I decided to delve a little deeper into my idea of
transforming elements of everyday objects into luxury items, exploring notions
of luxury and the vast variety of qualities that make an object feel luxurious.
A happy coincidence that the latest issue of Crafts magazine is titled ‘The
Luxury Edition’, and has a series of reviews and responses to the current
V&A and Crafts Council exhibition, ‘What Is Luxury?’ The exhibition invites
you to contemplate what your personal view is on the subject, and encourages
discussion of opinions on what constructs luxury.
Creative Programmes Director of the Crafts Council, Annie
Waburton writes about crafts contribution to luxury. It is becoming
increasingly attractive to say something is hand made; major corporate
companies of all kinds, try to promote their product to fit within the craft
arena. Even Kettle Chips are getting on the bandwagon (click the links below) a
craft revolution appears to be in our midst...
‘What Is Luxury?’ investigates how value is created through
social, political and economic environments and networks, under what
circumstances it is appreciated and importantly, how it may be altered. It
acknowledges cultural trends, and reveals matters of taste and status. It
displays examples of luxury objects due to the material they are made from, how
they are made, where and when they were made, who they were made by and the
manor in which they participate in our lives.
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| Gangjian Cui, The Rise of The Plasticsmith |
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| Dominic Wilcox, Luxury Skimming Stone |
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| Nora Fok, Bubble Bath |
“Craft, the beautiful and
useful, standing in the face of all this useless beauty”
For me, the motivating word in this quote is useful, and this optimises where I am
currently located in my own practice research. The idea of usefulness being
seen as a valuable service; like I have said before, I find great pleasure in
an object that is useful, and that joyful feeling has to collate to luxury.
The Oxford dictionary defines luxury in 3 ways -
·
A state of great comfort or elegance,
especially when involving great expense
·
An inessential,
desirable item, which is expensive or
difficult to obtain
·
A pleasure
obtained only rarely
A luxury object should bring the owner feelings of
satisfaction, of indulgence, fulfilment and happiness. I want share the
gratification I get from everyday objects, by taking visual inspiration from them,
transforming them into jewellery; a vehicle much more conventionally associated
with luxuriousness.
Acknowledging trends and how trends are formed relies
heavily on innovation in the design industry. Brand new materials could be seen
as valuable and appealing to people in search of acquiring something
magnificent and impressive. In my own work I have started to use bright, neon
colours to draw attention and create a feeling of celebration. I had a
conversation with my tutor about how neon is becoming progressively popular in
all areas of design; coincidently Crafts magazine have themed the whole ‘Luxury
Issue’ simply in black and white with pops of neon orange, a specific type of
colour that has only been made possible by new, innovative technologies and
materials.
Talking about materials, Annie Warburton mentions in her
review of the exhibition how the use of inexpensive, common materials by
skilled, pioneering makers can boost a final objects appearance of luxury, in
the fact that it is a unexpected, unheard of and one of a kind expertise. Brass
is a perverse material, it has a very low melting point, yet it is stubborn as
hell, if you can make something in brass, you can make it in gold. Could a
materials physical qualities and willingness (in brass’s case unwillingness) to be manipulated effect
the luxury of the final outcome? If the maker has had to ‘have an argument’
with the material, to coax it into shape, can this time and persistence be
acknowledged, and add value to the finished piece?
In short, I think I have found an area that I am incredibly
intrigued and excited about to explore. I think this is a timely shift in my
practice, it is a subject I am finding flows much more easily for me in terms
of quality research, and I think it is an area that hasn’t really been discovered
in the same manor in the context of jewellery.
SO...
Now I am more focused and confident in the direction I am
heading in, I am going to research and source different materials to use to
that reflect my ideas of transforming mundane objects into joyous, luxurious
jewellery. I am going to create more material responses to my collection of
objects; I want to have so many that I can fill several tables with them,
however I do not want to describe these as samples anymore, they are 3D
drawings, and I want them to appear considered and purposeful - only having a
raw edge if I want a raw edge. The manor in which I create these 3D drawings
will reflect the refinement and quality I am trying to portray in my pieces. The
materials I use will become increasingly important, to allow me to echo
qualities from the everyday objects and depict the indication of innovation and
quality. I am going to discover new, materials and processes that I can
experiment with now (plasti-dip for colour, fine gauze and industrial metals) but
also that I could potentially look to use in the future (hydraulic press, gold
plating). And Finally, I am now going to research pioneering jewellers and craftspeople
to help me locate my practice in the professional world...roll on practice 3!
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