated to produce a new crop of collectors, collecting higher and higher priced work as their appreciation—and income—increase?</p>
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<p>I think it’s half of the solution; the other half will have to wait for another day.</p>
<p align="right">-Timothy</p>
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<p> </p> Charles LeDray:WORKWORKWORKWORKWORKtag:crafthaus.ning.com,2011-02-10:2104389:Topic:1836572011-02-10T02:01:22.829ZTimothy McMahonhttp://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/TimothyMcMahon
<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4407743166666478"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1057997271?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1057997271?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="250"></img></a></span></p>
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<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4407743166666478">I recently took a walk to see CHARLES LEDRAY: WORKWORKWORKWORKWORK, a retrospective of his work since the 80’s on exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. But first, since this is my first post, I’d like to briefly…</span></p>
<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4407743166666478"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1057997271?profile=original"><img class="align-right" width="250" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1057997271?profile=RESIZE_320x320"/></a></span></p>
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<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4407743166666478">I recently took a walk to see CHARLES LEDRAY: WORKWORKWORKWORKWORK, a retrospective of his work since the 80’s on exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. But first, since this is my first post, I’d like to briefly explain the title chosen for this blog:</span></p>
<p><span><br/></span></p>
<p><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4407743166666478"> “</span><span>Handthought”</span> <span> is a deliberately ambiguous</span> <span>triple entendre</span> <span>and can refer to:</span></p>
<ol>
<li><span>The thought of a hand</span></li>
<li><span>A thought regarding the hand</span></li>
<li><span>A process, as a play on and reversal of</span> <span>handwrought</span> <span>; ideas formed(instead of realized) through the interplay of hand and material</span> <span> </span></li>
</ol>
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<p><br/><span>Charles LeDray’s meticulously crafted works easily lend themselves for discussion, he does not alter to his work with explanation (apart from some referential titles) and we are free to infer his relationship with craft. Images of his work can be viewed by visiting:</span></p>
<p><span> </span><br/><span>Whitney’s exhibition page:</span> <a href="http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/CharlesLeDray"><span>http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/CharlesLeDray</span></a></p>
<p><a href="http://whitney.org/Exhibitions/CharlesLeDray"><span> </span></a><br/><span>Sperone Westwater’s site:</span><a href="http://www.speronewestwater.com/"><span>http://www.speronewestwater.com</span></a></p>
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<p><span>***</span></p>
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<p><span>It was Mid-day and a Friday, the last day of an overwhelming week that was</span> <span>almost</span> <span>behind me, aside from an equally daunting weekend. A recent and impressive snowstorm had transformed New York City as well as the simple act of walking; each step to and from the subway had become a conscious decision brimming with repercussion. If there had been a better day, I would have waited, but it turned out that seeing WORKWORKWORKWORKWORK in an exhausted and sore-handed state may have been the ideal circumstance to appreciate the work.</span></p>
<p><br/><span>A truly incredible amount of handwork goes into LeDray’s pieces, nearly everything is handmade. Reclaiming tasks that have long been forfeited to machine and industry, he sews, carves, embroiders, and much more, even creating the small clothing hangers many pieces hang on. I not only see his labor, but also the echoes of undervalued factory workers who piecing together garments overseas. The objects have a diminished scale ranging from genuinely tiny to about half-sized. This sets the work apart from the mass produced items they reference while simultaneously creating a perceptual disconnect with our bodies, nudging us to come to an understanding beyond what we physically see. </span></p>
<p><br/><span>I was enthralled by his ivory and bone work especially</span> <span>Door (1999)</span> <span>and</span> <span>Wheat (2000)</span><span>.</span> <span> </span><span> There was a strong brooch-like scale to</span> <span>Door,</span> <span>assembled from ivory and resembling an extremely well made dollhouse door. Made from human bone,</span> <span>Wheat</span> <span>appears to be a perfect replica of a wheat stalk complete with delicate beard. The slender sprigs of bone were awe inspiring and caused the imaginary Charles LeDray in my mind to begin to shift from a skilled, dedicated, and obsessive seamster to something else. But what?</span></p>
<p><br/><span>Next I invested his take on pottery. The all-white</span> <span>Milk and Honey (1994-96)</span> <span>and the nearly overstimulating and colorful</span> <span>Oasis (1996-2003)</span> <span>both consist of</span> <span>thousands</span> <span>of vases, bowls, jugs, pots, with the average size being less than one inch in height. Housed in large glass display cases filled with glass shelf upon glass shelf, we can from below, above, and everything at once; at the right angle each becomes a nebula of permutations.</span></p>
<p><br/><span>The more recent work,</span> <span>Throwing Shadows (2008-10)</span><span>, is an entirely different creature. Again the piece consists of thousands of tiny vessels but where</span> <span>Milk and Honey</span> <span>and</span> <span>Oasis</span> <span>use multiple materials (ceramic, glass, steel, wood) and assumingly multiple processes,</span> <span>Throwing Shadows</span> <span>is focused solely on thrown black porcelain. Additionally these pieces are displayed on a white surface on a single plane. The pieces themselves are “thrown shadows” and their undulating forms are also “throwing shadows” as a blanket of overlapping shapes that connect each piece. It is apparent in these pieces that these forms belong to a single maker, eerily emanating a strong sense of time, similar to viewing an entire life’s worth of work at once. LeDray’s dedication and craftsmanship is significant, but ultimately it reference something grander (often literally</span> <span>bigger).</span></p>
<p><br/><span>Jewelry Window</span> <span>(2002), installed in its own dark room, stood very separate from the rest of the work on display. Dark enough that the black velvet display forms are hard to tell apart, I peered through the glass front of the faux display, searching. The lack of light, repetitive forms, and knowledge of LeDray’s work created a challenge, something had to be there. I imagined a minute gold chain, a diminutive diamond ring, anything iconic and small, but nothing. I searched a bit longer and realized something was off; the displays retained a true to life scale. For me, this made</span> <span>Jewelry Window</span> <span>the most self-aware of it’s craft. Lacking jewelry we are directly confronted with the question of what is valuable and the answer has to be</span> <span>the display</span><span>, which was handmade by single person dedicated to making it better than it needed to be.</span></p>
<p><br/><span>Only later while reviewing my notes did I pick up on another scale discrepancy, another life-sized piece relating to jewelry. </span><span>Ring Finger(2004)</span> <span>is comprised of Ivory carved to the size and shape of the bones of a human finger, replete with gold band. Did he lack the skill or knowledge to create jewelry in tiny form or does the material of jewelry clash with he intention? A diamond and gold ring for example, loses perceived value while it shrinks until a point where it becomes nearly microscopic and it’s value would again rise as a truly minuscule object. Then a thought crossed my mind, what if there was something else to</span> <span>Jewelry Window</span><span>, but it was just too small to see? Does scale’s effect on craft depend on material? Does taking the utility out of a craft object, make it more valuable?</span></p>
<p><br/><span>Ultimately the greatest impression is left by the shear amount of handwork that goes into LeDray’s objects which are able to instill awe regardless of background. Certainly, though, a personal history with object making helps to further appreciate LeDray’s dedication to laborious and intense processes that revolve around the role of the hand in making the objects around us.</span></p>
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<span>CHARLES LEDRAY:WORKWORKWORKWORKWORK is on display through the weekend, ending Feb. 13th. It will installed next at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston from May 15 2011-Sep 11 2011.</span>