Caz Guiney

My favourite toaster died a few weeks ago, vintage, high quality, excellent design and cooked toast perfectly (unlike its Russell Hobbs replacement – second hand but not vintage, very uninteresting and evaporates every ounce of moisture!).   What to do but make a jewel from the poor burnt out box.  There is much jewellery currently out there made from recycled stuff but it is not something I have felt compelled to explore.  However in this case I thought the object deserved attention to detail and a new life.  I have many collections of ‘things’ and ‘objects’ that I imagine would make great jewellery pieces but I have trouble hacking into stuff.   This time I forced myself as space in my little house and workshop is limited.

The hack almost killed me – physically (until I found sheet metal shears ) and emotionally!  My collections of stuff are no longer safe!

Front of brooch – bit blurry

Back – the white is oversprayed enamel paint that has splattered on back – nicer than the front I think!

For those of you too young to remember the ‘W’ stands for West! Love the logo, love the quality, very sad it has bitten the dust!

Leopold Foulem

The Colonel as Terracotta Sculpture, 2003, Ceramic, 34.7 x 13.5cm.

Artist – Leoplold Foulem, Montreal.

I came across above piece in the magazine ‘Ceramics – Art and Perception’,  Issue 76, 2009, whilst I was working on the ‘Kentucky Gold Series  for the ‘By Example’ exhibition (see previous post).   I had never seen this ceramicists work before and was truely stunned at the irony when I browsed past it in bed one night.  I don’t find it surprising that the Colonel Sanders money box has been cast and used in an artwork as I consider it a treasure that deserves exploration.  However I am surprised that I came across it. I have never browsed through ‘Ceramics – Art and Perception’ in my life before, the magazine came to me through an unusual avenue.  I am not superstitious but am intrigued by connections between artists ideas despite how far apart they are.  Maybe there are only so many ideas out there?  Think of the amount of skulls that have been produced in the past 5 or so years. (more on that later, skulls have been plaguing me!)

Leopold Foulem

Blue Boy and the Colonel Tê Hua Spill Vase, 2004, Ceramic, 14 x 8.25 x 5.5 in.

Artist – Leopold Foulem, Montreal.

He states, “………I believe that genuine art is about concepts and indisputably neither about medium nor style, nor even about making. My ceramics are about ideas. My artistic output is never about self-expression or the pursuit of beauty. I consider myself some kind of composer and theoretician instead of a virtuoso.”  Leopold Foulem (more images).

This got me thinking about my own practice.  When making jewellery ‘beauty’ is not my major objective.  I often give it no consideration at all  or consciously push it aside, that is not to say that some work does not end up being beautiful.  However when I am using precious metals (particularly gold) it is important for me that the work conceptually explores the use of this medium.  Thus for me medium is often very relevant in my art making/jewellery practice.

The Rice Brooch – The ultimate in democratic, temporal, performance based, recycled, handcrafted, found object, foody, crafted jewellery!  Perhaps I am overstating this piece just a little.  It’s really just a slip of the chop sticks on a hot sticky Melbourne evening.

Perhaps if I was into astrology I might be able to match the configuration of rice with a particular constellation.

Kentucky Gold #2 & 3

Close up Kentucky Gold #2

18ct yellow gold bone brooch (cast from chicken bone scavenged from floor of Bell St, Preston, KFC,  Melbourne, Australia, 2009), plastic KFC Colonel Sanders money box.

Close up Kentucky Gold #3

18ct yellow gold bone brooch (cast from chicken bone scavenged from floor of Crown Casino, Southbank KFC,  Melbourne, Australia, 2009), plastic KFC Colonel Sanders money box.

Apologies for the crap photos but took in a hurry before I posted off.

Below is one of the pieces that I will be sending to MAC, Itami, Japan for the upcoming exhibition titled ‘By Example’, curated by Karin Findeis and Bridie Lander (at time of post Bridies’ site was still under construction).

As stated in the artist guidelines By Example is ‘an exhibtion of contemporary jewellery, highlighting the relationship between mentor and the mentored in the process of learning. Fourteen artists have been selected to participate in By Example.  They in turn have been asked to nominate two ‘younger artists who show the potential to make a siginificant contribution in their field in years to come.  These people have been chosen for their individuality and the quality and integrity of their work’.

Thanks to Roseanne Bartley I am one of the chosen!There will be 2 more to complete a series of 3.

'Kentucky Gold 1'

'Kentucky Gold 1' - Close up

‘Kentucky Gold’ – 18ct yellow gold bone brooch (cast from chicken bone scavenged from floor of Swanston St KFC, Melb, 2008), plastic KFC Colonel Sanders money box.  If it looks familiar it was exhibited at the Craft Victoria 2008 members exhibition.

The MAC, Itami, Japan, has recently held  The Itami International Craft Exhibition “Jewellery”.  The themes alternate annually between jewellery on the odd years and Shuki & shuhaidai (sake vessels and trays) on the even. The 2009  exhibition had 445 applicants of which 86 were from 14 foreign countries.  Sean O’Connell won the Itami Award with the piece below.

'Profile' by Sean O'Connell

Click here to link to above image of Sean’s piece and others in the Itami exhibition.

So contemporary jewellers out there start thinking about 2011!

I have been accepted into the Precious Pendants exhibition to be held at Object opening on Friday 20th Nov. Below is the pendant from Precious Nothing that I submitted.

Crossed Wires: 18ct yellow gold.  Pendant cast from a piece of wire found in the

grounds of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne, 2008

My gorgeous model!

My grumpy model!

Swarovski Gorilla brooch

Bevilles ” Off Gold” bangle

Another view of Bevilles  “Off Gold” bangle.

Various trashy brochures “Commit No Nuisance”

Paper chain from above neckpiece made using a standard 5mm hole punch for the outside and a leather puch for the inside.  Every second link was glued together with a tiny paper patch.

This is a selection of jewellery I installed today as part of the Interventionist Guide to Melbourne.  It is all made from trashy jewellery brochures collected from the CBD.    Each piece is site specific.

The fabulous 3D craft of Paper Tole was explored for this brooch from a Zamel’s brochure.

The fabulous art of making paper balls was employed for this brooch from a Beville’s brochure.

Brooch from Selangor and Zamel’s catalogue.

The pigeon pair to the fella above!

I am involved in a great project curated by Lynda Roberts of Public Assembly titled  ‘The Interventionist Guide to Melbourne’. I am one of ten makers/artists .

Project launch is Friday 2nd October at Platform (Degraves, Flinders St underpass).
A preview below of locations I have identified as public gallery spaces for small interventionist craft works. I will  be making work for these over the next month, installing mid October ‘09.

More to come soon!