My jewellery work is fuelled by taking memories from text such as letters and postcards and placing them into a public domain. With this process the meaning of the memory changes and can become more important.
In particular I enjoy the application of text and imagery onto metal through etching, I feel there is something quite charming about handwriting in particular as it varies from person to person and can tell you things about character. “Signature rings” consist of a group of differently sized ring containing loving messages used by people to sign their postcards. As a piece it shows a variety of different characteristics and is intended to form an imaginary relationship with those strangers. Wearing the piece “remembers” the person in a way impossible if the text had remained stored away on the postcard.
My pieces explore relationships between person and object and what a piece means to somebody. I believe that the story and life behind an object and the experience it offers is of great importance and I aim for my pieces to spark debate when worn. My “Button brooch” pieces display sections of text from postcards encouraging the viewer invent the rest of the story for themselves. On a piece of clothing they challenge how freely we should or could share our memories and in particular the memories of others.
Value is a key concept in my work which I try to address, questioning our perceptions of what is precious and what we should hold on to. How precious are memories and which ones should we forget? My “Perforation” pieces explore the familiar decal edge and stamp perforations. They play with what our sense of recognition and familiarity can provoke.
Ultimately I aim for a person to feel a connection to somebody through my work, even if they have never met them before and through imagined narratives to take time to wonder who the person was.