Friday, 13 June 2008

The 2nd evening

After seeing some well established design work during the morning, I thought i'd check out some new talent that is breaking out in the industry, the event is called Treasure. Treasure showcases some of the very best contemporary jewellery design Britain has to offer in the splendid surroundings already housing some of Britons oldest and most precious jewels, the Tower of London.



I arrived to a baron courtyard and was escorted through to where the event was being held. Complete contrast, the room had more than 30 exhibitors and a bustling crowd buzzing around some great creative talent. 

The first collection to grab my eye was the Superfertile collection, the idea just shone, it made sense and looked great. All the pieces looked great and the necklaces were stunning, each piece was illustrated and cut by hand then double dipped in gold to create a mural of a war torn country. The idea was to show there is still more to a country plagued with unsettlement, there is beauty, there is life and I think these pieces showed some incredible imagination and reason.



Sian Evans had a piece on display which harnessed different techniques of creating jewellery from sand-casting to 3D scanning, they all commingled perfected, and could easily have been mistaken for an archeological find. It's artifact jewellery, the patterns and materials raise the questions; wearable? useable? Go have a look and decide for yourself but whatever you think you have to admit it's an astonishing piece of work.

The event also showcased 2008's Jewellery Designer of the Year - Nina Koutibashvili. The textures of her creations really bought her designs to life they look as if they're going to slither right out of the case, have a look at these.



The event is a real mix of talent, boundaries are blurred, there is a lot of character and spirit put into every design. Unconventional materials like Maria Lau's intriguing 'A Skin Less Ordinary' collection really show how jewellery can be manipulated, experimental and playful, yes they are tights and i'll leave this for you to check out.



With over 10,000 visitors expected the show is providing a unique platform for ideas to become reality and individuality to be understood. It shows some real visionary pieces of design exactly what this week is about and the surroundings only complement, definitely be one of the 10,000 plus to check out the show.

3 comments:

milliecat said...

I have to say your articles have increased my knowledge and my desire to own contemporary jewellery. Keep it coming.

Sky Arts said...

Thats great I really feel the industry is unexposed and I want people to add this date to their diaries for next year. It gives me much joy knowing that even if one person pencils it in thats still more exposure then it had before.

debbiec said...

Fab description, I had an instant picture of the mural made from the gold necklaces, it must have been stunning, and what a setting, The Tower of London - AMAZING!!