Armstrong Prestige "Ornate" – Dunedin Contemporary Jewellery Celebration, to be held at the Armstrong Prestige Dealership, Dunedin, on Thursday 12 March 2009, aims to showcase and celebrate the best of Dunedin’s professional jewellery artists.
The event, held as part of the popular Southern Trust iD Dunedin Fashion Week, follows on from a succession of popular Jewellery Breakfast's held at the Otago Museum. Ornate aims to promote and celebrate the diversity of Dunedin’s contemporary and emerging jewellery designers.
This year's contemporary jewellery celebration will feature stunning new works from a broad range of jewellery artists. Works by Chris Idour, Chaim Cleavin, Ted Daniels, Tony Williams, Andrew Last, Iain Henderson, Henry Devereux, Anne-Mieke Ytsma, Zantedeschia Robini, Ann Culy, Victoria McIntosh, John Z Robinson, Rainer Beneke and Lyn Kelly will feature at the event. Ellen Ross, Jade Muirhead and Jing Jing Wu are three emerging jewellers from the Otago Polytechnic School of Art who will also showcase work.
Ornate will be a cocktail party where audience members will have the unique opportunity to informally share the stories and inspirations behind hand crafted pieces. The event will provide the perfect opportunity for guests to meet jewellers as well as try on and touch the jewellery in an intimate setting.
Each jeweller will showcase new works on two professional models that will mingle amongst the audience. There will be the opportunity for audience members to purchase works from jewellers.
Fine wine, canapés and music from talented Dunedin songstress Emmanuelle Gomez will complement the evening.
An exhibition of works prepared for Ornate will be available for viewing at the events principal sponsor Armstrong Prestige following the event.
Event Details
Name: Armstrong Prestige "Ornate" Dunedin Contemporary Jewellery Celebration
Date: Thursday 12 March, 2009
Venue: Armstrong Prestige Dealership, 533 Princes Street, Dunedin
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Tickets
Price: $35
Availability: Public sales are available from Friday 30th January 2009 from:
- Phone (03) 477 7183 or (021) 272 3770
- In person at Regent Theatre Box Office, 17 The Octagon, Dunedin.
Enquiries
For further information please contact Tammy Jackman of Tamarillo Events and Conferences on (03) 477 7183 or (021) 272 3770.
Artists
Chris Idour
Working in a mixed media of precious metals and stones, Chris's work is a unique blend of modern and contemporary styles. He specialises in jewellery by design, wedding and engagement rings. His passion is to create unique designs working hand in hand with individuals turning their own vision into a reality, by utilising his valuable design skills and techniques which he has developed over the past 20 years.
His latest work has been referred to as having a middle earth, medieval and Nordic feel which is quite fitting with Chris's Norwegian ancestry.
Contact/Outlet: (03) 455 0121 / Otago Museum Shop / Quadrant Gallery
Chaim Cleavin
Chaim's work combines precious material and traditional metal working techniques with literal and sentimental themes. Influences of art history, natural form and word play accompany the ranges of colours, textures and energies offered by metal and stone.
Contact/Outlet: Quadrant Gallery – (03) 474 9939 or www.quadrantgallery.co.nz
Ted Daniels
Original titanium rings individually made to order by Artifact Ltd in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Most rings can be customized to your specific individual requirements.
Contact/Outlet: (03) 467 9299
Tony Williams
Tony Williams' 2009 collection features highly dramatic pieces, including the 'Mandarin Maze' - an intricately carved ring in 18ct gold and platinum, set with a superb triangular Mandarin Garnet and diamonds.
All Tony's work reflects his passion for the finest, traditional materials of jewellery - their mystery, richness and history - as well as a commitment to the highest standards of craftsmanship. He draws on an eclectic array of influences, but has a particular fascination with the styles of the Renaissance and Art Nouveau, together with an occasional touch of the Gothic.
Contact/Outlet: Level 1, 30 Moray Place, Dunedin, (03) 470 1305
Andrew Last
What’s the catch?
The fascination with handmade chain is the transformation of intractable metal filament into a lithe & articulate composition of mind-numbing repetition.
The chain becomes jewellery by the agency of the catch. The catch allows the chain to form a loop, the most basic of wearable forms.
Although the catch belongs to the prosaic category of fittings & findings it is often a subtle site for the demonstration of a jeweller's virtuosity.
Contact/Outlet: alast@xtra.co.nz or 03 471 8989
Iain Henderson
Iain has worked as a self-employed goldsmith for 23 years. Using metal to form liquid images, Iain draws strongly on his Pacific and Celtic heritage. Using spiritual influences in conjunction with nature's elements, Iain creates jewellery that has meaning to the person as an individual.
Contact/Outlet: (03) 477 7281 or iain@iainhendersonjewellery.com
Henry Devereux
My work is often very simple.I like the cleanness of jewellery that is not over worked and i try not to complicate things too much.
My work has been predominantly silver and gold, often with precious and semi precious stones incorporated.
I have been introducing some plastics and also experimenting with castings recently.
I like to play with the balance of modern versus traditional although i don't see myself as either, i feel this gives my work a tension that one cannot pinpoint.
Contact/Outlet: Whiteroom Design Store, Moray Place, Dunedin
Anne-Mieke Ytsma
Operating as an independent jeweller for two years, Anne-Mieke designs jewellery through an evolutionary process. Anne-Mieke sees potential in something thrown away and gives it an alternative function and new lease of life whilst retaining the history of the former self.
Contact/Outlet: (027) 232 2945
Zantedeschia Robini
The adoration of metal and the curiosity of process are my greatest attractions to the crafting of jewellery. Well-grounded in the fundamentals of traditional silversmithing, my work manifests from a conceptual base, interwoven with the fascination of form and the notion of adornment. Each component uses simple geometric shapes, curves and textures to create elegant and modern pieces filled with surprising contrasts and contradictions.
Contact/Outlet: (027) 451 3520
Ann Culy
I love to make jewellery that looks as if it has been around a long time, much loved, passed on with all of its history and intrigue.
I choose stones that have depth and complexity and are often a bit quirky. The lush combination of pure gold and precious individual stone gives the wearer a unique talisman. The nugget of gold, the soft plait, a pendant for the wearer to identify strongly with and to be worn as a signature.
This range of work has its links to the pacific, pearls from Manihiki Island in Rarotonga, antique red coral and New Zealand alluvial gold.
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559
Victoria McIntosh
A visit to my studio will reveal a love of collecting. From antique silver spoons made by hand to today's mass produced plastic, utensils in all their myriad of shapes and sizes cover the walls.
I have always been drawn to objects that carry a sense of history; I take my inspiration from the everyday items we find around us. Here four spoons start a new life located on the body.
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559
John Z Robinson
John Z Robinson makes jewellery and paints pictures in an historic office building in Lower Stuart Street that is also home to Lure and five other contemporary jewellers.
Using traditional metal working methods he creates jewellery from silver and gold, and a range of coloured gems. Characterised by filed surfaces and bold design, his work has been described as "the new casual".
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559 / Gallery 33, Wanaka
Rainer Beneke
"Beneke's bracelets, brooches and necklaces hold faceted nuggets of silver and gold, their form inspired by the hills around St Bathans which move with the growing shadows, timing the passing of the sun's arc. The same process in microcosm adorns the wearer's neck or wrist, catching light over a geometry of tilting planes."
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559
Lyn Kelly
The inspiration for this work arises from a voyage I undertook in 2007 to Dusky Sound, at the invitation of the Otago Peninsula based Caselberg Trust; the purpose of which was to offer 9 artists and writers the opportunity to experience that unique landscape.
This wonderful trip on the Breaksea Girl has lead to a wide range of work, ranging from large necklaces made from fishing floats through to delicate strings of pearls reminiscent of dripping wet glow-worm strings.
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559
Ellen Ross
At the beginning of last year I began my journey with felt. We made some discoveries together, and eventually I found a secure path to follow. Felting allowed me to focus on the quality of touch. For me felt making is almost like a form of meditation. The repetitive hand movement, softness of the wool, and the smell of Sunlight soap, combine to create a state of calmness within me. It was from here that touch emerged as a major theme within my work.
Jade Muirhead
The body of work I have selected for this show stems from nostalgic childhood memories. Based on secrets and obsessions, these pendants look at the aspect of private vs. public, and how secrets and obsessions can evolve into dependencies.
I found through my process of working, that striving for perfection is no longer the factor which holds the pieces together. Rather, it is the imperfect "mistakes" that I find beautiful, and the pieces evolve from there.
Jing Jing Wu
The series "Chinese Fan" by Jingjing Wu was inspired by her Masters research of fans in Europe and China. This research involved looking at the historical evolution of fans, their place in society and their use as an expression of identity. It also combines previous research of traditional Chinese cultural themes.
Contact/Outlet: Lure Jewellery Workshop, 130 Stuart Street, (03) 477 5559 / Sew Hoy Gallery, 29 Stafford Street
