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4 November – 21 December, opening Saturday 4 Nov, 2 pm

‘Proof of Concept’ is an exhibition at DEPOT Artspace , Devenport, Auckland that marks the halfway point in the journey of HANDSHAKE 8; a two-year professional development programme for 11 contemporary jewellers.

The Handshake programme sets the stage for exploration without parameters. The work showcases a diverse group, united by material play and conceptual insight.

The pieces presented as ‘proof of concept’ are an invitation to see ideas, processes, materials and makers very much still in development, and to help shape their future form.

See the Exhibition

Artist talks & Exhibition setup

READ the updated biographies of the HS8 artists 

HS8 blogposts

Reflecting on 2 years of Handshake 8

by | March 23, 2025 | Handshake8, Rachel Chapman, Sample | 0 Comments

It’s so nice to have this blog space to expand on the creative thoughts around this project.  So often we are limited to a certain word-count for artist statements.  For the record, that’s not a complaint - concise statements have their place, but I think 2 years of...
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Stitches and Stones

by | November 13, 2024 | Grace Yu Piper, Handshake8 | 0 Comments

When I began my handshake journey I was a stone carver. I love the materiality of stone and its connection to the natural world. I gravitate towards reductive ways of working and enjoy the meditative process of carving. I’ve always been a forager and I love rock...
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SINCERELY YOURS

by | November 7, 2024 | Denise Callan, Handshake8 | 0 Comments

Sincerely Yours is the last in a what has become a three part series. It began with an exploration of identity and our human need for belonging, through my initial work titled Dear Public. Last year, as my work developed for our first handshake show, I realised what I...
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Bodies of Water

by | November 7, 2024 | Handshake8, Tūī Diprose | 0 Comments

To heal; heal the waters.      My work through HANDSHAKE8 explores themes of talisman, place, land, healing of matrilineal lines by...
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BEAUTIFUL BUT INSUFFICIENT

by | November 7, 2024 | Denise Callan, Handshake8 | 0 Comments

 Last year, Dear Maker contained a sealed confessional box called “Communion”. This piece facilitated a way for the audience to exercise the acknowledgement, expression and release of shame though written confessions. This year began with the burning of this...
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Tell me more about ‘Desire Lines’

by | November 6, 2024 | Handshake8, Nellie Peoples | 0 Comments

This my artwork created for the final Handshake 8 exhibition 'Materlise', present by the Handshake Project at the Artshouse Trust, Pah Homestead, Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau. The exhibition runs from 8 November 2024 - 16 February 2025. The piece is called 'Desire Lines',...
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THE DESTRUCTION OF SHAME

by | November 5, 2024 | Denise Callan, Handshake8 | 0 Comments

“Every act of creation begins with an act of destruction.” - Pablo Picasso   This years work has begun with the destruction of confessions gathered throughout our last exhibition. The burning of these within their sealed confessional has left me with a new...
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A Journey of Image, Jewellery, and Process

by | November 5, 2024 | Handshake8, Lisa van Hulst | 0 Comments

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had Manon van Kouswijk as my mentor over the past year. What stands out most about Manon’s approach is her quiet sense of humour—subtle and layered, it gradually reveals itself, inviting a deeper appreciation of her work. I often...
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I wonder …

by | November 3, 2024 | Fiona Few, Handshake8 | 0 Comments

Everyday, I walk my dog. Everyday, our walks are by our local water ways (the Kakanui beach and the Kakanui River). Nearly everyday, I wonder why there are so many things to be found that don't necessarily belong there. So, everyday, I walk and I wonder about this...
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Thoughts on Labour

by | October 29, 2024 | Fiona Few, Handshake8, Sample | 0 Comments

For me Labour Weekend, a New Zealand public holiday, has always been associated with celebrating my birthday and with miserable wet weather. But, it is an important weekend holiday that has more significance than merely time off work. Labour Day is actually a time to...
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Looking (at the) back

Looking (at the) back

by | Oct 15, 2023 | , | 0 Comments

    Lately I’ve been playing with embroidery. It feels far away from stone carving. My coach, the wonderful Beppe Kessler, observed that both embroidery and stone carving are meditative practices, “two of a kind”. Maybe I’m not as far away from my usual work...

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PROOF of concept, HS8 exhibition

PROOF of concept, HS8 exhibition

by | Oct 9, 2023 | , , | 0 Comments

4 November – 21 December, opening Saturday 4 Nov, 2 pm ‘Proof of Concept’ is an exhibition at DEPOT Artspace , Devenport, Auckland that marks the halfway point in the journey of HANDSHAKE 8; a two-year professional development programme for 11 contemporary jewellers....

read more
Walking, walking, walking

Walking, walking, walking

by | Oct 9, 2023 | , | 0 Comments

I have been in Aotearoa for over 12 months now. My main mode of getting to know this incredible place is by walking. Walking the streets, the beaches and the volcanic cores that sprinkle throughout the country. Walking helps me create a map of where I am. By exploring...

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