Alison Jackson
Bachelor of Design Arts Graduate, 2008
‘To and Fro’ 2015
Materials: Copper, silver plated
Photo: Angela Bakker
To and Fro is a set of playful copper vessels that invite the user to interact and explore – How do the contents react? Do they spill? Within the dining context, these vessels become a means of conversation, inviting diners to tip them to and fro to share their contents with one another.
‘Long Drop’ 2016
Sterling silver
Photo: Alison Jackson
Long Drop is a silver object that is part of a wider collection of pieces exhibited as part of Alison’s solo exhibition “Lost in Thought”. Simple in form and simple in its action, to pour and serve liquid. It aims to slow down, to put more emphasis on the experience of serving rather than simply the finished result.
Barbara Ryman
Graduate Diploma Graduate, 2005
Teaches Short Courses in Enamelling
‘Fern’, 2009
Vitreous Enamel on copper, Fine Silver wires, Sterling Silver rim.
70 x 70 x 60mm
My two small vessels were made some years apart but I have found that there are some themes that return for continued exploration. When at ANU in 2005 I was stepping up in scale from jewellery to 3d forms. I utilised images of bushfires to talk about the human conditions of grief, loss and survival. These themes continue on in my work, sometimes purely as an image, or continuing to ponder the original theme. “Fragile Tenacity” was made to go with the original “Ferns” as a new investigation of the theme.
My primary medium is Vitreous Enamelling and it provides me with a seemingly endless array of investigation. Since 2005 I have spent time studying Japanese enamel techniques with Tsuruya Sakurai, master enameller, in Nagoya. Over that period I have been exploring two seemingly distinct technical and artistic directions; contemporary enamelling practices and traditional Japanese enamelling. My agreeable challenge has been to integrate both approaches into my work.
These two vessels show an amalgamation of Japanese and contemporary techniques; small vessels that become objects of contemplation. The surfaces show a visual and physical tactility by combining texture from sugar fired enamel, smoothly fired enamel and softly matted surfaces, and patterning made with Yusen wire work and drawing techniques. The internal and external surfaces differ to emphasise the contrast. The fineness of detail, the sensation of serenity imbued into the work, the influence of my experiences in Japan, entice the viewer to come closer.
‘Tenacious Fragility’, 2016
Vitreous Enamel, Gold Leaf, Sterling Silver rim.
70 x 70 x 60mm
Bic Tieu
Current PhD Candidate, 2017
Research studies and samples
Sterling silver, copper, Japanese lacquer, eggshell.
Using the ‘integrated object’ to explore transnational dialogue between East Asia through the response of an outsider looking in. The current research is based on detailed analysis of objects from Japan with a religious connection. This series of objects which use physically traditional techniques of Japanese lacquer, eggshell, engraved and pierced surfaces to create connections and to converse with one another. Basically, the object has components in their design allowing for a physical connection. That is, the two or more pieces fit together to form a single structure. Using the principle of actor – network theory to expand on this prescribed studio method. Drafting semiotic notions relative to materiality and form to create meaningful ideas.
Bifei Cao
PhD Graduate, 2017
Bond - In process’ 2017
Australia brand baby milk powder, Wood glue, Baby oil, Pigment, Silver plated copper, Nickel
H 180mm X W 330mm X D 390mm
Blanche Tilden
Current PhD Candidate, 2017
Flow 03 necklace, 2016
Flame worked borosilicate glass, titanium
22mm high x 250 mm diameter
Photo: Grant Hancock
“Recognised for her unique approach to jewellery making and her innovative application of the material properties of industrial glasses and metals, Blanche Tilden sensitively interprets the visual language of machines and the built environment through contemporary jewellery.
These three necklaces mark a shift to a less literal and more intuitive interpretation of mechanics and architecture. Every piece draws on the circular form, emphasising transparency, balance, movement and the particular beauty of clear glass. On display, these necklaces feature curved lines of light captured by glass which come alive when worn, moving effortlessly, moulding to the body and containing light in a continuing shift and bend of refraction”.
Da Ye Kim
Current 3rd Year, Bachelor of Design Arts
‘Taste of Nature’ A Set of Plates. 2016
Anodized aluminum, Gilding metal.
Inside plate 15 x 150 42mm. Outside plate 160 x 300 x 28mm
This set of consist of 1 plate made from Gilding metal to hold food and the bottom plate, made with aluminum to hold the upper plate. In prehistoric age, people used a big leaf to hold food as we now use a plate. I was inspired from the way a real leaf allows something to sit well within it, while held in the curve of a hand. I used hammer forming techniques to make both of my metal plates fit well within each other. The green anodised surface of the aluminium make a colour contrast with gilding metal.
David Clarke
Visiting Research Fellow, 2015
5 ‘Baroque Beauties Candlesticks’ Made 2016/17
Dimensions Approx. 12cm x 12cm x15cm.
Five candlesticks bought from Ebay 1 is sterling silver the rest silver plate.We have a rush to get to the ‘goodies!’ we bypass materials, qualities and form to get to what we think is the good stuff; the metal, the silver.
With this series, I wanted to use the packing material from the sender, to include and level out the hierarchy we give to material. The packing material chosen by the seller were kept these are how I received them. Cardboard bubble wrap, polystyrene, foam and plasticised tissue.
Only necessary adjustments were made so the original function could remain. Candlesticks are traditionally stuffed with plaster with the most economical amount of metal invested in them. Baroque Beauties are hollow, the making process exposed, the weight is only the material it is made from, nothing is added.
Yet again casting is purposefully used: cheap reproduction, economic and an efficient use of material. Fast banged out tourist tat!! But hang on… there is the potential for quality and thoughtfulness to come in. The moulds rip, tear, collapse after every casting, a tool that should be permanent, flawless and everlasting becomes frail, fragile in a state of change. Much like human beings, much like society.
David Walker
Visiting Artist, Current Honorary Research Fellow
Vortex, 2016
Patinated copper, wax
265 height/length x 200 diameter
I have always been interested in architectural and engineering structures and what goes on beneath the surface in all kinds of situations. The works I have submitted below use an alternative structure to express form and function. The “blades” that make up the form allow a different means to express ideas that are concerned with that which is below the surface. The external and internal skins of a building, an aircraft wing, the hull of a ship, the skin of a human body cover and hide the complex layers of systems within the form. The floating shapes and lines within these objects hint at this hidden layering and seek to express it as a physical reality and as the subjective reality of our psychological states of being. We cannot usually see the electrical, plumbing or air-conditioning systems of a building nor the mechanical controls, the fuel and electronic systems within an aircraft wing. The physiology of a human body’s vascular and nervous systems are similarly hidden but so is the human psyche which plays a major part in driving a body and its soul. I am interested in exploring this theme of the unseen layers in an abstract, symbolic way rather than as a form of representation so that the final forms are ambiguous and allow the viewer to make a personal interpretation. 
Title: petite tray, 2009
925 silver, stainless steel, niobium
246 x 202 x 69 mm
Gilbert Riedelbauch
Visiting Artist, Current PhD Candidate
‘Not O facet black’ 2016
Aluminium composite sheet
770 x 535 x 75 mm
This object belongs to a series of works that explore the question: how to guide and when to arrest deforming stresses - when does a surface turn into an object? This work combines digitally controlled and manual processes and links contemporary materials with traditional ways of making.
The pattern I designed controls the CNC router’s path - engraving and cutting into the composite aluminium sheet. The machine cut pattern guides the manual forming of the flat sheet into a 3 dimensional object.
This lightweight, durable and colourfast material is typically used in architectural applications and makes it suitable for creating lasting individually designed works. The surface treatment is of particular interest as it translates the appearance of this material from an industrial object to a manually formed and finished work.
Haley Clarke
Current 3rd Year, Bachelor of Visual Arts
Pieces include:
‘Empty Seas’ Earrings, Single Can Pins, Four Can Brooch.
Ceramic, Sterling Silver, Stainless Steel.
Pieces range from 15mm – 32mm in height and 10mm-48mm in width.
This body of work explores my concerns with the environmental damage caused by the day to day mass consumerism which has become engrained in our society. Through these pieces I have been looking specifically at the relationship between the impacts of this consumption and the health of our oceans and their inhabitants. I have used the food can and its ‘contents’ to address these concerns through this series of wearables, which I hope will encourage viewers to become more educated on the impacts of their consumption.
Halie Rubenis
Graduate, Bachelor of Design Arts, 2014
Heuristic 1, Heuristic 2, Heuristic, 2016
55 x 80 x 12mm
Materials: Bone, Brass, HDPE, Enamel Paint, Elastic Band
This work is a series of experimental and interactive mechanical hand-held devices that have been intentionally designed to have no applied function. The work is an examination of the emotional values that can be associated with objects and linked to my interest in why we design and consume products that offer little or no practical benefit. Coupled with home-made materials recycled from domestic waste, such as once-only use plastic, with materials of historical and cultural value, the work is also a questioning of our perception of materiality and what gives objects their value.
Harriet Lee-Robinson
Graduate, Bachelor of Visual Arts, Honours, 2015
Blue cone, 2015.
Nickel plated copper, enamel paint,
10 x 8 x 9.5cm
My work aims to return human connections and relationships to silversmithing. The objects I make prompt interaction and give viewers an opportunity to explore with sense of sight and touch to discover subtle variations and details.
Kristina Neumann
Current Bachelor of Visual Arts, Honours
I initially construct flat, gridded sheets, which are later manipulated by hand. These manipulations bring movement, light and shadow to the work, forming complex internal spaces. The limited palette of brass and silver focusses the viewer’s attention on form, and invites my audience to concentrate on the physical character of each piece rather than its material worth.
The gird serves as a visual substructure for my work. My primary motif, it represents the artificial landscape of our built environment. Grids underpin each piece, providing a controlled variable around which I can manipulate other elements, such as form and pattern.
Cooperatively, these methods allow me to present wearable objects that are experienced by the body on an intimate scale, while referencing much larger spaces. In this way, my work provides both wearer and viewer a unique lens through which to view and appreciate the beauty that can be found in built forms.“
Lauren Simeoni
Visiting Artist, Bachelor of Visual Arts Graduate
‘Shadow Lines’ 2017
Rubber, plastic artificial foliage, paint, wire, glass beads
600mm x 300mm
These are a continuing investigation looking at ideas and cultural significants of cultural garlands + lei’s utilising unnatural/natural materials. These recent pieces are more refined and employ printmaking to frame and highlight their graphic quality.
Simeoni’s work is a homage to the senses - a wearable passport to a whimsical ‘other’ reality, finding the beautiful and seductive in what is otherwise thought of as mundane. The rich colours and textures of these found objects are important triggers of inspiration, and a limited pallet provides more possibilities. Her work toys with mass-production processes and she frequently reconfigures mass produced objects to create interactive conceptual jewellery.
‘Shadow Lines’ 2017
Rubber, plastic artificial foliage, paint, wire, glass beads
730 x 520mm
Lisa Chia-Liang Kao
Bachelor of Visual Arts Honours, 2013
‘Public Scale’ 2013
Silver, nickel silver, brass, wood, paint and cord
165 x 19 x 59 mm
I want the viewer to ask questions such as, what are they doing? Why is there an elephant queuing up for a public scale? Is an elephant concerned about its own weight as well? What is the landscape? A park? A zoo? I placed the people casually evenly spaced, static and naturally queuing so that the people appear to be calm and do not feel awkward with the animal in line. I want them to appear as though it’s perfectly normal for an elephant to be concerned by its own weight.
‘Pockets Neckpiece’ 2016
Fabric, clip buttons, clay, personal mementos.
100 x 170 x 5 mm
The making of Pocket Neckpiece is a reference to my habit of storing. This use of a pocket is similar to clothing in the way that it can provide a layer of covering that acts like an intimate storage space. The use of pockets in my works provided me with a form that suggests it can be opened or closed and invites further engagement from the viewer. These works were not concerned with fully revealing the actual object inside the jewellery piece as some pocket pieces may appear completely sealed, and the wearer can choose to keep them closed or open.
Matt Freeman
Current 2nd Year, Bachelor of Visual Arts
These objects, represent cutlery, not necessarily functionally. Each piece will be constructed from sheet steel with a chemically blackened surface.
I intend to develop cutlery representative of connections between cities, specifically targeting roads as a means of transport for objects of consumption. Although not functional, these sleek, black pieces will flow in the manner of roads designed to carry vehicles optimally. This will include roundabouts, overpasses, and the exits from motorways. Additionally, the work will address beauty within utilitarian construction, discuss destruction within this construction, and societies obsession with path making. This work is designed to question the capitalistic attitude of ‘growth as an imperative’, that fails to account for actions or repercussions, while also presenting a beautiful set of objects.
Megan Stewart
Current Bachelor of Design Arts, Honours
Inaugural Recipient of the Robert Foster, Gold and Silversmithing Honours Scholarship
‘Smectacle V1.2’
Heat treated titanium, Laser sintered Stainless Steel, Silicone nose pads and screws.
43.41 x 151.68 x 0.7mm
Smectacle’s are an exploration between the use of digital technology in combination within a studio based practise. Incorporating technologies such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), hand finishing and assembly fuel the juxtaposition within my work. Working with titanium enables my spectacles to be light-weight, strong and easily personalised through colour. Colour is an important aspect of my work, it allows the wearer to have an individual pair of spectacles that are unique to them and represents their personality.
Nyx Mathews
Current 3rd Year, Bachelor of Visual Arts
‘Imprint’ cutlery set. 2016
Stainless steel, brass, sawdust (reclaimed), Kid leather (recycled gloves).
“These utensils explore the role and influence of cutlery as the haptic interface between a diner and the contents of their plate”.
…Touch is obviously important (literally skin on skin, your tools touching you back; ironically, if you’re eating goat, you’re actually in skin contact with the same kind of animal you’re consuming), but also the way a tool used over time moulds itself to your physical habits, the way you exert pressure upon it, how careful you are.
Studies of space and insulation, 2016
Mixed materials
Dimensions variable, between 50-150mm
These small scale sculptures reference and abstract the forms found in various inhabited and abandoned built environments, both modern and ancient, to explore the impact of open, enclosed and insulated spaces upon architectural forms.
Studies of space and elevation, 2017
Brass, plaster, found materials.
These small scale sculptures reference and abstract the forms found in various inhabited and abandoned built environments, both modern and ancient, to explore the impact of open spaces, scaffolding and elevated elements.
Phil Aguis
Current Post Graduate Coursework
‘Tears and Teeth’, 2015
Brass.
220mm x 230mm
This work emerged from research around shame and fear and the piece is intended to be worn like a talisman. Unlike traditional talismans that protect from evil spirits from the present, past and future, this work intends to expel our own internalised maladies of spirit expressed through the words we speak and the thoughts we have. The piece operates as a neck piece and naturally forms a crescent shaped ‘mouth’, and with teeth exposed it reminds the wearer that sometimes silence is golden (a reference to the material used) and that our thoughts, possessed by self-will, can often be misguided and painful, purified only by the letting of tears.
Pheobe Porter
Visiting Artist, Teaches CCE Public Access Courses
7 grams necklace - nugget 2015
Natural gold nugget, titanium, stainless steel
240 x 160 x 8mm
These necklaces are deceptively simple. Two elements very different in appearance, balance each other perfectly, suspended below a fine titanium blade. Each element weighs exactly 7 grams. With precisely machined stainless steel on one side contrasting with a natural gold nugget or pyrophyllite disc on the other, the pieces are a meditation on balance: visual, physical and philosophical.
7 grams necklace – red line 2015
Aluminium, titanium, stainless steel, pyrophyllite
240 x 240 x 8mm
Robert Foster
Visiting Artist, Sessional Lecturer, 2013
‘Edinburgh Vase’
Anodized aluminium.
390 x 190 x 170 mm
It is with great pride that we are able to include this spectacular piece by the late Robert Foster in this exhibition. Robert was a significant alumni, mentor and influence on many within the world of arts/metalsmithing. His persistently ingenious approach to working with metal without compromise has also informed staff that work in the Gold and Silversmithing Workshop at ANU School of Art and Design. Rohan Nicol and Sean Booth both worked with Robert at Fink & Co in differing ways and times and both recognise that Foster’s infectious ingenuity has been formative to their careers.
Robert demonstrated a singular commitment and a truly experimental approach to this medium, including his famous use of explosives to form domestic metal objects.
While his approaches were extraordinary, the work that he left behind is so much more than that. From the Australian design icon the ‘Fink Water Jug’, to ‘Edinburgh Vase’ (2008) shown here, all exceed the approach to the material or processes used.
We thank Robert’s partner Gretel Harrison for the loan of this work and take this opportunity to congratulate Megan Stewart as the inaugural recipient of the Robert Foster Memorial scholarship for 2017.
Simon Azzopardi
Bachelor of Design Arts Graduate, 2015
‘The Grey Space’
Mild steel, Silver solder.
70 x 70 x 70 mm
Steve Worthington
Current 3rd Year, Bachelor of Design Arts
Gus’ Cutlery 2016
Silicon bronze and pewter
Gus’s Cafe in the heart of Canberra is an icon of cafe culture spanning 50 years. This cutlery set was designed in conjunction with the Gus’s management to celebrate the history and aesthetic of Gus’ and what it stands for. Bronze was chosen to tie in with the coppery shop fittings and pewter was chosen to allow a history of the cutlery’s use to be recorded over time in the surface of the softer metal.
Pear Wobble vase, 2016
Copper, Guilding Metal, Brass.
110 x 80 x 80 mm
This vase is designed to intentionally not be stable and allow the vase to wobble on the surface, much like a pear would sway in the wind whilst hanging from a tree. The 3 different metals were chosen to hint at the ageing of a pear from a nice fresh golden colour through to a dull reddish brown.
Playful Memories, 2017
Pewter, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, plastic rivets.
(the dimensions of the work are in your hands)
These works are about freedom, diversity and tolerance, values which resonate with me greatly. I have created a jewellery design that isn’t rigid or fixed, instead it allows for the individuality of the wearer to be expressed through their own manipulation of form and function. The pieces themselves have a certain ‘designed’ aesthetic, whilst incorporating a system that can be manipulated by the wearer to fulfil their own desired role for the pieces.
I have a great love for the MakerSpace movement, it’s ability to allow for completely customisable designs, and the desire of designers to allow that diversity. For me, this freedom of making parallels the feelings I have for tolerance and diversity in the world around us. It’s about me designing in way that enables others to change my work to suit their own requirements, and allowing them to diversify further, even by adding parts of their own into the system. In some senses I'm encouraging more people to play, explore, and find what works for themselves, as a rebellion against designers dictating what we want.
Thomas O’hara
Current PHD Candidate, 2017
Object, Untitled, 2017
250mm x 220mm x 200mm
Eucalyptus wood (I don’t know what one).
My research investigates rule based systems in the making of jewellery and objects. Our visual brains have evolved a great capacity to make sense of visual complexity. Through practice led research I am using pre-set rules of construction to add a ‘visual puzzle’ within a work and therefore engage our visual brain. This system of making, however, does not only have an effect on the physical work being made but also on the way I, as the maker, create the work. By providing a seed with which to start, by reducing some decisions while making others certain, the rule system produces an environment where conscious decisions and intuition are manipulated. My continued research will further examine the nature of systems as a method of creating visual complexity and as way of guiding conscious decision and intuition and how I might be able to manipulate this within the system.
Zoe Brand
Graduate, Bachelor of Visual Arts, Honours, 2015
‘TELL ME EVERYTHING’
‘I WAS ONLY JOKING’
‘HOW IS THIS RELEVENT’
Clear Acrylic, cord.
80 x 80 x 6mm
I make jewellery that uses jewellery archetypes, ready-mades and text to explore the performative nature of jewellery as a device for communication. I am concerned with finding language that can describe both the object or the idea of the object, as well as the person who might wear the piece. These pieces combine existing transparent Perspex blocks often used in shops and galleries for displaying jewellery and text/statements taken from everyday conversations.
This work is part of my ongoing investigation into readymade forms, more specifically from the plethora of signs and ephemera that are associated with commercial or retail situations and explores the way in which we negotiate commerce and transaction in these environments.