Laura McGrath

The objects and jewellery that I make are abstracts of the things I think about and research within my practice.  They are the staring points for broader exploration and are usually the precursor to other activities such as reading and writing.  The themes and ideas brought up by this research then feed back into the physical act of making and are a way of continuing my practice as an artist. 

I am principally interested in the object’s ability to act as a carrier for personal or social meaning.  Part of my exploration of this is to present and comment on their counter ability to be viewed as empty, meaningless and alienating.  For me, the designed object is a representation of human will over nature and man’s need for the meaningful to be made tangible. 

I graduated in 2011 with an MA in Goldsmtihing, Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery from the Royal College of Art in London.  In 2010 I was fortunate enough to win The South Square Trust Scholarship and I have exhibited internationally, most notably as part of a group show Silver Where? at Gallery SO, Brick Lane, London and Let’s Have a Look at Gallery Marzee, Nijmegen, Holland.

Natalia Macia Bove

Born in Spain and having obtained degrees in different disciplines in Spain, France and the UK, jewellery designer Natalia Macia Bove is a recently graduated MA student from Sir John Cass Faculty of Art, Media and Design in London, where she graduated with Distinction. In her first exhibition at Schmuck we observe the expression of her fascination in human connections and fractal geometry using technology as a tool to transform a mundane material like nylon into jewellery pieces.

She finds in the use of modern technology a valuable new tool to democratise design in order to make it available to a wider part of the population and attempts to explore the marriage of the classic and the contemporary into a “future craft”.

Natalia’s portfolio includes work that stems from her interest in mathematics, using formulas to generate 3D forms and also a collection of pieces expressing simple narratives using hand gestures, a subject of study that has

 always been appealing to her.

“My work, and the techniques and materials I use, reflects the way I have expanded my research methods.  Within the multidisciplinary Design Suite Masters program, I have explored the expression of meaning through the interplay of hands and hand gestures, which was a shift from a focus in mathematical algorithms towards a more emotion-centered design.”

Natalia has recently moved to Qatar, in the Middle East. She is currently working on design commissions from private clients and building up a collection and is very excited to integrate new influences in her design practice.

Robert Longyear

OK. - WE’RE STANDING HERE, AN’ WE FIND OURSELVES BETWEEN OUR FALLIBLE NATURE AND A BOUYANT SPIRIT OF HOPE.

every once in a while red is drawn to red - an’ if you want something from an audience, you have to give blood to their fantasies

an’ every once in a while the whites of your eyes go pop because he was on creep and he knows he shouldn’t have been

an’ i’m not tryin’ to rob you, was jus wandering if you were about to buy groceries

hold on a minute – let me get out of this car an’ at least stand up as tall as you

i’m not even hungry, i jus need gas in that big ol’ car to pick up my babies an’ was wondering if you could cash me out if i bought your food with my EBT

an’ every once in a while, red is drawn to red like his babies are @ a deficit if they’re waiting an’ they’re hungry

an’ every once in a while red meets red an’ the whites of your eyes go pop because maybe you believe him an’ he’s in a tight spot an’ maybe just waiting is worse than waiting while hungry

hold on a minute, okay – let me get this straight, you want to follow me around this store while i pick up stuff-s for dinner – an’ you wanna swipe your card like the idea of hungry mouths to me is supposed to be business

yeah, i’ll EBT twice as much as you pay me out for

okay – we’ll keep this short an’ just enough to roll a car without rolling over a system like the idea of hungry mouths to me is supposed to be business

an’ the produce at this store is bottom rung, like lack of vitamins, like undernourished mouths is big business an’ clean up on all aisles

12 dollars an’ 81 cent – no double down – Phat Pharm an’ a trinity go triple up – here’s what’s left:

the aisles are clean an’ his babies are good now – they’re good little girls - no waiting an’ no cursing less they have to deal with those ghetto girls whose necks go pop like the whites of your eyes go pop

OK. - REMEMBER, THERE’S A BUREACRACY TO OPPOSABLE THUMBS.

OK. - THE DAYS ARE ALL WILD, FOOD IN THE STREETS AND CLEAN UP IN ALL AISLES. 

OK. - A CITY RUNNIN’ WITH ITS SCISSORS OUT WILL LEAVE YOU KINDA WEEPY…

Farrah Al-Dujaili

Farrah Al-Dujaili is a British Art Jeweller. Farrah studied a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University and then went on to complete a MA in Jewellery, Silversmithing and Related Products in 2010. After completing her studies, Farrah set up her own workshop to continue her practice. Her work has been exhibited internationally in shows including ‘Talente’ and ’25 Years of Galerie Louise Smit’. Farrah is also the recipient of the Art Jewelry Forum ‘Emerging Artist’ award and will subsequently have her work exhibited at SOFA New York and COLLECT London in 2012.

“ My design methodology revolves around the act of drawing as an intuitive and subconscious process; geometric and organic components ‘grow’ alongside each other to create visual contrasts. I work within an intuitive mix of drawing and making that crosses over and intertwines. The drawings are a starting point where compositions and forms are explored. The intuitive decision process learnt through drawing is transferred into my making practices. A section within a drawing can instigate the creation of multiple three-dimensional forms as I draw directly with the wire. Hybrid forms are created not overtly floral, but organic and playful. It is in the construction of these fragments that the layering of line and form creates the idiosyncratic detailing that appear in my drawings.

I enjoy the moment just before a piece comes together, where a combination of forms just suddenly looks right to me. The spontaneous making process requires quick, intuitive aesthetic judgements playing with angles and positioning of forms in an attempt to achieve a mixture of negative space and form. The unexpected detailing from an extra hammer mark or additional length of wire is where the excitement of the making process comes together. I attempt to keep questioning what I can change? Whether that be form, scale, dimension, thickness of wires or the amount of detail and ornamentation. The subsequent work aims to reflect the freedom of drawing within each piece. 

Melanie Codarin

Food for Thought

What are you eating and how is it produced?
Industrial farming systems are highly productive but at what cost…

The Food for Thought series is a self-directed project that aims to provoke thought about the negative implications of industrial farming processes. The notion of ‘change’ is explored visually through modified generic figurative shapes and borrows on the language of badges. On the back of the pieces are sourced quotes.

Melanie aims to create tension and a second look through the juxtaposition of mutated figures and the lightness and beauty of the materials used.

Her work is inspired by ‘graphic’ forms, natural and man-made, she modifies or even mutates the things she sees, and create new contexts for them so they take on a new life, and new perceived meanings for the wearer. She enjoy seeing the narrative organically unfold and the influence that different materials have on the new forms.

Computer technologies as well as hand drawing play a key role in Melanie's creative process, as does the use of mixed media with a particular preference for wood and its derivatives. An important part of her practice is ethically sensitive production choices and sourcing of materials.