Studio philosophy
As designers we work to adapt, interpret and invent, to be a part of culture and propose new forms of experience. As social barriers fade and cultural experiences are shared, our scope for expression increases. This studio aims to explore the jewellery and silversmithing designer’s capacity for facilitating human connection, re-sensitizing us within the white noise of the urban context.
The studio will work to bring together two discrete areas of investigation: one emanating from exploration of the human body, its form, movement and its physical and sensory relationship to the objects we wear, carry, hold or touch – the other emerging from the context of ornament, here considered as an inherent part of who we are and born of a primary urge to make sense of the world, and make the world make sense. The human body and its multiple senses are central in informing our pleasure and understanding of our world and the objects within it, whilst ornament has the potential to make invisible forces in contemporary culture visible, offering rich potential for human expression within our everyday life.
The studio encompasses the idea of object as product, worn or otherwise related to the body but is also a vehicle for broader creative conceptual expression acknowledging of people and the body.
Project Brief:
Through the processes of drawing, photography, sound/film recording, gathering of materials and objects, experimenting, discussion and making, we will consider what is valuable in the context of our time and why.
The project will have at its heart the notion of design through dialogue - with material, process, self and others, and work to communicate ideas that are surprising, sophisticated, and innovative in their form, their story, and their materiality, working with the body, individual and tribe as our site.
The studio will evolve in response to a series of projects that allow for a broad and complex spectrum of imaginative, conceptual, visual and material response underpinned by skills workshops, and professional presentation input.
From two discrete starting points, the resulting research and experimental work will be brought together to inform the next stage. We will work towards an interim exhibition to encourage debate, gather feedback and to act as a catalyst for the final phase of the studio. Personal self-directed work after the winter break will lead towards exhibition ready work for the Summer Shows.
To benefit from the dynamic relationships that emerge from visual, verbal and experiential dialogue, there will be a small proportion of group and collaborative work alongside the focus on individual practice.
Study Trip: Munich
London Visits: British Museum, Hunterian Museum, London Walk.
Details
Course | Jewellery & Silversmithing BA (Hons) |
Where | CR415, 41 Commercial Road |
When | Tuesdays, Fridays |
Tutor | Marianne Forrest Heidi Yeo |