An Interview with Jewellery Designer Jessamy Pollock

Jessamy Pollock is a Contemporary Jewellery Designer whose work has been attracting a lot of attention lately. She completed the two year Associate program at JamFactory and now works from her studio on level one at JamFactory as a tenant.  We asked Jessamy about her practice:

 

Jessamy at work in her JamFactory studio

You’ve gone through the JamFactory Associate program and now work here as a tenant. Can you tell us about the transition from University to Associate to tenant?

I studied at CSU in Wagga Wagga where, aside from at the Uni, there is no contemporary jewellery scene. I didn’t have the finances to start up my own studio when I finished my degree and I lacked the confidence to start out on my own. I had spent a year working for a trade jeweller which helped me to realise that I wanted to work for myself as a contemporary jeweller.

The JamFactory was the perfect solution, the associate program helped me transition from graduate to sole practitioner and small business owner. The associate program demonstrated to me numerous ways in which it was possible to draw an income from a creative practice. I learnt about product design and manufacture. I worked on private commissions and large scale objects including corporate gifts, garden sculptures and public artworks. I learnt how to cost a job, small or large and how to present a design and quote to a customer or panel.

As an associate I discovered a passion for teaching. I gained experience in designing and delivering basic skills classes and design workshops to children, teens and adults. 

These are all projects that were out of my comfort zone and I never would have attempted them without the support of the Jam. Now I am implementing many similar projects within my own practice whist continuing to make exhibition pieces.

 

Honeycomb

balance bangles

A lot of jewelers only require a small workspace and work from home. What are the attractions for you of being at JamFactory?

At the Jam Factory I have access to big machinery that I could never afford myself or house such as a metal lathe, milling machine, hydraulic press, magna bender and a large anodising set up. I also have access to mentoring from the established jewelers in the building and have a lot of peer support. The JamFactory also attracts tourists and visitors and generates a lot of publicity. Also, my studio also has a massive window which I can display my work in which generates a lot of interest!

You’ve been the recipient of some grants and awards lately! …

Yes! I was awarded a $10,000 ArtStart grant for costs associated with setting up and marketing my practice. This month I won the Gold and Silversmiths Guild of Australia Award at the Contemporary Australian Silver and Metalwork awards and I’ve also had two series of works selected to be exhibited in Contemporary Wearable’s which is a biennial jewellery award held at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. It’s been a really exciting few months!

Contemporary Wearables | Shelter brooches

What is the inspiration behind the honeycomb shaped work?

I have always been inspired by architecture and geometry and I like to employ pattern in my work as a way of controlling proportion. I like this new work because whilst it’s still quite geometric, it has an organic quality to it which I’ve never seen in my work before!

 

Contemporary silver and metalwork award Fold brooch

New brooches in the studio

The pieces are all meant to be worn as jewellery; is there some larger scale work in the pipeline for you?

Yes, as part of the Prospect-Us project I will be doing a public artwork in the City of Prospect later this year. The concept is jewellery for the park and will consist of honeycomb forms a little bigger than my wearable pieces. The sculptures will be subtle, but intriguing, adorning selected trees and park benches in St Helens Park. Drawing the attention of the playful and creative visitors to the park, the aim is to encourage play, inspire creative thinking and celebrate the beginning of spring as well as the honeybees’ important role in pollinating and promoting growth in our parks and gardens.

 

Fold pendants 

Can you tell me about the CBD Bees project with Natalie Gock and Marcel Hoogstad-Hays?

CBD Bees are a group of bee keepers who want to encourage business owners around the city of Adelaide to put bee hives on top of their buildings. The incentive for business owners is free honey collected from their hives by the volunteer bee keepers! To promote this idea, CBD Bees did a call out for 7 artist to donate their time and skills and decorate a working bee hive for this year’s SALA festival.  The beehives will be displayed at the SANTOS Conservation Centre at the Adelaide Zoo for the duration of SALA and will then be displayed in permanent homes around the city and on the rooftop garden at the Zoo where they will house a colony of bees!

Can you tell us about the Heartland Exhibition at the Art Gallery SA?

That was an exciting project! I was introduced to installation artist Amy Joy Watson a few months ago. We shared the same business mentor who saw potential for collaboration. I was contacted a few months later with a proposal.  Amy was making work for Heartland and was asked by the curator if she knew a jeweller who she could collaborate with to make a range of jewellery which reflected her work and could be displayed and sold in the gallery shop for the duration of the exhibition. Amy thought of me because of our similar aesthetics and use of geometric patterns.

 

Work from the Heartland exhibition

Work from the Heartland exhibition

We worked on the entire project together. Amy came to my studio at the Jam where we spent half the day folding and gluing cardboard until we had a set of five forms that we both agreed on. I then taught Amy how to use a jeweller’s saw and drill press, handed her a file and we made the brooches together over a week. Amy even came in and watched the anodizing process.  The project was really fun and we are both really proud of what we designed!

 

Work from the Heartland exhibition

What's next for you?

Well, I have a product range which is about to be launched at Pieces of Eight Gallery in Melbourne. I’m also working on some commissions such as a corporate gift and some silver serviette holders. I really want to do more large scale things, so I’ve been writing applications for public art projects and I’m starting to look at sculpture competitions and commissions. I’m also working towards a solo show which I would like to show next year and hopefully tour. The exhibition explores scale, the phenomenon of the miniature and will consist of large and medium sculptures and small jewellery.

While all of that is happening, I am also trying really hard to come up with a project which will land me overseas…. I have a lot to do!

And for something completely off topic, what are you listening to in the studio?

Haha! Actually I have been listening to a play list of Jefferson Airplane, Portishead, Flume and a bit of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds... it’s a pretty random mix!

What can’t you do without?

My calipers, my drill press and my hands, also I really love my weighted Swiss hammer, It’s the coolest thing I own!

Jessamy's work can be seen and purchased at JamFactory's Rundle Mall location in Adelaide.

Like Jessamy on Facebook:

Jessamy Pollock

Visit Jessamy's website: 

jessamypollock.com

ReCollections: 1973 - 2013 | GalleryTwo 19 April - 8 June at JamFactory

ReCollections features 40 utilitarian, domestic and wearable objects, or groups of objects, acquired by their owners from JamFactory over the past 40 years and lent to us for the occasion of JamFactory’s 40th anniversary.

It celebrates JamFactory’s history of producing and selling beautiful, well-designed and durable things for use in everyday life. 

The exhibition looks back over the past 40 years through the owners’ memories and stories surrounding the hand-made objects they acquired from JamFactory since its inception in 1973. Some of the objects selected for ReCollections may be humble but they have become special to their owners as they accumulated a patina of use and an intangible aura of memories.

Thank you to the people who have lent work for the exhibition and shared their stories with us.

Tom Moore, Blown glass cat, 2003. Lent by Kate Cullity

This piece was a 50th birthday present from Janice Lally to Kate’s partner, landscape architect Kevin Taylor, who was killed in a car crash in 2011. She writes: ‘It sits in our dining area with pictures of Kevin.
It always reminds me of Kevin’s great 50th , the first real birthday party he ever had!’

Gerry Wedd, porcelain teacup and saucer, 1993. Lent by Kay Lawrence

 Kay Lawrence comments: ‘…the cup is painted with a man, hand over his heart.
It has never been used because I don’t drink tea, but I loved it for its sentiment.’

Stephen Bowers teapot and tea caddy, 1990/91. Lent by Peter Gilchrist

 These pieces reveal the transition in Bowers’ ceramic painting towards an ever more complex bricolage of imagery borrowed from diverse sources, with cockatoos as the recurring, iconic centrepiece. The teapot and caddy have become more ceremonial than utilitarian, and are used by Peter Gilchrist primarily for display. They were bought from JamFactory during Bowers’ term as head of the Ceramics Studio (1990-99).

Marcus Champ, dragon fly brooch, c.mid 1980s. Lent by Winnie Pelz

 Champ made a very popular series of dragon-fly brooches from recycled rulers. This brooch is an early example of a growing trend since the 1980s to move away from precious metals, and to make creative adaptation of recycled media.

Carlier Makigawa brooch, c.1983. Lent by Winnie Pelz

 Winnie bought this from the artist’s exhibition at the Jam Factory in the early 1980s and has worn it continuously ever since.

Shakey Textiles, knitted outfit with zip-out sleeves. Lent by Jennifer Layther

 Jennifer Layther was head of the Knitted Textiles Workshop from 1982-90. The studio team produced a line of garments, Lincz Knitwear, and in addition Jennifer designed and made outfits like this one for her own label, Shakey Textiles. She recalls that she wore her outfits everywhere, often teaming them with spotted leather shoes or with black and white cowboy boots.
She remembers working around the clock, taking her work with her to friends’ places and even to hip 1980s nightclub, Limbo, where she used to sit on the floor ‘darning the ends’.

Pair of Stanislav Melis glasses with canework stems, 1980. Lent by Dick Richards

 These glasses were presented to Dick Richards when he retired from the Jam Factory board after overseeing the organisation’s creation and its frequently turbulent early years.

Ian White camera case, c.1980. Lent by Grant Hancock

 Hancock commissioned Ian White to make a bespoke bag for his valuable Hasselblad camera. It has sections custom-designed to hold specialised photographic parts.
He used the bag for many years during his commercial photography assignments on location.

Jf house brand stoneware coffee cup with Tasmanian myrtle saucer, 1981. Lent by Jeff Mincham

This is a sample of a ceramics studio line that sold ‘like hot cakes’ according to Mincham.

Mixquisite

Christian Hall Creative Director of JamFactory’s Metal Design Studio talks with Alice Potter about her latest collaborative project.

Alice Potter knows a little something about creative collaboration! In her part-time role as Production Manager at JamFactory’s Metal Design Studio Alice works with a talented team of JamFactory Associates on the design and manufacture of bespoke commissions and studio products. While the manufacture of studio product often relies on repetition skills training, it is the one-off commission works the studio takes on for adventurous clients that really allow for creative collaboration. As an equal contributor and coordinator in these projects Alice is no stranger to the challenges and joys of mixing it up with other creative minds. But does the collaborative experience make its way into her practice as a contemporary jeweller? If Alice’s latest project is any indication, the answer is yes!

Bumpy Hotcake

Mixquisite is an exhibition of South Australian Jewellery that opened at Gallery 2017 in Sydney on Saturday 16^th February. While being a group exhibition that draws together jewellers from three influential Adelaide venues; Gray Street Workshop; JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design and Gate 8, Mixquisite offers something other than a survey of works for the six contributing artists. Rather than working to showcase the individual practice of each artist Mixquisite is a thoroughly collaborative project that obfuscates the individual for the sake of the group. Through a contrived process of “blind” collaboration each of the 36 pieces on show has been authored by all of the artists involved.

Twisting Sea

Initiated by participating artists Alice Potter and Lisa Furno, Mixquisite has involved the contribution of Hannah Carlyle, Kelly Jonasson, Lauren Simeoni and Leonie Westbrook. The title refers to a collaborative process the early surrealists called ‘le Cadavre exquis’ or Exquisite Corpse, in which one artist would start a drawing and the next would continue with the composition and so on until the work was complete.

Of the Mixquisite project Alice and Lisa state;   “All six contemporary jewellers have distinct design styles and use a widely diverse palette of materials. With an enthusiasm to experiment and specialised making skills, each of the artists has produced exciting contributions to each of the pieces. The outcome of this one-off collection of collaborative jewellery works is an exciting and unknown prospect.”

Trout Texting

Mixquisite is just one of a number of exhibition projects of late that have challenged artists and designers to move out of their comfort zone and respond with agility and flexibility to a process that is outside of any one individual’s control. What is it that compels the contemporary jeweller in particular to depart from individual practice and participate in collective projects? Are there aspects to the medium that make it more conducive to participation? Such as the prevalence of collective studio environments, the easily managed scale and portability of the work produced and the inherently social nature of work made to be worn.  What is it that really lies at the heart of the collaborative impulse? Why not ask Alice? Mixquisite ran in Sydney through to March 2^nd 2013, and will show in South Australia...SOON!   

Alice Potter, Lisa Furno, Kelly Jonasson

Bold and The Runway

Have you been surprised by the exhibition outcome?

This concept was always going to have an unanticipated result so in one way I wasn’t surprised by the diversity of work that was produced, but I also in turn was pleasantly amazed with the breadth of experimentation undertaken by each jeweller. Each of the works is uniquely different to any other, and I enjoy watching the guessing game the viewer partakes in trying to speculate which artist did what element to the piece, as often our materiality was influenced and inspired by the other makers in the project.

Indigo Flip Flip

How did you arrive at the titles for each work?

The way that the names of the pieces came about was through a very similar process to the making. Each of the participants wrote down six nouns and six adjectives or verbs. We put them in a hat and drew out one verb/adjective and one noun for each piece to form its title. There wasn't really any other way we could decide on what the works should be called, and it only seemed appropriate that these decisions should also be made through an arbitrary process.

Dog Paddling Custard

What was the most challenging part of the project?

For me as an instigator and ‘co-team leader’ of the project, I found the logistics around the constant process photography, delivering the work between studios and making sure everyone had their rounds finished on time the most challenging part! Although having said that, it was exciting to see everyone’s enthusiasm at the start of each round and each piece’s development in between. Also challenging was having to contribute to a work that you were unfamiliar with, whether it be its existing materials or a forced experimentation with unusual types of construction.

Juz'n Racecar

Will this project be a continuing project or do you see it as a one-off?

Lisa and I hope to continue this project, with plans to tour the exhibition in South Australia, Victoria and maybe even in New Zealand. This concept is quite unique so it would be ideal to exhibit the work for as long as possible.  

Flower Chiming

What challenges will a touring exhibition pose for the collaborative partners?

Because each of the works is quite idiosyncratic to anything else in the show, as well as being able to be purchased at all the exhibition venues, we will have to replace the sold works for new pieces. Obviously no new piece will ever replace the aesthetics of the existing items, so each time the project exhibits it will be a unique collection of pieces. I believe we’re all looking forward to the opportunity to create more collaborative works, so the more you buy the more we will make!

What is it that attracts you to collaboration?

I enjoy working with others, and I enjoy the sense of shared satisfaction when a project is complete. There is a risk involved with trusting someone else/others with something that you have had a part constructing, and there is also a sense of fragmented ownership with working through this method. I suppose ultimately Lisa and I really enjoy the aesthetic and methodology of many jewellers in our community, and inviting the other four talented ladies into the project was a great way to work with them and share all of our different visual influences with each other. And at the end of the day, it’s always nice to have someone to cheers with.

Peter Walker Surfboards - WOOD: art design architecture

WOOD: art design architecture explores innovative and outstanding uses of wood in contemporary Australian art, design and architecture. It is the result of a collaboration between two iconic South Australian organisations, JamFactory and the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide. Before embarking on a two-year national tour, this groundbreaking exhibition will premiere in Adelaide across two venues: JamFactory and the Santos Museum of Economic Botany.

We will be sharing a series of videos produced by JamFactory for interactive Ipads that are a part of the exhibition. 
The content we show here will be a taste of what's on the ipads. If you have the chance, come and see this wonderful exhibition and explore the ipad content in person!

We visited Peter Walker in his Thebarton workshop, where he discussed the process and techniques used to create his beautiful wooden surfboards. We hope you enjoy it.

Exhibition Design for WOOD: art, architecture, design

WOOD: art design architecture explores innovative and outstanding uses of wood in contemporary Australian art, design and architecture. It is the result of a collaboration between two iconic South Australian organisations, JamFactory and the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide. Before embarking on a two-year national tour, this groundbreaking exhibition will premiere in Adelaide across two venues: JamFactory and the Santos Museum of Economic Botany.

We will be sharing a series of videos produced by JamFactory for interactive Ipads that are a part of the exhibition. 
The content we show here will be a taste of what's on the ipads. If you have the chance, come and see this wonderful exhibition and explore the ipad content in person!

Q&A With Furniture Designer/Maker Lex Stobie

Lex has an exhibition currently showing in GalleryTwo at JamFactory, and was kind enough to answer a few questions and invite us to his Thebarton Studio. 

Tell us about your background, and what brought you to furniture design?

Before I left New Zealand I had been studying Mechanical Engineering with aspirations of transferring into Aeronautical Engineering. I was travelling around Northern Europe in my early twenties enjoying the aesthetics of a new way of living. My travels took me to The Netherlands and Scandinavia where I fell into the realm of Furniture Design.

Have you always been a maker/builder of things?

So long as I can remember. I was forever building things with my Lego or Cuisenaire Rods. I spent plenty of time in the shed at home trying new things while no one was looking.

Can you tell us about your studio?  Where is it? Do you work alone or with a team?

My studio is situated in George Street Studios, Thebarton. We are a group of six independent makers encompassing all things metal and wood. We make furniture, sculpture, surfboards, components and anything you can imagine. We work in a shared space with the intellectual property and technical skills that aid one another with our individual endeavors. It’s one of a kind and has been in existence for 13 years now.

Flera Ansikten at JamFactory GalleryTwo

 Tell us about Flera Ansikten.

Flera Ansikten is a collection of production, commission and one off pieces that I have been making over the last few years. It represents the diversity of style and work as well as the level of detail involved with these pieces.

Where does the name come from?

Flera Ansikten is Swedish for Multiple Faces. My wife is Swedish and our daily life is a mix of Swedish and Australian activities. I enjoy the diversity of lifestyle and the influences this translates into my work. The references to everyday luxuries are reflected in the pieces that I make.

The sign says it all- Outside Lex's Thebarton studio

Is there a magazine or website you regularly access for inspiration and ideas? (Feel free to list a few)

You know what, I’d love to say that there is one particular website or magazine that I draw upon for ideas and inspiration, but the truth is that if I did that I don’t think I’d get much done. They can be a bit of a distraction at times. I am a bit partial to Collect Magazine as I have been quite involved with the creators of tis fine publication. 

Do you do a lot of commission work? And what would a typical commission be?

Bucket loads! It could be anything from a dining table to a café fit out, an installation to a church. I do all types of work bar white boxes.

What is a typical day like for Lex Stobie?

How much time have you got? It’s pretty full on. I start early in the morning with a couple of coffees to get the brain firing then off to George Street. I might have to cut up some material, glue something to something else, cut another piece. I’ll answer some emails, write a few more, and shoot off on my bike to a meeting somewhere. Then back to the studio to do it all over again where I might have to order something from interstate or overseas to get ready for the days to come. After that I race home to put in time with my family before ‘bedtime’ and then tidy up the onslaught of children and their antics before collapsing into bed. I do this again and again. I love what I do and the people I meet. This year has been extreme as I’ve been working three days a week at the JamFactory in the furniture studio mentoring the Associates and running the program while continuing to run my own practice.

 Tell us about your role at JamFactory.

I’m a gun for hire! During 2012 I have been the program Manager in the Furniture Studio. I mentor the Associates as they traverse their futures as designers and makers. I assist in the running of the program and enterprise with all other departments and avenues that is the JamFactory. I have thoroughly enjoyed my role at the Jam and I hope to remain connected to the Jam as well as the high caliber of practitioners that graduate from the Associate Program.

You can follow Lex and his work online via his website and facebook:

facebook

lexstobiedesign.com

Serena Wong on her Internship Placement at JamFactory

I've just finished a 20 day placement at JamFactory that started mid august.

I’m at Adelaide Uni doing double masters in Art History and Curatorial and Museum Studies. As part of my Masters Curatorial and museum studies we are asked to complete a 20-day placement.

My supervisor told me JamFactory had a placement position and I got really excited. Having  recently rewritten my cv for another internship application for MOMA in New York I was able to reflect on my experiences here at JamFactory I realized how much I’ve been able to accomplish whilst here.

This included writing for the annual publication Marmalade which will be launched in February 2013. The bios I wrote for the feature article Generate will be part of the exhibition display – (Generate is The Annual exhibition of final year Associates) and I think that’s really exciting. 

I was able to work closely with the artists, which is so valuable in terms of experience. I participated in the meetings with second year Associates and JamFactory’s curator Margaret Hancock Davis in which we selected works for the photo shoot and discussed what would be part of the exhibition.  This gave me a good idea on how you would approach working with artists on work selection and how to guide artists through to the exhibition end display.  It was really exciting to be able to sit in on these meetings,  getting to know artists and providing me confidence for when I needed to discuss with them information for the generate feature article .

Another highlight was going to the photo shoot. That was a lot of fun. Sophie Guiney, Marketing Manager, and I worked on this together. We unpacked all the work, checked all the artist’s instructions regarding how they wanted it laid out. We had a good dialogue with Tom Roschi utilising his photographic skills, while we had some creative input about what angles and height to shoot at. It was a really nice compliment of skills and it gave me a good idea about the kind of input you have as a creative, but without necessarily the technical skills.

A typical day here has included everything from covering for people when they duck out, staffing the phones, signing for parcels. I’m a little bit sad to leave, but I’ve had a really great time, and the best thing about Jam is that I feel like part of the Jam Family and everyone has treated me like part of the family, which is really great.

Next for me is hopefully an internship at MOMA in New York.

We wish Serena all the best in her next endeavor!