WELCOME TO HANDSHAKE 4 NEWS
Check out this short video with Kim Whalen and Kylie Sinkovich talking about their work at their LEANINGS exhibition, Pah Homestead, Auckland (Nov 2017)
(January 2017) Ruudt Peters (international renowed artist and educator from the Netherlands) made the selection of 12 mentees and mentors for HANDSHAKE 4, with exhibitions lined up at Pah Homestead, Auckland, October 2017; Toi Poneke, Wellington during the International Festival of The Arts, March 2018; Corban Estate Arts Centre during Auckland Art Week, October 2018 and an on-line exhibition on the HS4Handshake website (under construction).
Vivien Atkinson mentored by Ben Lignel (FR)
Mandy Flood mentored by Volker Atrops (DE)
Nik Hanton mentored by Vincent Pontillo-Verrastro (US)
Brendon Monson mentored by Aaron Decker (US)
Jennifer Laracy mentored by Judy Darragh (NZ)
Caroline Thomas mentored by Nicolas Cheng (HKG/SW)
Kylie Sinkovich mentored by Ben Lignel (FR)
Katie Pascoe mentored by Francis Upritchard (NZ)
Nadine Smith mentored by Regan Gentry (NZ)
Sandra Schmid mentored by Tanel Veenre (ES)
Kim Whalen mentored by Beatrice Brovia (IT/SW)
Keri-Mei Zagrobelna mentored by Jasmin Matzakow (DE)
Transforming an object with more than one medium
Transforming an object into a completely new form is immensely satisfying. Equally I've discovered is approaching it with watercolour. Looking at something with liquid paint and then painting it back into existence requires focus and attention to detail. This is a...
Nocebo Effect
I haven't been well recently and the idea of a placebo has taken on a new dimension for me while I try and self-heal. As I've been doing further research into the placebo effect I've discovered another effect, the nocebo effect. The nocebo effect is a "detrimental...
Placebo Effect
For the Handshake 4 'Leanings' show at Pah Homestead, I made a series of work entitled 'Placebo Effect' with the following artist's statement: "The placebo effect is a beneficial outcome from an inert treatment. The individual believes it is functional but it is, in...
workbooks
some good old-fashioned doodling
studio visit!
Our conversation today goes again to the slow pace of woman’s art often made in scraps of time of scraps…materiality, making for the long haul or larger body of work..
Leanings
Blog 16 November 4th, 2017 Leanings, Pah Homestead (https://tsbbankwallaceartscentre.org.nz/) The install, Pah Homestead Only one day to install and the opening in the evening. There were a lot of nerves as we gathered at 8.00 in the morning, but everything...
Another collection waiting to be cut up
Blog 15 September 20th, 2017 Another collection waiting to be cut up. Studying under Peter Deckers at Whitereia has led to being part of two amazing groups. TheSeeHere (https://www.theseehere.com/) was the brainchild of Sunni Gibson, a micro- gallery housed in a...
Radiant Pavilion
Blog 14 September 12th, 2017 Radiant Pavilion, Melbourne Gold leafed steps, graffiti and post-it notes – Sarah Read, Becky Bliss, Vivien Atkinson Binit, Becky Bliss Walking to Ballarat, 24 hours over 7 days, performance, Crossley Street, Melbourne, Vivien Atkinson...
Extracurricular
Blog 13 - August 5th, 2017 Occupation: Artist (https://occupationartist.wordpress.com/), one of the groups I’m privileged to be part of will soon be off to Melbourne for Radiant Pavilion (26th August to September 3rd). We participated in this contemporary jewellery...
Avid
Blog 12 - July 18th, 2017 Fired & Found, Avid, Wellington, July 1 - 15 From the show at Avid. My work in the foreground and Bronwyn Cornish’s wonderful ceramics (Sirenes and Harpies) in the background. On the right is Walnuhutu 1, by Lauren Lysaght...
Clearing the decks
Blog 11 - June 18th, 2017 Clearing the decks. This weekend I realised that I was losing sight of what I was doing and removed all the extraneous bits and pieces from the desk. What a difference it made – I could suddenly see there were three distinct groups of pieces...
Blog 10
Blog 10 June 14th, 2017 Punched decoration on vintage Britannia metal teapot. Punches made from silver plate scrap. Tests of punched patterns on thin aluminium. I’ve spent a few days playing with the idea of trying to recreate some of the intricate patterns punched...
Blog 9
Blog 9 May 15th, 2017 Time in the studio – in fact lots of time in the studio – I’m there five days a week and at school two days and the feeling of pressure is growing. In the research department have gone back to look again at some artists I was introduced to in...
Questions
Blog 8, April 10th, 2017 Questions After my first conversation with my mentor there was a list of questions that sent me back to reading research. In my last blog I mentioned that I was interested in trying to form some kind of hybrid using pieces of silver plate and...
Symbiosis
Silently a flowers blooms, In silence it falls away; Yet here now, at this moment, at this place, The whole of the flower, the whole of the world is blooming. This is the talk of the flower, the truth Of the blossom; The...
Blog 7
Blog 7, April 8th, 2017 I have a number of collections but at the moment I’m focusing on two. I have been working with (and collecting) silver plate since 2013 – its perceived value, meaning and use has changed, particularly during the last half century. Developing...
make it
finding solutions
Incomplete – Unfinished – Raw
Incomplete - Unfinished - Raw When I was asked by my mentor to select the most expressive pieces from my last body of work, I chose the ones that show the rawness of fabrication, with tool marks still visible. These pieces appear to be more alive. During the creative...
Language
LANGUAGE Working with my mentor Tanel Venre, during the design phase for the exhibition at The National in Christchurch, he asked a question about the language the individual pieces, and the collection as a whole was speaking. Which language has been used and why?...
MOVING MEDITATION
I cant even beginning to express how important meditation is to my practice. And especially my life. There are so many ways to meditate. Sitting and closing your eyes is only one. One of my favourite ways to meditate is through movement. Almost all my life I have been...
Whats going on ?
http://artweekauckland.co.nz/events/east/5639574185312256 Sarah Walker-Holt, Lucy Pierpoint, Mandy Flood, Dorothy de Lautour, Caroline Griffth,Eileen Leary, Lisa Higgins, Maca Burnal Tracy Watson, Michelle Wilkinson, Laura Jer, Ingrid van Heusden A varied bunch of...
The act of repair cultivates care
My life is imitating my art or my art is imitating my life, which one to be most accurate I’m not sure, but to be honest it is a total bewilderment. The hours that I’ve spent in trial and error of repairing broken objects (originally formed by my hands) have required...
Junger and The meadow
One of my daughter's favourite stories is Peter and the Wolf. A central tenant to the story is the dangers of playing in the meadow. Peter is under strict instructions not to leave the safety of the domestic garden however, he cannot resist the temptations of the...
Process is messy
Not everything works. Not everything gets resolved.
judge
I am a multifaceted human being and artist. I am not going to restrict myself to one medium. My identity and individuality are important to me. I will be all encompassed. Without forgiveness given. Try not to misunderstand me. I have the best intentions. ...
Time – A four letter word
'Time is a created thing.To say I don't have time, is like saying I don't want to' Lao Tzu I always seem to be wanting more time. But in reality it is the quality of time that I am striving for, as I have all the time I can have. It is how I deal with what I...
“Don’t focus too much on…… jewellery”
"Don’t focus too much on jewellery" I hear you say? But isn’t this a blog about contemporary jewellery? Yes. It is, but there is so much more involved with “contemporary jewellery” the concepts, materials, movements and happenings around this subject, and hey… it’s ok...
Reorganisation Reconstruction Renewal
Some favorites from my inventory into object repair from when it was a necessary act in older times, up until some present day contemporary responses.
Shoreline Compositions
Shoreline compositions So after a break in the weather and a healing injury, I have been able to return to walking. A Gorgeous weekend provided the opportunity for beach combing along Makara beach. Our oceans have never more been more colourful or clogged with the...
Charm
Hardened leather, textile, wood, paint.
Spells
A collection of three spells. Material play with wood, latex, rubber, mild steel, paint.
PRECIOUS
People forget how precious everything is. Especially life, time and nature. Unfortunately society is exploitative. Most of us are caught up in the game in some way or another. Probably fighting to escape. We will spend our entire life times releasing and healing from...
tests
experiments,sketches and ideas taking shape
A woman’s work?
There was a moment when a piece was waiting for its second firing but instead, was broken into several pieces. In that instant when I stared at the piece while inwardly observing the fragility of the material, the vulnerability of my process and time spent on making...
Harakeke
I have been none stop thinking about harakeke. I finally had the opportunity presented to me to be taught by an amazing woman named Puawai. She passed onto me so much beautiful knowledge about the harakeke plant and about the traditional and sacred Maori ceremonial...
exchange
mentor mentee exchange, handshake4 project 2017, Judy Darragh and Jennifer Laracy
shell
In my discussions with Judy, we have talked about our shared interest in use of paua in new Zealand jewellery and the rich history that surrounds it. I feel the pull to explore this further in my own work especially in relation to acknowledging the influence of my...
Jewellery, Matariki and Winter
Recently, Wellington the capital city of New Zealand has been humming with Matariki celebrations.For those that do not know what Matariki is, it is the celebration of the Pleiades constellation in the southern pacific and marks the beginning of our Māori new year.The...
Brace yourself
Brace yourself - get ready for the roller coaster ride of creativity. This year I returned to creating from home. I'm finding new ways of working and yes, procrastination techniques too. In my city based studio, to fill in time I could chat to studio mates, and shop...
Work life balance – escape to Whanganui
Work Life Balance - Is there such a thing? Artist unknown - found sculptural installation, Makara A weekend in Whanganui at a friends 50th and surprise wedding provided fun times with friends and the chance to explore a part of NZ that I'd only ventured to...
Healing
Is the might of the mind an underestimated resource for healing?
Irregularity Imperfection Empathy
March Jealous Saboteurs
In March, I met Francis on the day her survey exhibition Jealous Saboteurs opened in Christchurch. Busy times however that didn't stop her from making a space in her day to meet up, share work, give feedback, talk about next steps and have tea from a great set of...
Tropical arcadia
Maybe there is something in working with a material or colour that I already have an inherent tension about? Maybe I am starting from a place of low expectations that put little pressure on a good outcome? Or at least a good outcome comes as a surprise. Below are...
Maroon, plastic flowers, pearls
Maroon. Orange. Bottle green. Plastic flowers. Fake Pearls. Real Pearls? Gold? Fake gold. Paua. Red. Love hearts. These are some of the colours, forms and materials I don't like or at least have a sense of unease towards them. My surliness to these...
fighting chromophobia
Looking back on my past work I can’t help but notice that I favour a monochromatic palette. Majority of my pieces are made of dark stone such as basalt and I often patina metal to black. I’ve done it for so long that it’s become habitual. In the spirit of the...
Trash or treasure – material beginnings
Most artists I know are collectors of stuff. Its become a bit of a habit collecting things I see potential in. I get great joy turning the discarded into the regarded. Just like our planet is getting bogged down with the trash from human consumption so...
Auckland Meet-up
From the left: Kylie, myself (Kim), and Mandy Lessons: The importance of connection. For knowledge and healing. We are all in this together.
Dead in my tracks. 30-5-17
So instead of working today I had the chance to visit Auckland Art Gallery, for the ‘The Body Laid Bare’ masterpieces from Tate. Everyone I had spoken to re the exhibition had raved about how great it was. Emphasizing the fact that time had to be taken to really...
making badges
Near the end of March I facilitated another kids badge making workshop at WOMAD for Kidzone it was a blast. I was lucky to have the help of my big sis and some energetic volunteers. All up over the two days the participants made around 800 badges from...
Just a wee bit of first chats
After much difficulty trying to get my skype to work me and Jasmin decided that we would video chat over social media instead.It never ceases to amaze me how you can communicate and have real time conversations with somebody halfway across the world in another time...
Metamorphosis & Transformation
Metamorphosis and Transformation are concepts that are frequently explored in art, and the chrysalis is a popular motif used to signify it. While this is a well-trodden road, there is something so appealing about the magic of the process and its visual drama. The...
Disconnect
The Situation. I finally got my jeweler's bench down into the bottom of my hut! The pot belly stove needs complete replacing. So no heating and we are at the start of winter and not to mention its extremely damp and wet living right in the NZ bush! The power has been...
Juggling
Blog#4 I was lucky enough to visit with Sam Kelly who participated in Handshake 1 and her beautiful newborn baby boy at her home in New Plymouth recently. Such a lovely person to meet, we talked about the tenacity needed to continue making as a mum and constant...
Cut outs
BLOG#3 On the home front I have been busy in the workshop exploring and developing some new bits and pieces, still sketching and the workbook is filling up. I have been working on cut outs, folding rooster and calf pile ...about an intensification of farming practice....
Repair requires transformation
This month has been a somewhat challenging one. Off the back of last month, apart from a set back with the clay I was using and the time it took to switch over to another, it was feeling potentially like it would be pretty productive and inspired. I had started to...
BOX
I’ve been thinking about the nature of identity and its connection to the experience of our gender and sexuality. The female genitalia has been represented in art since the dawn of humankind. It’s been responded to in a myriad of ways by various cultures and ‘stages’...
Adventures in pewter
Last year when I was spending some time in London, I did an experimental casting workshop at Cockpit Arts with Katrin Spranger and Kelvin J Birk. In this workshop I discovered the joys of working with pewter. Its low melting point enables it to be melted down...
Exploring Ideas
HS4 Blog thoughts 10-4-17 Talking shadows with Volker. I have to admit I am somewhat frustrated. It is great to have this ‘conversation’ with such a great maker but what is really niggling at me is the fact we can’t do it face to face over beer! This surprises...
Life status: a state of constant and complete upheaval
As of March, I decided to completely change my life from a thriving city rat, living right in the CBD of Auckland.... to dropping everything and leaving too embrace my more solidarity side about an hour away, right into the wild sacred native bushland of KareKare on...
MATERIAL READS: HONESTY & SUBVERSION
In my first conversation with Vincent, he questioned me about my approach to materials. My answer was unintentionally somewhat disingenuous, largely because I had never truly articulated it properly. I said at the time that I used leather because of its aesthetic...
Questions about jewellery
Today Francis Upritchard brought up some great questions about jewellery in general and my practice coming out of art school. Why would it be considered jewellery if too big /awkward/delicate to be worn? Yes, why would it? I find these features very interesting in...
Masterclass: Tanel Veenre (Feb 2017)
Tanel Veenre’s workshop centred around innovative exhibition display that considered media promotion, audience experience as well as how best to showcase work. The workshops were fast paced and intense but rewarding to terms of pushing creative process and looking...
The adventure begins…
I was unsure what to expect from my first Skype call with Aaron but it went very well. We spent most of the call discussing what my expectations were for our consultations and just getting to know each other. He’s a friendly and open guy and laid back not to...
Temporal events
A large scale installation Antarctica – While you were sleeping that was projection mapped 360 degrees around the exterior of Auckland Museum towards the end of last month impressed me hugely. The scale of the 4 year project stunned but it was the sound score by Rhian...
Tongariro Crossing
Blog 6, April 4th 2017 March 31st - Tongariro Crossing – perfect day, stunning scenery, and inspiring friends.
PARKing DAY
Blog 5, March 15th 2017 The preparations for PARK(ing) Day served us well. We had spent a worrying week with really bad weather threatening the cancellation, but in the end the weather was similar to last year’s event – cool, calm and cloudy to start the morning and...
JEWELcamp and Masterclass
Blog 3, February 10th, 2017 With quiet excitement and some shyness we gather for the first time. Most of us meet at Tanel’s opening at Avid amid the noise and tilted plinths holding his exquisite work. The afternoon’s presentations reveal we are a diverse group with...
Viktor and Rolf at the NGV
Blog 2, January 15th, 2017 Although I knew the names of these two fashion designers I really had no idea of the scope of their innovative work. It was then a fascinating voyage of discovery wandering through the rooms of stunning and sometimes startling garments....
7.8 shock
Blog 1, January 7th, 2017 The news in November that I had been selected for HandShake 4 was rather daunting. The 7.8 earthquake had left me shaken – with a recent move into a 12th floor apartment and nothing yet secure in it’s final location – our possessions were...
Entry 2
Entry 2
How to start – Introduction
Sometimes it feels frightening to make the first mark on a white page. This is very much the feeling I have approaching new projects, people and materials. As with the white page there seems to be a perfection/beauty present that doesn't want to be disturb. Over time...
Grandpop
21st February 2017| My father Jack died last year in April on the day of his 55th wedding anniversary. Jack inherited a whole load of tools from his father, Thomas William Stevenson who was an electrician in the South Island of NZ. Over the holiday period just gone,...
‘I’m just saying’
John Reynolds 2014 Feb 2017 ‘I’m just saying’, to me it is the equivalent of ‘I’m sorry’. It is just one starts a sentence and the other finishes it. Personally, there was a lot of ’just saying’ during the week of Jewel Camp for HS4. It was the time to meet new...
PLEASED TO MEET YOU
Following a series of online conversations, Vincent and I had our first “meeting” via Skype. I'd been delaying this interaction because of my intense (and entirely irrational) fear of video calls. It was a great example of why you should 'feel the fear and do...
Handshake 3- Munich
I was lucky enough to be part of the set-up and manning team of Handshake 3 at Handwerkmesse, Munich, and spent 10 days with inspirational artists, gallery owners, and collectors. Being at the 'Oscars' of Contemporary Jewellery and seeing the work of the international...
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them” (Galileo)
Because I'm not sure yet of the physical material that will best translate my idea, I've started with porcelain as my blank canvas, for its potential translucent quality and have been experimenting with marbling effects and creating shapes that eventually are forming...
All that is solid melts into air
The polar jet streams are something I've been contemplating for a while in regards to climate change. Naturally there are other complex factors when studying this issue but scientists have made strong links between the rising CO2 levels, wandering jet streams, recent...