Thank you so much for visiting me
This page is an accompaniment to my exhibition to offer a little more information about me and the work on show just in case we didn't get to have a chat in person.
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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
I am an experimental and sustainability-driven artist and jewellery designer-maker exploring themes of transition, manipulation, ephemerality and 'imperfection' using found objects, waste material and organic matter fused with precious and semi-precious elements. I have a fascination with texture, degradation and decay and in the traces and residues left behind often using my body as tool and material to explore the transference, intervention and preservation of the self. Circular economy principles are an integral part of my process. With a focus and commitment to responsible and sustainable making, all materials and waste are reused, reworked and recycled within and across my art and jewellery practices. This includes actively pursuing cross-industry collaborations to reuse 'waste' materials produced - for example damaged gemstones from the jewellery industry, built up resin-paint residue from boat yards and material off-cuts from theatre and local manufacturers. All of my precious metal jewellery is Hallmarked at the London Assay Office and I am a registered Fairmined brand and member of ARM (Alliance for Responsible Mining). I am a member of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery, The Society of British Jewellers, The Guild of Jewellery Designers, Heritage Crafts and Precious Collective. I am also included in the Crafts Council Directory and was amongst the first 50 jewellers to have taken the Fair Luxury Pledge in 2021 My work has found it's way on stage, in print and on screen. Siobhán McSweeney and Kathy Kiera Clarke have both chosen to wear my jewellery for appearances. Most notably on the 2022 series of The Great Pottery Throw Down, and for the BAFTA TV Awards 2023. Siobhán McSweeney also wore pieces for her feature in the May 2024 issue of Irish Country Magazine. Read more on my ABOUT page |
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A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY EXHIBITED WORK
SKINS Collection
My signature collection made from 100% recycled Sterling silver features extraordinary layers, folds and textures created by the interaction and intervention of my skin against the material. I use my body as the primary tool to directly form each piece leaving the imprint of my skin as it is created. Made by the body for the body. Inspired by a fascination with texture, degradation and decay and in the traces and residues we leave behind this collection explores human connection, identity, sensation, abjection, loss and the transference, intervention and preservation of the self. I am delighted to be able to offer 18ct recycled gold Vermeil options to this collection. Vermeil is a solid silver piece plated with a thicker layer of gold than normal gold plating giving the same luxurious look and feel of solid gold but is much more affordable. If there's a silver piece from the collection you would like transformed into gold Vermeil, or even solid gold, please drop me a line via my COMMISSIONS page. |
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OTHER COLLECTIONS
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SKINS: BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS
This extension to my SKINS Collection is an important body of work in development that I'm extremely passionate about and I was thrilled to debut the very first pieces at CRAFTWORKS 2024. This work is dedicated to raising awareness of how precious materials come into being and the effect this has on people and the environment whilst supporting initiatives that actively make a positive economic, social and environmental impact in mining communities. I’ve been on a rescue mission for several years. All of these precious stones are waste - damaged or simply discarded - from repairs, replacements, accidental breakages, or with undesirable clouding, scratches or inclusions and therefore deemed unusable by the jewellers and stone setters I approached and bought them from. One person’s waste is my treasure. I am passionate about the beauty of imperfection and in the potential and worth of waste materials. It makes me sick to my stomach that these beautiful stones from nature worked for using literal blood, sweat and tears by individuals and communities over who knows how many years would otherwise just be thrown away. Unlike metal they cannot be melted down and recycled, but they can be reused and reappreciated. Every imperfection and scar each of these stones carry is a story, a unique history of having lived many lives potentially being passed down through generations - I wanted them to continue their journey. We may never know their provenance but we can ensure that it was not in vain, that their legacy is not wasted and they pave the way for awareness and change. The pieces in this collection are available in fully traceable Fairmined Ecological gold, which is mined by artisan miners without the use of toxic chemicals, and Fairmined silver (which is a by-product of gold extraction from the Fairmined certified mines and is therefore very rare) incorporating these reclaimed waste gemstones. A portion of all sales will be donated to humanitarian aid organisations. It is my hope that I can encourage people to consider, ask questions and make thoughtful choices - where there is demand there is change. This collection seeks to create an intimate and meaningful human connection between producer, maker and wearer. |
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FALLEN Collection
This collection uses my fallen hair as inspiration, tool and material. Like my SKINS Collection FALLEN references the traces and residues we leave behind and explores identity, abjection, loss and the transference, intervention and preservation of the self. A contemporary Memento Mori. Each piece is entirely unique. Most pieces incorporate what I call 'recycled recycled silver' - I melt and reuse all the offcuts and filings that I collect from making my other recycled silver pieces to make this collection. Absolutely no waste. Some pieces feature responsibly sourced 24ct gold plating for eye-catching contrast and a luxurious feel. And then there are pieces made from my hair, as a material in its own right. FALLEN: Accidental Drawings A collection inspired by the 'accidental drawings' created by my fallen hair on different surfaces - the loops, knots, and cascades in all their beautiful chaotic intricacy. The metal is hand formed and fused to recreate and preserve these precious drawings manifesting in delicately draping molten layers and textures that are beautifully irregular. FALLEN: RELIC This collection features the texture of my hair directly imprinted into the precious metal and is a wearable extension of my RELIC and REMNANT series of artworks. The metal is melted, forged, textured, sculpted and pierced, and 24ct gold applied with a luxurious painterly quality in contrast against the dark flowing graphic texture. They are truly wearable artworks. |
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DARK MATTER
In April 2020 I was asked to take part in The Sustainable Darkroom's residency to contribute ideas and actions for recycling and reducing darkroom waste and in particular the potential recovery of silver from photographic chemicals. During and since the residency I've researched and developed systems for reclaiming and reusing waste silver from used photographic fixer to plate and form elements of my jewellery and artworks. I have also established several methods of reusing waste non-recyclable resin-coated photographic paper as a new material for creating wearable photographs and jewellery including 'gemstones', sculptural objects and intaglio prints. The initial part of my work in this area has been included in two publications by The Sustainable Darkroom. I’m currently experimenting with how reusable the fixer becomes once it has been almost completely depleted of the waste silver to potentially extend its lifespan and ultimately return to photographers and darkrooms for reuse. These techniques and applications are entirely unique to my practice and have culminated in a selection of experimental works. Photos: 1. Ring made from waste resin-coated photographic paper, reclaimed copper and directly silver-plated from the used photographic fixer the photos were fixed in. 2. Waste resin-coated photographic paper 'gemstone' set in 100% recycled silver reclaimed from X-rays.. 3. Earrings made entirely from silver reclaimed from used photographic fixer (except posts) - one pair with Polaroid emulsion ‘enamel’. |
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IF YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE...
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