Shepard Fairey talks about the influence graffiti, skateboarding and punk rock had on his life and the ways it shaped his art career.
THE RISE from OBEY CLOTHING on Vimeo.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Blog Lovin: Follow F7
F7 is now on bloglovin, which is a fantastic way for you to keep on top of all the blogs you read. It works just like google reader, collating all your RSS feeds into one easy to use website, check it out!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Bunney: The Exquisite Shoehorn
A Bunney creation may look simple at first glance, but a closer examination will reveal details and ideas that are contemplative and intriguing, often in a playful and tender manner.
The London-based jewellery brand started in 2009 and has become known for its line of beguilingly beautiful products. Objects that look like what one may be used to are recast in a new light with precious materials, becoming starkly new yet, at the same time, with the warmth of the familiar.
The Exquisite Shoe Horn is carved from real, naturally shed, Scottish Ox horn, by a company founded in 1749. To provide ample thumb traction, mirror finished, solid 925 sterling silver coins bearing the Bunney and Mr. Hare marks have been inlaid at the handle by another company known to supply the royal households.
The finishing touch comes in the form of a cast, 925 Sterling Silver cap, hallmarked at the Birmingham Assay Office, which forms the setting for a choice of Black Spinel or Garnet Gemstones. The stones are set by gently burnishing over the edges of the silver cap.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Best of August: Kerry Howley, Islay Spalding, Rachel Jones and Nanna van Blaaderen
This month has been a strange one, for some reason I really felt like it has been quite a “dry” month, but after going through the posts from the last few days it seems that there where quite a few really interesting posts.
So here are a few of my favourite, click below to view the whole post:
Kerry Howley: Aversion/Attraction “Hair Jewellery”
![[Kerry%2520Howley%25201%2520%25283%2529%255B4%255D.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lf0orSn60pL5M69Ejq6jU8AmT6D6bzOiOgzGZRO1pgPUV649cjHDSDTQKmCtubCFIwrTwl9UW_IHO4QWD1DA00j5mycoGeEgLsNiajFLRFqSIiZTNp7qfnriKVanlfHWrX5hL66Z3b2J/s1600/Kerry%252520Howley%2525201%252520%2525283%252529%25255B4%25255D.jpg)
Islay Spalding: Jewellery, BioCubes
Rachel Jones: Lost Jewellery
Nanna van Blaaderen: More or Less
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Rachel Jones: Lost Jewellery
Recently graduated from Middlesex University, Rachel Jones takes a personal approach to jewellery. Interacting with friends, family and often strangers allows Rachel to create sensitive and personal work. Her graduate collection focuses on stories of lost jewellery. Using collected tales of losing jewellery Rachel creates new pieces often involving familiar existing items of jewellery, creating a juxtaposed of the lost, unwanted, functional and the new.
“I lost something a few weeks ago in the middle of dinner with sixteen people. I stopped everyone eating and we all got on the floor to search for it. I was devastated and felt a heart wrenching loss, which linked it to the loss of my Grandma. Luckily I found the piece and the relief was overwhelming and it increased the importance of the piece. I had realized what I almost lost.”
Stories such as this triggered Rachel to create a response in the form of new piece of jewellery. Drawing upon the emotional trauma of losing something personal to us that is irreplaceable, causes Rachel seek and create new pieces of jewellery in order to prevent future loss.
She continues “From collecting stories I have found the majority of women have, at some point in their life lost at least one piece of jewellery. The emotions described such as panic, distress and even dread by the storytellers has inspired my graduate collection. Not only is the collection a group of familiar looking fine jewellery but it is also a group of functional objects.”
3rd Time Lucky inspired by Jess Wilding’s story
“My family have the typical tradition of passing down a ring through the generations when you turn 21. This ring is hugely sentimental and I don’t dare wear it encase I loose it as I am prone to losing rings! Maybe one day I will be able to wear it without the risk of losing it.”
Spare Pearl Necklace inspired by Marisa McLuckie’s story
“I inherited a beautiful pearl ring and teardrop pearl earring set when my Grandma passed. One day I noticed a pearl had fallen out of the gold earring setting. I couldn't afford to replace the pearl and it wouldn't have be same not having been hers. Then just last week the pearl fell out of the ring never to be seen again, so I now just have the original setting.”
Replacement Lost Earrings inspired by Emily Hewitt’s story
“Earrings, I loose them all the time, mostly from dropping them and no matter how plain the floor, trying to find one is stupidly impossible! I have so many mismatched ones, they just sit in my jewellery box. I don’t really wear them but I can’t throw them away either.”
Spare Scroll Brooch inspired by Rachel Jones’ story
I always wear a pair of earrings no matter what and often I catch them while brushing my hair or putting jumpers on. The little earring scrolls always ping off never to be found again and trying to find a replacement to hand is impossible!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Metric Collective: going, going… not quite gone..
Some of you might remember that I wrote about a “pop-up” shop in London earlier this year, well its about to come to an end, so if you can make sure you go and see them before its gone forever!!
They are having there closing party on the 28th of August.
You can find them at,
94, Columbia Road, London
You can find the original article here
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Lin Cheung: Spill & Topple
Beautiful objects, the simple use of silver’s high reflective index and glass, but don't be fooled, the work that will have gone into these pieces must have been huge.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wendy McAllister: Art Jewellery
Recognized for her experimental use of vitreous enamel, Wendy McAllister's award-winning art jewellery has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
Wendy McAllister says of her work, "My jewellery refers to the botanical world with its riotous clash of cobalt, chartreuse, and crimson. I am drawn to the lush blossoms, evolved to entice insects into their elegant geometry ensuring mutual survival. All that sumptuous, unabashed beauty is purposeful, and it sweeps me away as a voyeur to the spectacle. The seductive, temporal nature of flowers with their quirky Technicolor architecture clamours for my attention as an artist."
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Islay Spalding: Jewellery, BioCubes
Islay Spalding's bio cubes collection are just really interesting, fantastically made and sexy objects, i want one.
She comments “These designs are the result of experiments with the resin techniques I use to make my Biomorphs using straight lines and angles. The rings especially have a great sculptural quality to them that allow them to look as good sitting on your dressing table as they do on the finger. I designed the tapered shape to be comfortable to wear whilst still being a chunky statement piece and I especially enjoy the contrast of the black resin with the silver, although I can't help throwing a splash of colour in here and there!”
This last ring is actually a commission, but its lovely too!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Kerry Howley: Aversion/Attraction “Hair Jewellery”
The first person to submit through the new tab at the top, and what an amazing submission!
I’m quite disappointed actually because Kerry was exhibiting at New Designers this year and I missed her. I would have loved to have seen this work up close, as the detail and work that has gone into each piece is just fantastic, and so so evident. Although I love “art” or “concept” jewellery, it seems that some is just a little too arty and often over compensates, almost as if the artists are ashamed of there work as jewellery. However, Kerry’s concept is just so perfectly matched to her work, and her description so explicit that it creates fantastic jewellery.
Her work is currently being show at The National Centre for Craft and Design.
Kerry writes “The collection is entitled Attraction/Aversion and comprises of 5 hair necklaces. The concept is that materials can provoke emotions in us, and sometimes they can evoke emotions that seem totally at odds. Through the use of hair as a material, I wanted to see if I could provoke both feelings of attraction and aversion simultaneously. Hair was an appropriate material to use as it is so familiar. We take pride in it and care for it yet when it falls out it becomes something disgusting to us. In the plughole, hair is clean and only recently detached from your head but there is something innately repulsive about a tangle of hair. I used pattern as a way to combat those feelings of aversion as pattern is something we are instinctively attracted to, it serves no function other than to please us. The pieces are necklaces because they are a familiar form of adornment that is hugely popular and covetable. Hair is also historically familiar in jewellery as a form of memento mori, or mourning jewellery. However I did not seek to renew that link in my work, the necklaces are purely a material exploration of my ideas of emotional conflict.”
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Aïssa Logerot: Spoonplus
Pointless but charming design is something I love. This solution is pointless, we already have spoons and chopsticks, so why combine the two? Especially when there are so many dishes that are usually eaten with chopsticks that require a spoon in the other hand!
The charm of this design is in the packaging, supplying it as one thing, i.e a set of chopsticks with the spoon attachment and it becomes something more. It becomes a functional item in its own right. Its still silly though..
Friday, August 5, 2011
Clare Hynes: Jewellery
Generally I HATE beads, and as a trained jeweller I reserve the right to scoff at “craft” jewellery, rather than the proper “crafted”, I made this while loosing blood, and the price is justified by my blisters, type of jewellery. I don't want it to seem that I'm rubbishing “craft”, even though I am.
However, I recently came across Claire Hynes, (twitter actually, go follow!) as I glided across her site, I was prepared to instantly move off, but as I scrolled down I caught myself saying “that's nice” “interesting” and finally, “ohhhh!”..
Now, this shouldn’t happen when I'm looking at this type of jewellery, I'm a frightful snob when it comes to this kind of thing, but her work is great! I really recommend you go have a look at some of her work, as it really captures the trends that are doing the rounds at the moment, plus some of her work is strikingly unique and stands alone in its style.
http://www.clarehynesjewellery.com/
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