Estella challenged us through a series of fast exercises to look differently at common objects we had brought to the room. As we pushed through a range of materials, I realised that the choice of those materials had been quite important. Samples from exercises above I found the blind drawing was a struggle, but its… Continue reading Reflections
Category: Becky Bliss
Standing Room Only, RNZ interview
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.7″] Lynn Freeman interviews Peter Deckers, Caroline Thomas, Vivien Atkinson and Becky Bliss. [/et_pb_text][et_pb_audio _builder_version=”3.19.7″ title=”Radio NZ interview about HS5 exhibitions and NZ art education” artist_name=”Peter Deckers, Caroline Thomas, Vivien Atkinson, Becky Bliss” audio=”https://www.handshakeproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Radio-NZ-interview-about-HS5-exhibitions-and-NZ-art-education-Standing-Room-Only-with-Lynn-Freeman.ogg” background_color=”#111111″ max_width=”86%” /][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.7″] Radio New Zealand Standing Room Only, 1:46 pm on 8 December 2019 LISTEN: PLAY [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
Packaging
If you were in any doubt who specific toys were targeted to, take a look at the packaging. Let’s look at statistics of engineers relatively recently in the US (since there’s a few meccano boxes specifically for engineering). Women account for 47% of the total US workforce in 2015. Of… Continue reading Packaging
Plastic fantastic
The first plastic was developed in 1869. It was called celluloid and one of its first uses was to produce a white billiard ball (to replace ivory). Bakelite shortly followed. Oil was cheap, and the toy industry was gradually taken over. It was also very flammable. It was after WWII that plastic became the main… Continue reading Plastic fantastic
A selective brief history of children’s toys #2
Pre-war. Toys were made of wood, fabric, die-cast metals. Toys generally reflected the perceptions of society. Most came with gender values, designed to socialise children to behave with the gender expectations of their society (childhood by design). Some of the most popular toys of the time early 1900’s to around 1944: The Madame Alexander doll… Continue reading A selective brief history of children’s toys #2
A selective brief history of children’s toys #1
Most anthropologists seem to agree that children’s toys have always had an educational element to them. The education is usually gender specific (no surprise here) – weapons and tools for the boys and dolls and cooking implements for the girls, whatever era we’re looking at. Boys learn knapping whilst girls learn weaving. Paddle dolls, highly… Continue reading A selective brief history of children’s toys #1
Much ADO about…
I am paired with the ADO collection and contemporary jeweller Lucy Sarneel. The ADO collection is an historical collection of wooden toys designed by Ko Verzuu from mid-1920 to early 1960s. The toys have clean lines and are brightly coloured, inspired by the De Stijl movement, in particular the works of Gerrit Rietveld and Mondrian. They were made… Continue reading Much ADO about…
introducing handshake 5
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.19.7″ background_color=”#f4f4f4″ link_option_url=”https://www.handshakeproject.com/handshake-5/”] The newly-formed HANDSHAKE 5 group came together for JEWELcamp at Te Auaha (Wellington) with the briefing of the two unique exhibition projects that occurs later this year. Roseanne Bartley workshopped in her masterclass creative ways of approaching the making practice. Her feedback continues within the first quarter of 2019. Different coaches… Continue reading introducing handshake 5