Just like that, 2022 has been and gone, and we are already in the 2nd month of the new year. As Dubowski puts it: “We are paper thin. We exist on luck amid the percentages, temporarily. And that’s the best part and the worst part, the temporal factor.”
As the years seem to be flying by faster and faster, I can’t help but reflect on what it is that really matters to me: who and what do I want to invest my precious time in? The answer is simple: making jewellery, spending time with loved ones and friends, and dancing social Argentine tango. For me, the three have two things in common: connection and vulnerability.
To deeply connect and to lead an authentic life, I need to have the courage to be vulnerable. It carries a risk and a reward. I have to lean into my vulnerability with openness and minimal defenses, so I can live the fullness of my life. Showing up completely as my flawed self has invited others to be vulnerable too, and my relationships have become more genuine and satisfying as a result.
Social Argentine tango (not the flashy “rose between the teeth” style) is a creative, improvised dance of connectedness and is often described as a “walking embrace.” The dancers must pay complete attention while improvising, and through attunement with one another, they create something together that they could never have imagined in advance. When I am willing to be open and trusting with my dance partner (who I may not even know), I can experience a deep sense of connection and joy. It is my absolute happy place.
Lastly, I connect with my conscious self, something greater than myself, and the material when I make jewellery. By remaining open to what may happen, I allow my intuition to guide me. As a result, I’ve produced pieces that I couldn’t have dreamed-up if I tried!
However, I am a private person and putting myself and my work out there for all to see has been a challenge at times. I felt very exposed. It was scary and intimidating, and even to this day I can still have a fear of being judged.
My work for Handshake 7 evolved from work I created for two shows in August (Delimit, Thistle Hall) and November (Whanui, The National) in 2022. Both centered around the idea of ‘liminality’. The term “limen” is derived from the Latin word for threshold; it is literally the boundary between two spaces. It is a stage of transition from one to the next, a psychological process of crossing boundaries and borders.
Work exhibited in the show “Whanui” in The National, Christchurch November 2022.
To Cut: (2022)
Acid free paper, pastel, synthetic cords.
“A cut is also a break, a release, a change, a sudden movement that is transformative— metamorphosising from one state to another, . . . the cut that binds by being the cut that releases and frees.” Bruce Ferguson in Outside of Sculpture, Outside of Drawing and Outside of Time
For this series, I layered many finely cut strips of paper. There are two boundaries in this case: the border between the planes and the cut material, as well as each individual cut representing a threshold between the now two pieces of paper while still being connected.
While reflecting on the work after the exhibitions, I wanted to take this threshold a step further. The boundary, the transition between one state and another is sometimes only a breath away, a single fleeting moment. How could I express this in the new pieces for the final Handshake 7 show in Marzee?
Work in progress photo October 2022 (mock-ups)
I start with sheets of white acid free paper in which I make only a cut or two. This allows me to fold the paper in the shape I want. I have to make many iterations so that the form and the lines flow well. I colour the paper with pastels and use a fixative to stabilise the pastels.
The final works as exhibited at Marzee in December 2022 – Feb 2023
Mock-up earring chain.
Earring chain (2022)
H:215cm x W3.5cm x D2cm
Materials: Acid free paper,pastels, silk cord, stg silver
The act of scoring paper, transforming it through a single action, my work seeks to explore the ways in which a small, minimal action can be transformative. With the addition of folding along the score line, a sheet of paper becomes a 3-dimensional object. It now occupies a liminal space – caught between fragility and strength.
I have chosen paper as a material to express my ideas around impermanence and non-attachment because of its ephemeral nature. The jewellery will have a limited life-span. How will this change the connection the wearer has with the piece? Will it even be bought, knowing that it will be around for only a short while? At which point will it no longer be worn? When the piece starts showing signs of wear will its imperfectness be embraced or will it be discarded? I knew it was risky and that there may be little interest in paper jewellery but it was important to me. I needed to put it out into the world regardless.
Handshake 7 has once again stretched me, taking me down new paths and into unfamiliar and at times uncomfortable territory. Risks and rewards!! I have learned new ways of generating ideas for future work through the amazing workshops with Estela Saez, as well as helpful tips from the feedback sessions with the brilliant Marzee artists and useful writing skills from Sarah McCLintock. It has been about connection and vulnerability, fragility and strength. Through Handshake 6 and 7 I have found my tribe. I am a bit sad it has come to an end. It has been such a big part of my life these last 3 years. I will miss the kick-up-the-butts and the get-togethers but who knows what opportunities may arise in the future!
About a week ago I found out that Marzee wants to take me on as one of their artists, so perhaps paper jewellery wasn’t such a crazy idea after all. I feel privileged and am humbled to become part of one of the world’s leading contemporary jewellery galleries. Without the Handshake 6 and 7 programs this would not have happened. Yes, I have worked hard, but without Peter and Hilda’s vision, their unwavering enthusiasm and support, as well as Creative New Zealand’s generous assistance this would never have become a reality. My truly heartfelt gratitude to Peter, Hilda and CNZ.
Bring it on 2023!