1. Tell us about your practice and what led you down your chosen path as a maker.
I make jewellery and objects with metal, found and fabricated rock, and use lapidary (stone cutting) processes to cut and shape the rocks. Whether natural or manmade, rock has the ability to communicate place, age, composition and how it was made. My work is material focused and research based. I communicate my ideas through rocks and geology, which have held my interest and enabled me to explore environmental practice for the last 10 years.
2. Tell us about your materials.
Metals: I always use either Fairtrade or recycled metals, often re-melting materials supplied by my clients, metal is infinitely reusable.
Rock (from found to fabricated): I use many forms of rocks to for their striking aesthetic value and to tell a story.
Rock (found): I source my found rocks on walks or beaches, documenting where they were collected to share the information with viewers, this ensures traceability but also allows people to visit or explore and understand the geology that formed them.
Rock (fabricated): Making processes include borrowing rock cycles from nature and recreating historic ways of working stone such as terrazzo and scagliola which make use of chips and dust.
3. Can you share more about the process behind your Collect 2024 collection?
The work showcased at Collect is collaborative in approach. An ambitious presentation that celebrates some of the historic ingenuity of humans who have manipulated stone. My research has found me working with scientists, geologists, and other makers to help me create, source and produce the rocks I cut into jewels for my collection. I have also been experimenting with found clay bodies, making early glass composites such as faience, and seeking out flint to represent how early humans benefitted from the geology around them. This research is a natural progression and deeper exploration of my previous work that explores alternative stones for jewellery making.
4. What inspired your collection for Collect 2024?
Geoanthropology brings together all parts of my creative practice; rocks, environmentalism, collaboration and my interest in deep time. I wanted to see if I could chart the ways humans have made use of rocks from Stoneage times. I see the collection of work as a way for me to delve deeper into material exploration. It has provided me with a focus and grounding to produce a more coherent project for others to understand the basis of my practice. I feel it is the introduction to a wider, longer project, but I’m really excited to share what I have been doing thus far.
5. Tell us about your approach to sustainable making in this work.
Sustainable making has always been the starting point of my practice. It is something that has and is evolving with the way I make, as my knowledge, perspective, and understanding of what it means grows. All the materials I use are considered and often provide a focus for conversations around circular economy and environmentalism. The way I design is zero waste, treating all materials equally and eliminating any waste.
6. What do you hope the viewer will take away from this work?
I would like the viewer to consider the materials, question how they were made, where they came from and wonder about the context. I would love for the work to provoke conversations about our environment, the value of materials and the importance of making the most of our natural resources. I would like it to have a positive narrative surrounding the climate emergency. I would also like for the audience to engage with the other collaborators too, whether it’s just a visit to their website to find out more, or to raise awareness of the good work others are doing.
