Jewellery

Having been working in the gallery for a few days, and carrying out a stock take of all the jewellery, I’d been inspired! Jewellery making has always been a passion of mine, and something I have done since I was young. Every spare minute I had, my box of beads would be out and I would be designing and creating something new.

Sadly as I have got older, due to commitments such as school, and now university I haven’t had as much time to spend on making jewellery. But all is not lost! It’s the summer holidays and the last few days that I have had off from the gallery I have spent designing, creating, taking apart and then remaking various pieces of jewellery.

It was so exciting to go through all the various beads, embellishments and findings I’d collected over the years, most of all a selection I bought 3 years ago from a shop called Bead World near Times Square in New York and another selection I had bought 2 years when I was on holiday in Boston, MA and visited Cape Cod for the day.

Anyway here are some of the pieces I have made…

Ballard Halls

On arriving at the gallery the other morning I was drawn in to mad rush that was everyone trying to bubble wrap up what appeared to be most of the art work that the gallery stock, so my boss Karen could take it to be displayed in a show house for a new housing development at Ballard Hall.

Ballard Halls were halls of residence built in the sixties for Sheffield Polytechnic (my Dad lived there when he was a student!) and about ten years ago, after been derelict for a while, they were demolished. The secondary school I attended was just across the road from Ballard Hall and having passed the boarded up deserted plot of land everyday for many years, its nice to see development taking place after such along time.

The show house was still undergoing decorating and furnishing and we were there to help choose what artwork to display. The house had four bedrooms, three living spaces and an open plan kitchen and dining room spread over five floors – together worth a million pounds! So we had a lot of ground to cover. We worked our way up the house trying to find pieces that worked well within in each space. Not only did we have to consider size and colour but some pieces had to compete with quite elaborate wallpaper. It was challenging at times and quite time consuming but Karen and I were pleased with the pieces we chose, and it turned out to be a good job that we took as many works as we did – there were only a few that did not end up being displayed.

As an architecture student I was just enjoying being on site as the development of other houses was taking place, but having the chance to explore one of the homes and being very familiar with the surrounding area I automatically started to question and analysis the design choices. Overall a very enjoyable day all round and very different to anything I’ve done before.

Cupola Gallery

Having been on holiday, taking time to relax in the sun and let off some steam it was time to head back to Sheffield, and back to reality. With over a month of free time on my hands ahead of me, I felt I needed to use my time wisely and productively before it was time to start university again. So I have started volunteering at an art gallery in Hillsborough, called Cupola Contemporary Art. So far each day at the gallery has been different.  It is keeping me very busy and I’ve found working in an environment surrounded by such a wide range of art is keeping me inspired and constantly giving me ideas that I can apply to my own work. 

Summer Begins…

After a challenging and demanding 8 months of hard work, my second year of studying architecture had finally come to an end. Although stressful at times it was a fantastic year, and I am proud to have survived it! I am excited (but also nervous) and intrigued to see what third year has install for me… But not without a well deserved break first!

I visited Spain for two weeks with some of my school friends, first staying in Barcelona, then travelling south to Benicassim Festival for a week, then returning to Barcelona for a final few days.

Barcelona – take 1

Our first morning in Barcelona was spent sat outside a café sipping ice tea, enjoying the warm temperatures whist being perfectly shaded by Sagrada Família. Views of the cathedral were still obstructed by scaffolding and cranes, as it had been when I visited many years ago, so I was struggling to see how the construction of Sagrada Família had progressed since then. However, how much the construction had come along became apparent much later.

From Sagrada Família we headed to the north of the city to visit Park Güell. Antonio Gaudi’s designs were often characterised by organic and nature inspired sculptural forms, Park Güell appearing to have a reptilian theme. The long curved mosaic tiled bench personified a sea serpent, which surrounded a large open space, which also provided viewpoints over Barcelona down to the coast. However I preferred the more sheltered enclosed spaces adjacent to this. As the paths winded up from street level we were lead to cavernous areas formed from leaning columns and made from stone, producing a scaly effect. The beauty of the mosaic tiles reflecting the sun and the flowing sculptural forms which create social spaces provide the perfect escape from the busy city.

Returning to the city we continued our Gaudi themed sight seeing, and visited Casa Batlló. Again easily recognisable as one of Antonio Gaudi’s works, the structure had more of a skeletal form but still featured a scaly ‘fish’ like tiled roof.

During a stay in Barcelona we also spent time by the coast, browsing the market stalls and of course a bit of sunbathing. But one thing you can’t miss on the sea front is the giant fish sculpture, designed by Frank Gehry for the 1992 Olympics.

Benicassim

Finally it was time to head south for Benicassim Festival! After what seemed like the longest coach journey of our life we arrived in Oropesa, a town just outside of Benicassim. The festival was four days long and I was lucky to enjoy some amazing bands with my friends, in an incredible atmosphere. The performances covered so many genres I was able to enjoy the likes of Bob Dylan, Bombay Bicycle Club, The Maccabees, The Vaccines and David Guetta. However my favourites were The Stone Roses, Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds especially. Singing along to ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ is definitely one of my favourite and most memorable moments of the holiday.

It was neither practical nor safe to take my SLR camera to the festival, but I had my trusty disposable cameras! I always embrace the chance to use disposable cameras, especially at festivals just for their vintage quality and imperfections. With the festival taking place during the night, to avoid the high daytime temperatures, the pictures did not come out as well as if they had been taken in the daylight, but the cameras fulfilled their purpose all the same!

Barcelona – Take 2

After a long week of festival madness we returned to Barcelona for one night in an attempt to recover before flying back to England. On our last day we revisited Sagrada Família, to properly experience the building.

On entering the Cathedral I was both amazed and speechless. Previously when I had visited many years ago, all I can recall is being rushed through a dark and dusty obstacle course of scaffolding. But this was quite a transformation. The vault heights alone were overwhelming, and the amount of light that entered the space was quite uplifting. With a rainbow of colours projecting from the stained glass windows all around the cathedral, it was quite a magical ambiance.

To say I was impressed would be an understatement. I look forward to returning in 2028 to see the finished outcome!

End of Year Exhibition

I ended my second year of university by helping curate and put together our End of Year Exhibition. As second years we were in charge of the second year exhibition - but we were also on hand to help the third years. We had exactly one week to choose the work to be displayed and plan how to exhibit it. A lot of time was spent arranging work, then rearranging, painting walls and then repainting but we got there in the end! With all work to be pinned up and on display by 4 o’clock Friday afternoon the whole school pulled together and the outcome was brilliant.

The opening followed that night and with an excellent turn out! It was great to see the work of other students and learn about projects carried out by other years. I was paying special attention to the third year exhibition of course, to get an idea of what is install for me. Here are a few works that caught my eye…