Q&A with Jewellery Designer/Maker Anna Davern

Anna Davern recently participated in a Group Artist Talk held at The JamFactory where she presented along with Roseanne Bartley (featured in last week's blog) and Melbourne based artist Penny Byrne. Both Anna and Roseanne have works on display in the touring exhibition, Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor, while Penny Byrne's Art of the Possible is also showing at The JamFactory. The three of them together made for a very interesting and enjoyable afternoon. Anna answered a few questions for us regarding her art and her practice.

Tell us about yourself, how did you become a jeweller?

I’ve been practicing as a jeweller for over 15 years now and so many different choices have led me along the path I have travelled. When I was at school, I was good at science and maths and so when I went to uni I thought this was the direction in which I should go. But after 3 years of study and no achievement of a degree I realised that that path wasn’t for me.

I did some short courses in life drawing and jewellery making while attempting to pursue a career in film and television and pretty soon worked out that my desire to make ‘things’ outweighed my desire to make films, although an element of story telling still informs my practice.

I did my undergraduate degree at Sydney College of the Arts in Jewellery and Object Design and then completed my postgraduate studies at RMIT in Melbourne.

Which jeweller, craftspeople, writers, artists, musicians, anyone do you find particularly inspiring and how have they influenced your approach to making?

My teachers and mentors over the years have been very inspiring to me: Margaret West, Rowena Gough, Carlier Makigawa, Robert Baines, Louise Weaver, Manuel Vilhena… They taught me to think about jewellery in different ways, they taught me to enjoy making and they taught me about how art and jewellery can communicate.

Are there any specific collections, museums that you have found inspiring and why?

I loved the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. They have this incredible collection and I was there in late winter so there was hardly anyone there and you can get really close to these artworks that you’ve been looking at in books for years. When I was there, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a contemporary jewellery exhibition and got to see some jewellery that I’ve been looking at in books for years.

Welcome us to your studio - where is it?

I’ve recently been involved in setting up a new project in Melbourne called Northcity4. We’ve rented a large warehouse in Brunswick and have spaces available for permanent tenants as well as an access workshop and spaces that artists can rent for short term projects. We are also setting up a school where we will run classes and workshops for beginners as well as masterclasses for established makers. We will also run a series of seminars and artist talks and provide resources for Melbourne’s jewellery community. It’s very exciting and it’s starting to get busy with the tenancies filling up. You can check out our fabulous new website here.

Anna Davern, Brooch For Madame Brussels, 2011

The work for the exhibition: Can you describe the specific themes reflected in this body of work?

This is my artist statement for the Madame Brussels brooch:

"Imagine life as a woman in late 19th Century Melbourne. Do you do as is expected of you and follow your husband to become a policeman’s wife in isolated rural Victoria? Or do you see an opportunity… take a risk… go it alone… perhaps call in a favour or two… and find your independence as a successful business owner in the only business that is available to you as a woman.

What would I have done? Was she brave? Or was she desperate? Was she Machiavellian? Or was she fair and honorable in her enterprise? It’s not possible to answer these questions but one thing is certain, her choice gave her a level of independence that was not afforded to her female contemporaries."

Describe your method of production in this current work?

The Madame Brussels brooch is constructed from collaged sublimate printed steel with a copper backing. Sublimation printing is a very simple technique of transferring dye to plastic using heat. In this work, electronic files of images were printed and then transferred to plastic coated sheet metal using a heat press. The images are then cut out and connected using traditional jewellery techniques.

Anna's Brooch for Madame Brussels can currently be seen at The JamFactory as part of the Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Exhibition.

You can visit her website at www.annadavern.com.au

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor runs at The JamFactory until 14 April.

An accompanying symposium featuring Leading Women of South Australia will be held Saturday 31 March at Nexus Multicultural  Arts Centre to be followed with drinks and nibbles in GalleryOne at The JamFactory. Entry to this event is free. Come along and celebrate 100 years of International Women's Day. Visit our website for details.

www.jamfactory.com.au

 

Q&A with Jeweller Rosanne Bartley

Roseanne Bartley will be exhibiting alongside 100Australian Jewellers who have created 100 brooches to represent 100 extraordinary Australian Women at Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor, which will show at the JamFactory GalleryOne from 24 February - 4 April.

Roseanne will also speak at the Group Artist Talk: Reconsidered, Saturday 25 February, 2:00 pm, GalleryOne, JamFactory.

We asked Roseanne a few questions about herself and her work:

Tell us about yourself, how did you become a jeweller?

I began with a short course taught by Danial Clasby in the 1980’s and began renting a space in his access studio, which was located in Auckland, New Zealand. This was during a period in New Zealand jewellery recently defined as the Bone Stone and Shell movement.

Which jeweller, craftspeople, writers, artists, musicians, anyone do you find particularly inspiring and how have they influenced your approach to making?

Hmmm too many to mention, I love looking at art and hearing people talk about what they do – so anyone who is passionate with an interesting outlook on life. I read broadly, philosophy and theory, of craft, art, anthropology, etc especially while I am camping – reading outdoors around a campfire is both favoured and savoured.

Are there any specific quotes, ideas, places that influence this current body of work?

The material I work with is mostly collected from around my neighbourhood, and I am interested in exploring the idea of what locates us in place and time. Although I made the work for this exhibition in my studio, I also create work outdoors and involve other people in my process.

Are there any specific collections, museums that you have found inspiring and why?

Even though I have been fortunate in travel and visited a few museums I wouldn’t say any have directly inspired me. Although I have a current fascination with the earliest form of jewellery discovered, a series of perforated cowrie shells, which would have been threaded on a string.

Welcome us to your studio - where is it?

My studio is a bessa brick shed in my back-yard, I tend to keep it a private space as it’s often an organized mess, so I probably wouldn’t invite you in, sorry. I am also working on projects outdoors, so am more likely to arrange to meet you on the street and invite you to participate in one of my projects. If you are interested in finding out more you might like to look up http://seedingthecloud.blogspot.com.au/

The work for the exhibition: Can you describe the specific themes reflected in this body of work?

I wanted to convey a sense of time and place, a representation of Australia ‘now’.

This work was created in response to the criteria Miles Franklin established for the literary award in her name “the highest literary merit and which must present Australian life in any of its phases”. I am not sure what Ms Miles would have made of Australian cultural life in its current phase, I view it as the best of times  and… …..

M is For, 2011. Found Plastic,925 silver and stainless steel. Part of  Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Exhibition.

Describe your method of production in this current work?

I have been exploring different methods to represent mass or amassing and for this work I bound together a number of takeaway plastic remnants and fused them together using my iron. Once bonded together they were set with a plastic lid that had been cut and heat formed.

Be sure and see:

Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor at the JamFactory, 24 February - 4 April

Group Artist Talk: Reconsidered with Artist Penny Byrne(The Art of the Possible), Anna Davern, and Roseanne Bartley (Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor).

Symposium: Leading Women, Saturday 31 March, 2:00 - 5:00pm at Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre, Cabaret. Join a diverse group of South Australian women who are leaders in their field. Speakers include artist Sue Lorraine, Leaders Institute of SA Niki Vincent, Kojo CEO Loewn Steel, Professor Emirata of Gender Studies Margaret Allen and fashion designer Liza Emanuele. 

Q&A With Tamara Hahn: Connections 19 January - 19 February

The work of South Australian ceramic artist and JamFactory alumnus Tamara Hahn celebrates fertility, motherhood, and family. Hahn’s nested vessels formed with deliberate imperfections create a mutually supportive family of objects.

Tamara’s latest exhibition, Connections, can be seen in The JamFactory Atrium Gallery from 19 January – 19 February.

Tamara was kind enough to do a brief Q&A with The JamFactory;

Tell us about yourself, how did you become a ceramic artist?

I first touched clay in year 8 and was instantly in love. Supported by some really good art teachers I went on to try out a few different mediums and finished year 12 with top marks in art.

But ceramics was always my passion. After school I studied for 4 years at North Adelaide School of Art (Ceramics), took 11 years off to have a family (5children), before completing a Bachelor of Visual Art (Ceramics) at UniSA in 2007. In 2008 I was accepted into the JamFactory and have gone on from there. 

Which ceramics artist, craftspeople, writers, artists, musicians, anyone do you find particularly inspiring and how have they influenced your approach to making?

I love a lot of different artists work, Picasso being one of my favourites, but the people who have mostly inspired me have been everyday people in my lives who have a passion for their work, be they art teachers, or lecturers (Kirsten Coelho) or anyone who shows enthusiasm and commitment. I love it when people are passionate about their work like I am.

 

Are there any specific collections, museums that you have found inspiring and why?

 Most recently I went to the Tutankhamen exhibition in Melbourne. What inspired me most was the amazing craftsmanship and skill of these people. Everything was made with amazing attention to detail and adorned beautifully. Today we make a lot of things so cheaply and designed just to be practical and last such a short time. These works were not only functional, but beautiful, amazingly so, and have also lasted so long. Very inspiring. 

Welcome us to your studio - where is it?

In August 2011 I moved to a purpose built studio at my home in Clovelly Park -'ChocolateBox Ceramics Studio'

When we purchased a home in 2010 I could finally follow a dream of setting up my own studio. It has been wonderful working in a shared studio environment and I have learnt a lot from other artists, but this was the right time to set myself up and have my own space.

The work for the exhibition: Can you describe the specific themes reflected in this body of work?

This exhibition follows similar themes that follow through a lot of my previous work. My family is always around me and has influenced this theme of connected; we need each other and yet are independent. We are alike and yet all unique. Having 5 boys I am always amazed how seemingly having used the same formula we have created 5 completely different children, and yet they are obviously brothers and connected. My process of making reminds me of this, using just two clays and two different glazes and just playing with altering 'form', the possibilities seem endless. No two pots are exactly alike, but are connected by materials and the same process of making.

Describe your method of production in this current work?

Like most of my work to date, these pieces have been created by hand on the potter’s wheel (wheel thrown) and then altered. Mostly I use porcelain clay, but have recently also been using some stoneware. They are fired in a gas kiln to around 1300 degrees in a reduction firing. 

Connections can be seen at The JamFactory 19 January - 19 February

Q & A With Laurel Kohut: Treasures opens 19 January - 19 February

Glass artist and JamFactory alumnus Laurel Kohut investigates how we form relationships with objects, in particular jewellery and its intimate and symbolic nature. Kohut re-creates aesthetic forms of jewellery in glass to explore their varied emotional significance.

Tell us about yourself, how did you become a glass artist?

I fell into glassblowing when I was 17. I had wanted to do something creative at university after completing high school and applied for a lot of different courses – mainly drawing and painting, but also the applied arts course at Monash University majoring in glass.

I ended up falling in love with glassblowing and for many years became quite driven to refine my technical skills of producing glass objects. I love blowing glass because it is a challenging physical experience, but the material itself is also very captivating for me. People respond to it in many different ways – often people can’t help touching glass; or they are afraid to touch it. It is at once beautiful and seductive but also fragile and dangerous.

I am not sure I can classify myself purely as an artist, or a glassblower, or a designer-maker. I feel like a combination of all three as I enjoy making a vase just as much as I enjoy making a sculptural object or installation. To me production objects (such as bowls and vases) are not only an important way to learn skills and make a living, but they are also important objects within themselves. These objects make their way into the world and into homes and may (or may not) end up forming intimate relationships with their owner as treasured belongings.

Which craftspeople, writers, artists, musicians, anyone do you find particularly inspiring and how have they influenced your approach to making?

During my research for this body of work I came across the book “The Hare with the Amber Eyes”, by English ceramicist Edmund De Waal. Written about sentimental objects (heirlooms) it describes the journey of the 264 netsuke* as they passed through 3 generations of his family. As it was written from the perspective of an object maker it struck a chord with my ideas and made me think about the importance of the objects we surround ourselves with everyday.

*Netsuke are Japanese figurines used to hold fast the toggle strings on a purse designed to attach to a kimono. They are miniature works of art, often hand carved out of different materials.

Are there any specific quotes, ideas, places that influence this current body of work?

'My job is to make things, and how objects get handled, used and handed on is not just a mildly interesting question for me, it is my question.’

Edmund De Waal.

For this body of work I have been thinking about the kinds of objects that people get attached too. These could be objects that have personal associations such as heirlooms, love tokens, and mementos. Or they might reassure, comfort, or provide an ego boost. I am intrigued by the way people invest various emotions within objects. I feel that jewellery items are very personal types of objects and ones that are given value not only for material worth but also for sentimental significance. I wanted to look at jewellery in a different way – scaling up the objects so that the viewer could at once recognise the form but also associate with it as a signifier. In this way I hope they will ponder on the nature of their own precious objects.

Are there any specific collections, museums that you have found inspiring and why?

I love the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. They have collections of the most amazing objects. Each object is treated as a work of art - from fashion, to glass, to keys and toys!

Welcome us to your studio - where is it?

Since completing my Masters Degree at Monash University late last year, I have been lucky enough to find a space in Nick Wirdnam’s studio. Located in an industrial area of Cheltenham (a bayside Melbourne suburb) I use it to grind and finish my pieces after they are made in the hot shop. Next door to us is Holly Grace’s studio and we often visit each other.

I blow glass at Maureen William’s hot shop in St Kilda, and also work as an assistant to Nick and Maureen there. It has been great having them as mentors.

The work for the exhibition: Can you describe the specific themes reflected in this body of work?

As I have mentioned above, the general concepts around the work are based on my interest of how people relate to and form attachment with objects. Specifically, the crowns in this exhibition reflect of our need for self-esteem and status among our peers. I believe objects play a major role in achieving a desired status in society.

The rings are more personal and sentimental objects. They signify our need for love and relationships and in this body of work become a symbol for those things we give to others as keepsakes, heirlooms or love tokens.

The earrings are also partly about love – but more about those dear to us that leave our lives. Mementos of friends or lovers departed become extremely precious to those that will miss them. Traditionally earrings are supposed to come in pairs, and to me this references the desire permeates popular culture, that people are also ‘designed’ to be in pairs and long to find a perfect partner who will ‘complete’ them. When an earring is lost one frantically searches for it before giving up in frustration or despair. There is a mourning period as one wonders what to do with the earring that is left. To me this mimics the despair of losing a loved one. Many people will hold on to objects that remind us of those we have lost.

Describe your method of production in this current work?

Most of the work is blown or sculpted in the hot glass studio. I make various shapes or components and then take them into the coldshop and spend many long days cutting, grinding, polishing and gluing. The pieces of glass I make in the hotshop undergo a vast transformation in the coldworking studio. In this way I can create shapes and forms that otherwise would be very difficult to attain.

Laurel Kohut's exhibition Treasures is showing in JamFactory's

CollectorSpace 19 January - 19 February

Interviews with JamFactory Associates for Generate'11 Exhibition

This video features interviews with a graduating Associate from each of the JamFactory's four disciplines. The video was presented in conjunction with Generate '11, which is showing in GalleryOne until 12 February 2012. Stop in and see some of the Associates wonderful work in person.

Tom Moore And Team Create Works Based On Family Day Art Contest

This video has been making the rounds on our facebook and youtube page.
Last year at the JamFactory Family Day we asked kids to submit drawings, and two were selected to be made into glass works. On completion, the works were displayed at the JamFactory for a month then were given to the young designers to keep. We've put it on the blog for those of you who have not yet seen the video. It's a fun video and we encourage you to watch it through to the end where you can see the finished products. The Glass Studio truly did a magnificent job on this project.
Hope you enjoy it.

JamFactory Christmas Table: Some Great Gift Ideas

We thought we'd share a few photos of our Christmas Table in the Morphett St. Shop.  If you're searching for special gift ideas this is a great place to start. 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best in the NewYear

from The JamFactory.