Artists statement
Most people who live in Australia rarely venture from its verdant coastal fringes whose spectrums are dominated by greens and blues. Living on the coast in one of Australia's most lush and tropical areas for many years, my artistic inspirations have been shaped by these seascapes- yet exposure to Australia's ancient landscapes inspires in a different dimension and ultimately holds you in thrall.
Eighteen months ago, three hours drive west of Cairns; I arrived at a place that, unknown to me, was to become a special nexus for my own cultural landscape. In this savannah bush terrain, glimpses of the harsh contest of wills between man and nature over many years prompted a re-examination of my personal palette and notions of preciousness. This exhibition, Parred Down, documents the resultant journey- paring to the quintessential.
Only with close and patient examination one begins to perceive the preciousness amidst the rocks and ruins in this harsh landscape, so it can be with some jewellery. The true value (or preciousness) of a piece of jewellery can only be appraised in the context of its creation. Hence these neckpieces reflect the hidden treasures, past and present, natural and man-made, of this isolated environment referencing the layers of occupation as well as the changes in the landscape over the seasonal cycles. Fundamental principles of jewellery in the form of beauty, colour, style, symmetry and bodily enhancement have been applied to the ordinary, imbuing the pieces with accessibility, whilst generating a true notion of preciousness.
Traditionally perceived, jewellery involves the use of precious metals and gemstones with accompanying cultural perspectives and monetary values. The methods here are drawn from another, parallel history of decorative objects worn by a wider cross-section of peoples across the globe. Folk, costume, ethnic and modern designer jewellery are all part of this parallel history, where ornament knows no rules and values are decreed by purpose and context, rather than by monetary worth. My chosen materials are non-precious in the traditional sense- glass, brass and copper wire, leather and beads- all sympathetic to a sensitive interpretation of stories. The techniques and construction- bead weaving, wire wrapping and knotting- are also accessible as are the methods of creating the glass pieces - casting, fusing and bead making.
The current work explores the dimensions, chameleon like qualities and potential of glass as an enhancement to the neck. The neck is focal because, while various parts of the anatomy have been bared or covered over time, the neck's position in the landscape of the body has always been critical to the dialogue between the heart and the brain, and often a place where amulets were worn to ward off the evil eye. Within the anatomy of jewellery, the neck plays a pivotal role as the place where the piece is secured to the body, usually via a chain, cord, or beaded rope supporting the central focus. Hence the raison d être of these has been primarily utilitarian. In Parred Down this is not so. The whole is the sum of the parts with all sections contributing to the symmetry of the piece. The use of repeated elements is redolent of musical composition in which all combine to create the score. This is particularly evident in Taxonomy of a Ghosting Gum and its alternative perspective-Ghost Gum- Life Cycle. While the early series concentrated solely on the neck, Botanicals venture to sculpt to the contours of the upper body and are viewable from all angels.
For most people looking precedes seeing. The preciousness of much jewellery exacerbates this tendency. Hence a focus on the non-precious has enabled the scaling up of elements of particular pieces. Writ large, these pieces both have an independent life and also reflect back to the miniatures from whence they come to enhance and concentrate the seeing of the audience.
The length and road of this journey has been long, often unnerving, and always challenging. A crossroads in one's life offers the opportunity for change- good or bad, positive or negative, reinvigorating or deliberating. As an artist, I have trodden this road initially with trepidation and finally with satisfaction. In exploring colour, form, tradition and technique I discovered that the beginning and the end are inextricably linked. Shattering my glass ceilings in colour consciousness, challenging my sense of the precious, experimenting with up-scaling and re-locating my locus of landscape have moved me light years from my comfort zone but, in so doing, have returned me to my roots in glass - pâte de verre - from whence I have a new artistic launching pad into the future.
Judith Bohm-Parr 2007