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’, 2024, Necklace, Found timber, FireLine, stainless steel, sterling silver. Collected timber locations: Tāmaki Makaura Auckland, Pōneke Wellington, Ōtaki Beach, Ngāmotu New Plymouth, Whangaruru, Tauranga Bay, Rarawa Beach, Tapotupotu Bay.
Desire Lines is a concept that has emerged in my arts practice over the past two years in the Handshake Project. The term “desire lines” describes departure from the dictated paths that often surround us. They are the foot worn trails cutting across fields or the curving tracks that skip the hard concrete corners of foot paths.
This meandering away from set routes mirrors how I gather inspiration on my daily walks, instinctively drawn to found objects in the distance. It also reflects my shift from my usual metal structures into exploring other material possibilities. Even in the objects themselves, I see this departure, as they transcend the typical boundaries that define jewellery.
Throughout this year’s creative process, I’ve relished the opportunity to deeply explore materials under the expert guidance of my mentor, Neke Moa. I have learned to take time to regard and explore each and every material I have collected—culminating in this single piece. In this moment standing in this gallery I continue to enjoy the process of regarding and exploring each elements material.
As I take in the piece, I am inevitably drawn to a particular bead, noticing the natural details that reveal wild origins of the materials. Some beads showcase wormholes, while others retain the live edge of their original timber forms. The rich hues and intricate patterns within the wood grain remind me that each bead is one of a kind.
From the very beginning, creating this piece—and the countless experiments that preceded it—has been a physical endeavour. It began with walking and noticing, which led to collecting and carrying, then cutting materials into usable lengths, and rough shaping. I would sand each piece by rocking it on my fingertips, and oiling each bead individually before threading them onto a string. All the while watching the length grow.
Throughout the year I have made beads. Often daydreaming about my next chance to explore—waiting for low tide to reveal beach treasures or for storms to bring down new materials. As I gathered on my daily walks, the necklace expanded, growing beyond a traditional scale. I began to loop over my shoulders, cascading down to my knees, and ultimately brushing the ground. Its desire seemed to keep it reaching for the floor, reconnecting to the earth.
Certain beads evoke specific memories tied to their materials. For instance, a few beads of mottled brown ripples are from branches that fell onto the road near my home after a particularly brutal storm earlier this year. Others feature yellow and pink hues from discarded pohutukawa off cuts I discovered piled at the edge of a garden, that had fallen onto the beach below. Needless to say, not wanting to lose an opportunity, I returned with a handsaw to harvest usable branches that would fit in my backpack for the steep hike back home.
This collection of beads forms a material map—not a conventional map of roads on a folded piece of paper or glowing screens, but an archive of journeys layered upon one another. Each bead represents an unplanned detour, a drift away from established paths toward hidden treasures.
Overall, this necklace encapsulates the places I’ve explored, documenting my quests for materials along the way. While it may appear static in the gallery, it is anything but. Once it returns to my studio, it will continue to evolve, capturing new experiences and desire lines, ensuring that each bead tells its own story in an ongoing narrative of exploration.
