The marks we don't know we make.

As I have been journeying through this body of work; entering into discussions of values, preciousness and relationships (with both buildings and people), I have been researching the kinds of 'mood' that I would like to imbue into my making. For me, this conversation is best translated visually into the surface textures and finishes. Shiny, sanded finishes just don't convey the feelings or energies I hold in mind when talking of the buildings and value through use.

What I have also noticed is that I'm drawn to surfaces, whether particularly architectural or not; which hold a presence of use. These surfaces are created over time through people simply existing. Nothing show stopping; just the beauty of the mechanics of life.

And so I have begun to recreate these surfaces in my work through layering surfaces. Another feature that I am playing with (and will have to wait to see the results of) is that the surfaces I am creating are made with oxidisers and leafing which whilst applied firmly to the metal; aren't fixed with any wax or sealant. This will mean that as the surfaces are touched, stroked, scraped, pressed, used, hugged against buttons, put on and pulled off again; the surfaces will gradually alter-just like the surfaces in the images have.

Also, the initial texturing of the metal is achieved using not just a planishing hammer (which would give it a completely different context), but an old, beaten up hammer, and accidental marks found on steel blocks and the old anvil in the workshop. Utilising these dents and faults re-emphasises again the sentiment of the value I find within other people's little histories. How many people stood on the middle of that doorstep? What conversations were held over those cigarettes? Who distracted those people enough to miss their tools completely and bash the anvil? How will the first few scratches on the surface be made? What beauty shall be added with wear; with life; with experience?

Seeing the broken or worn as beauty is again a reflection of what I felt when seeing those buildings in New Zealand, and what I found articulated within 'Kintsugi'. For more on Kintsugi, read my blog post.

#tools #kintsugi #wear #brooches #jewellery #nicola #Lillie #design #architecture #gold #silver