New Seafood Collection by Lucy Folk

Now in the gallery, delicious treats from the sea cast in precious metal by our resident jewellery Lucy Folk! Highlights of the collection include Scallop hoop earrings, oyster 'Shucked Love' pendants and a decadent 'Caviar' ring set with black sapphires. Just in time for Christmas!

Upcoming Artist Floor Talk: Justine Austen

Justine Austen at the opeing of her exhibition, Monster Zoo

This coming Saturday, Justine Austen will be at the Pieces of Eight Gallery giving an artist talk. Her current exhibition, Monster Zoo, will the focus of her talk. The exhibition runs until Sat Nov 14th and catalogues are available at the gallery. Come along to learn more about the exhibition and Justine's artistic practice as a whole. 

At the Pieces of Eight Gallery, 635 Brunswick St, Nth Fitzroy, Vic. This coming Saturday Oct 24th, 4pm.

Justine Austen, Monster Zoo, Opening Night Photos

On Tues Oct 13th we officially opened Justine Austen's new solo exhibition, Monster Zoo at Pieces of Eight Gallery. It was a great night with Justine giving an artist talk to an enthusiastic crowd of friends, family and clientele. 

The exhibition runs until Sat Nov 14th, make sure you don't miss out! 

Photos kindly taken by Jim Weatherill and Nick Deacon.

 

Featured Artist: Justine Austen, Monster Zoo

JUSTINE AUSTEN
Monster Zoo
Oct 13 – Nov 14, 2009
Pieces of Eight Gallery

Join us for a drink with the artist at Pieces of Eight Gallery next Tues 13th Oct from 6 to 8pm, with an artist talk at 7pm


Justine Austen, a Melbourne born and trained jeweller has returned to her home town after several years living interstate, bringing her Monster Zoo exhibition with her. She has imaginatively crafted her version of a Wunderkammer, consisting of strange and curious creatures. Humorously bizarre and eccentric in nature, all 36 monsters have been meticulously handcrafted from sterling silver and a diverse range of materials including paua shell, gemstones, bone, glass, mother of pearl and coral.

About the Artist

Justine Austen completed a B.A in Gold and Silversmithing (Honours) at Monash University in 1998. In 2004 she attained a fellowship from the Gemmological Association of Australia. Monster Zoo was first exhibited at KickArts, QLD, early 2009. Austen has participated in numerous group exhibitions in QLD, NSW and VIC since 1997. She has been represented by Pieces of Eight Gallery since 2008. This is her first solo exhibition at Pieces of Eight Gallery. 

An Interview with Justine Austen, Oct 2009


1. You’re originally from Melbourne and have lived interstate for several years. Tell us a little about this period and what you got up to?

I wanted to explore more of Australia. I have noodled for opal in Coober Pedy, camped by the side of the road, swum in spectacular water holes from Litchfield and Kakadu to Far North Queensland, watched the sun setting into the ocean in Darwin, snorkelled the Great Barrier Reef, dug and sifted mountains of dirt looking for Topaz and Sapphires, surfed down the east coast of Australia, met some amazing talented people and made many good friends along the way all with my trusty dog in tow.

 

2. You have spoken about working as both a jeweller and miniature sculpture artist. How have each of these evolved and to what extent do they relate to/inform one another?

I am intrigued by anthropomorphism, which is when people give personalities and human characteristics to inanimate objects. Sometimes particular jewellery becomes so much a part of you that you may feel naked without it, so although it does not exhibit anthropomorphic qualities it feels like a part of the wearer. Though when you are not wearing the jewel it becomes lifeless when not fulfilling its function. The miniature sculptures can be worn or carried and also have a life off the body as they create a dialogue with their surroundings. It is this dual life/purpose that intrigues me.

3. The Monster Zoo exhibition is a perfect articulation of both methods of working. Can you talk a little about the history and development behind the collection?

As a child growing up there were many unexplained occurrences in the house that no one ever owned up to. These were quite often blamed on Mr. NoBody, who even had a place set for him at the dinner table one night. Creating the monsters was a way of personifying and making real the unexplained.

4. Do you have a favourite monster? If so why?

While I like all the monsters, Oke is my favourite, he explains the tapping on my bedroom window as a child. Adults explained the noise away as tree branches tapping on the window but I always thought it was a monster. So Oke was created with large horns carved from bone, which made the tapping noise on the glass.

Oke

5. You often incorporate stones into your work and have experience with gemmology. Tell us what draws you to gemstones and how you like to use them in your work?

I like the more unusual ornamental gemstones, old cut stones and items not considered to have monetary value but that are precious in other ways like hair jewellery, amulets, souvenirs, pebbles anything with a story. I like to treat all “stones” equally, as something precious but also using them in unusual ways and combinations.

6. You have also used a lot of other materials in the Monster Zoo collection such as paua shell, bone, glass, mother of pearl and coral. Can you discuss why you choose to work with certain materials?

I have a background in antique jewellery where they have used many unusual materials purely for their beauty like iridescent beetles, hummingbirds, hair, rediscovered antiquities to name a few. I can see the beauty in unusual materials and by using it in jewellery it makes it more precious and makes others look at it differently and hopefully see its beauty.

 

7. In the past you have stated an interest in ‘symbolism and emotional attachment people give to jewellery’. Can you discuss this and how it is explored in Monster Zoo?

Jewellery is often used as a keepsake to celebrate and remember important occasions like marriage, births, deaths. Even jewellery purchased or given for no reason over time become important to the wearer. Many of these monsters embody the imagination of childhood, something that should be celebrated and remembered amongst the work, rules and logic of adulthood.

8. In addition to this you have a fascination with the ‘way people communicate using body adornment and the identity they can create for themselves through a piece of jewellery’. Can you talk about this process as a maker and a witness?

I think a piece of jewellery can make you feel different in many ways for example it can empower you making you feel stronger or sparkle making you feel beautiful. Jewellery can show your affiliation to a club or even social group, like a Goth wearing a cross. I try to give the pieces I make an opportunity to “speak” but ultimately it is up to the wearer.

9. You draw on both historical and modern references in your work. Can you share some of these with us?

I researched Wunderkammers for this project, these early predecessors of museums were started by amateur scientists, archaeologists and sociologists. Many included wolpertingers, taxidermy animals constructed from multiple animals coupled together sometimes based on sightings of unusual beasts that were thought to be real in some cases. While many were proven to be fake some where shown to be based on fact like rabbits with the papilloma virus. The monsters are more “pop” influenced with modern histories like the monster Varda who steels single socks from the wash.

10. What are some of your favourite websites and/or blogs?

The amazing Barbara Heath
http://viewersite.wordpress.com/

The talented Pru Morrison
http://www.bumcrane.blogspot.com/

The great collector
http://ephemeral-male.blogspot.com/

Two together
http://studioviolet.blogspot.com/

Artist Talk Rescheduled and Opening Night Images

An important notice: 

We were planning to run an artist floor talk tomorrow with our current exhibiting artist Djurdjica Kesic, however the date has changed to next Sat Oct 3rd at 4pm. Join us then if you can, we'd love to see you at the Pieces of Eight Gallery for this event.

In this post we have a few images from Djurdjica's opening which we hosted on Tues 15th Sept.

Featured Artist: Djurdjica Kesic, 'Nomad', Sept 15 - Oct 10, 2009

In the Nomad series, jeweller Djurdjica Kesic develops her ongoing interest in home, place and migration. For Kesic, the house becomes a symbol of something that evokes a sense of place and stability. More specifically these ideas are explored in relation to the migrant experience that is in many ways shaped by transition and movement. ‘Nomad’ explores these ideas through a series of neckpieces made from an armful of preloved belongings.

Djurdjica Kesic completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Interior Design at RMIT University Melbourne in 1999 and has taught there for several years. A strong drive to create tangible objects has seen her develop a passion for jewellery, and in 2007 she completed an Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology and Metalsmithing (Jewellery), Box Hill Institute. The same year saw her selected and exhibited as part of the Filippo Raphael Fresh Award at Craft Victoria where she was a finalist.
 

 An Interview with Djurdjica Kesic

'Nomad' Window Exhibition

September 15 - October 10, 2009

Join us for the exhibition opening, Tues Sept 15th from 6-8pm

1. This is your second interview on the Pieces of Eight blog.  The last one we published on this blog during your Transitions exhibition in April/May 2008.  Could you talk about the evolution of your work since this series and the correlation between ‘Nomad’ and ‘Transitions’?

Both series stem from my interest in ideas of home and migration.  It is something I’ve been exploring and researching for a number of years now.  In many ways ‘Nomad’ is an extension of the ‘Transitions’ series.  My approach in both series is to work with domestic objects, yet not with the intention of faithfully retaining their original functions.  But rather by trying to discover new ways of being and belonging for them.  Kind of like a migrant experience is itself in many ways – a process of acquiring a new home and new modes of belonging.  For these objects, in their shift to jewellery, this new home becomes the body.  Consequentially, I like that they are in motion with the body, that they’ve become more portable.

 Sketches from Djurdjica's studio wall

 

 Djurdjica at her work-bench. This image apears in the new Melbourne Design Guide!

2. You have moved house since we last interviewed you, is your studio still home based?  Can you describe your workshop to us?

Yes, I still work from a home based studio.  And even though that may sound very appropriate in terms of my work and because of me being a self-confessed homebody, it certainly isn’t ideal.  My apartment is basically a two level open space so it is practically impossible to keep my work and my home separate.  In fact, when preparing the work for the exhibition my entire house becomes my studio as bits and pieces seems to spill into every corner of the home and all of the flat surfaces available in the place become support workbenches.  I absolutely have to say that I am so lucky to have a very understanding partner!

In my actual studio zone there is a jewellers bench and opposite to it a workbench where I have a drill press, dapping blocks and punches, a vice and that’s also where I work with wax.

I don’t mind the size of it but I would love more natural light.  And although for the moment I don’t mind this set up all that much, as I find there are many benefits to it, I do wish to have an opportunity in the future to have a studio space distinct from my dwelling.  Sometimes that can also be a good thing in terms of headspace, you can shift your focus entirely on unrelated stuff, something that I am still looking forward to mastering!

 A view into Djurdjica's studio

3. What has been the creative process which led to the development of the ‘Nomad’ series?

In this series I wanted to explore bringing together a number of domestic objects in the same body of work.  The starting premise was to collect an armful of belongings, what one can take in one’s own hands and move to another destination.  That was the image that started it all for me in this series.  Even though I haven’t used a large number of objects, the process of collecting them has taken quite a bit of time.

All of the objects are preloved and I’ve tried to involve my recent overseas trip as part of my search.  However, out of the objects I brought back, only one made its way into this series (one of the picture frames).  The pillowcase is the only object that belonged to me and my family-it was my grandmothers. For the obvious reason it is special to me.  The hours I spent braiding the pillowcase necklace, the repetition of it was quite meditative and there was something very domestic about it in its making process.  I very much liked that.

I don’t think that I had a preconception of what kind of objects I was looking for I just knew they were the ones when I stumbled upon them.  Each of the objects had its own language, its own characteristics, and took me in its own direction in terms of techniques and the making process.

In the ‘Nomad’ series I’ve brought back a motif of a house that I’ve worked with quite a bit in the past.  I interpret this motif as something that is evocative of place and stability and I explore these ideas more specifically in relation to the migrant experience that is on many levels shaped by transition and movement.  The two - house and migration, appear to be in a dichotomy; of something fixed and something in motion. 

Works in progess in Djurdjica's studio

 

 4. Can you tell us a bit about your own ‘Nomad’ story, your immigration to Australia and how that has shaped you as a person?

I arrived to Australia in 1991 for a holiday and a visit to relatives.  At the time I had no idea that this trip would mean a new home base for me (otherwise I think I would have packed some more than just a bathing suit and a few summer dresses!).  And so here I am, nearly 20 years later. The abrupt decision to stay was stimulated by the unrests in my country of birth.  It just all coincided and I was really lucky to have had the opportunity to stay in Australia.

I think that Australia is to a large extent a country of migrants and personally I really enjoy this aspect.  My cultural identity, as for many here, is intertwined and informed by both my country of origin and Australia.  Obviously, this personal experience makes its way into my work but I think that it is inevitable for that to happen.  I don’t shy away from it, on the contrary, I am quite curious about exploring ideas surrounding the sense of place and home in migranthood.  This is very interesting to me and it seems to fuel a lot of my work.

 Some of the timber neckpieces in progress

 

5. Interior design has been part of your past and also your current life.  Can you tell us a bit about this and how you think it informs your work as a jeweller?

Throughout my education in Interior design we were encouraged to develop a process of thinking and exploration through both making and drawing.  It was something I connected with very much and consequently it was something that I ended up missing quite a bit after graduation.  Initially, I started teaching Interior design just to be closer to this process and way of thinking but it wasn’t until I discovered jewellery making that I felt I found a right voice and the appropriate medium for my investigations.

I am back teaching in Interior Design this year with my close friend Tessa Blazey who has a similar, Interior design - jewellery making, story.  You can read more about it and the jewellery-based studio we teach in Interior Design at RMIT University in an interview with Tessa below.  We are finding it very enjoyable and it is nice to be able to consolidate our interest both in our practices and in our teaching. 

 Nomad Necklace 1,
Recycled Timber, 18ct Gold, Linen Thread

Nomad Necklace 2,
Reclaimed Timber Lamp, Oxidised Sterling Silver, Linen Thread

6. There is an interesting trend we are seeing of jewellers who have come from an interior design background.  Most recently we exhibited the work of Tessa Blazey at Pieces of Eight.  In Melbourne alone there are several accomplished jewellers who once studied and practiced interior design.  What is your opinion regarding this and why are we seeing so many who have worked in this field come to jewellery (in particular women)?

Yes, this is quite interesting. I am not entirely sure why this is happening but I’ll agree with what Tessa said, that it may have something to do with the scale.  In jewellery, the immediacy of the scale and of the making process is a very satisfying thing.  Also, throughout our Interior Design education we were very much encouraged to think about the body and its relationship to space so being exposed to works by many artists, architects and designers that worked closer to the scale of the body (as Lucy Orta, Rebecca Horn, pneumatic body based architecture by Coop Himmelb(l)au as Heart Space Astro Balloon from 1969, etc..) might have fuelled the interest in wearable artforms and ultimately to jewellery scale.  Still, why this migration is happening in such obvious numbers and why for women in particular, I am not quite sure, but it could be an   interesting investigation

 Nomad Necklace 3,
Reclaimed Timber Picture Frame, Linen Thread

Nomad Necklace 5,
 Reclaimed Timber Lamp, Linen Thread

7. A lot of your exhibition work involves deconstruction and transformation.  What draws you to making in this way?

Yes, quite often in my work and now again in the ‘Nomad’ series. I start by deconstructing the existing object.  One of the main reasons for this is that I am interested in rediscovering the object and for me one of the most obvious ways in which to start seeing the object with fresh eyes and rediscovering its profiles, form, materiality is by taking it apart.  Kind of, by taking it out of context I can see it more clearly.  At the core of the whole process is shifting these pieces into a wearable form. 

Nomad Necklace 4,
Reclaimed Jewellery-Box Ply, Sterling Silver, Linen Thread 

 

Nomad Necklace 9, 

Reclaimed Jewellery-Box Timber, Oxidised Sterling Silver, Silk Thread

8. Who and what are some of your major design/creative influences?

Artists whose work I greatly admire are Hossein Valamanesh, Rosslynd Piggot, Mona Hatoum, Louise Bourgeois and more recently I’ve discovered the work by a UK based artist Susan Collis.  But essentially, influences and inspirations come to me from all sorts of sources.

Nomad Necklace 11,
Reclaimed Jewellery-Box Timber Veneer, Oxidised Sterling Silver, Linen Thread

Nomad Necklace 12,
Reclaimed Jewellery-Box Timber Veneer, Oxidised sterling silver, Linen thread

 

9. How do you see your career as an artist developing? What does the future hold for you?

This is not an easy question to answer.  Each of the series I develop seem to naturally inform the next, so, that is as far as I am seeing and looking at the moment.  That is the case every time I finish a series.  I’d say I’m quite happy to continue with what I am doing and allowing for it to take me in its natural course.

Nomad Necklace 7,
Reclaimed Timber Lamp, Linen Thread

Nomad Necklace 8,
Reclaimed Jewellery-Box Timber, Oxidised Sterling Silver, Silk Thread, 22ct Gold Leaf

10. What are your favourite websites or blogs you visit regularly?

Klimt02, designboom, ffffound, to name a few but there are so many that I enjoy and occasionally visit, like a blog I’ve discovered recently neo-nomad.net

 

Nomad Necklace 10,
Reclaimed and Reworked Cotton Pillowcase, Sterling Silver

New Rings by Djurdjica Kesic, 'Transform'

Djudjica Kesic, our next exhibiting artist, has recently installed a new collection of rings in the Pieces of Eight 'peep-hole' window. This series is called 'Transformation' and is based on a series of forms which evolve in their structure and complexity. They rings are are lost wax cast, each one being original. They are designed to be worn alone, in pairs or small groups. The collection in the gallery comprises of 18ct yellow gold and oxidised sterling silver, some rings being set with gemstones (mostly small diamonds, emeralds or rubies). Orders and commissions are very welcome.