Friday Five: Artistic Expression

I stumbled across an exhibition at Belconnen Arts Centre called Landscapes of Decay. It features work by artists from a collective called Random9. Working in a range of mediums, they use this exhibition to explore the influence of disintegration. The exhibition is curated by Liz Taggart-Speers, and the following statement is quoted in the catalogue:

"Disintegration is a subtle whispering, a barely realised theme of everything in life. It is as finely woven into the textures of humanity as birth, creation, war, sex and love." 

As our world continually decays, erodes and transforms, we have an artistic desire to capture the ephemeral nature of our existence. Despite the expression 'as old as the hills', landscapes are impermanent. Their living nature makes them vibrant and precious, and the ability to transform with time inspires these artists to attempt to capture their essence.

From the trees branching out of seats of learning in Dianne Libke's sculpture (the dictionary supporting the found wood are enclosed within a bell jar, preventing them from access to oxygen and carbon dioxide), to Camallie Guest's black and gold pigment wash and charcoal image of a peacock with feathers named for disasters caused by human intervention, the implications of the artwork are there for the viewer to interpret. I imagine that the latter with its colour scheme of the images painted for posterity onto Greek vases and the like juxtaposed with the stereotype of shrieking vanity suggests we should be ashamed of having caused such destruction to humanity and the environment.

Melinda Brouwer's ceramic boulders remind me of the peculiar rock formations in Tidbinbilla, or the Snowy Mountains. Her work investigates the changes caused in the environment by weather, seasons and the passage of time. Similarly, Naomi Somerville's cold-worked cast glass hints at melting polar ice and all the consequences that entails.

Meanwhile, although the word 'decay' has such negative connotations, Maria Klingner sees a more positive message in transformation and ageing, representing the ups and downs in the rhythms of a baby's heartbeat, captured in a piece of jewellery. She says she likes to examine 'the dynamic connection between adornment, creative expression, daily rituals and embedded memory'.

Five Pieces of Artwork from the Exhibition, Landscapes of Decay:

Memento Senescere... To Grow Old (2015) by Dianne Libke

Promenade of Failed Ideologies (2015) by Camallie Guest

Untitled (2015) by Naomi Somerville

In Utereo (2015) by Maria Klingner

Boulders (2015) by Melinda Brouwer

My Newest Favourite Thing: Cate Blanchett's Opal Earrings

Yes, this one is very specific. But look at them - they are gorgeous! Cate is a beautiful women and an incredible actor. Her performance in Blue Jasmine was excellent, and her Oscar deserved. Her frock was a knock-out and her acceptance speech was divine, with all the right thanks to all the right people, mixed with a delicious blend of humour, self-deprecation, patriotism and gender politics.

"For so bravely and intelligently distributing the film and to the audiences who went to see it and perhaps those of us in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences. They are not. Audiences want to see them and, in fact, they earn money. The world is round, people."

But mostly, let's look at that outstanding aural bling. They are made by Swiss jewellers Chopard with 62 white opals, and pavé diamonds set in white gold. Simply stunning.

Quick Quintet: Jewellery

Collectors, screen buffs and jewellery lovers were all of a flutter recently when it was revealed that Elizabeth Taylor's magnificent jewellery collection was going to be sold at auction in New York by Christie's in December (what a lot of prepositions in that sentence - does that make it preposterous?).

She was certainly a beautiful woman (who incidentally reminds me of my mother in some shots) and she wore it well. The collection consists of 300 pieces (many of them amassed from the multiple marriages, including two-time husband Richard Burton) and is valued at approx USD 30 million. Naturally I have nothing like that, but we all have little bits of 'bling' that are important to us. Here are some of mine:

5 Favourite Pieces of Jewellery:

1. My wedding ring - obviously - designed by local jeweller Juerg P Muff and incorporating gold washed down from the hills in the floods of 1999, which left us homeless
2. A rose gold charm bracelet, made from the chain of my grandfather's fob-watch
3. A greenstone triple twist bought for me by Him Outdoors - greenstone can only traditionally be worn if given to you by someone else, and the triple twist represents, 'the joining together of two people, two peoples, two cultures for eternity even though they experience highs and lows of life they remain bonded by friendship and loyalty for life' - so that seems just about perfect then
4. A cute black dolphin with diamante eye necklace brought back from Fiji by a friend
5. A garnet and opal nose stud bought as a replacement for the one lost at the Leeds Festival while watching Chumbawamba

My newest favourite thing: artists on the green

It was a scorching hot day as I walked down to Arrowtown Village Green for a spot of art and craft. The shady positions were highly sought after as the artists and artisans sold their wares.

I love Leslie Duggan’s artwork and we have several of her colourful and vibrant fabric creations adorning our walls. One (of red hot chillies and ice cool martinis) was given to us as a wedding present. The quirky cats and jaunty pukekos are also favourites. I see she also does triptychs of more subtle korus and kiwis in muted tones which would make great wall hangings too – check them out at her garden shed gallery.

I met the charming Rex Charlesworth with his fabulous display of handcrafted glass beads and jewellery. He is inspired by dragonflies; their iridescent colours, fragile wings and superlative aerodynamics. Some of the beads featured in pendants and earrings are fashioned to represent their startling eyes.

We discussed photography and patience – he clearly has lots of it as he used to spend hours photographing dragons and damsels in minute detail and extreme close-up. You can follow a link from his Queenstown Hotglass website to see some of these wonderful images.

I was also pleased to meet the artist Christina Roach who, despite being inundated with golfing fans for the Michael Hill NZ Open, was still smiling as she painted her Central Otago landscapes. This is the scenery with which she chooses to surround herself and you can tell her connection to it with each loving brush stroke of the oil on the canvas or the dots of colour that represent glorious autumnal leaves on Tobin's Track.

Christina had almost sold out of her paintings and so was completing some more to add to her stock. Today she was painting from a photograph – a panorama of images taped together, which she kept in the front pocket of her apron. I suggested that it might be difficult to imagine the landscape while she looked out at the Arrowtown street bustling with summer visitors, but as she mixed more pockets of paint, she said she knows these hills like the back of her hand.

My Newest Favourite Thing: Jewellery

A couple of months ago I went to the National Jewellery Showcase in Wellington. I took my mother – it’s always good to take your mum to these places. She actually bought me an exquisite necklace of green glass and ornate wire shapes, but I promise I hadn’t been hinting at anything!

It was such a joy to look at these pieces and to imagine wearing them – I could put together an entire outfit around their colours and inherent suggestions of style and mood. We were drawn to cases where things caught our eye. We have different tastes but we both appreciate fine things. And there were some very fine things indeed on display.

Juerg P Muff - this man made my wedding ring so I was delighted to see him here and to have the opportunity to introduce him to my mother. The picture he was using to advertise his wares is the wedding ring of a friend of mine. His works of timeless elegance or contemporary design is made to order, and he works gold, platinum and precious stones with the magic of a Swiss wizard.

Monique Therese (Creatif Design) makes fine and intricate pieces incorporating traditional and contemporary styles, emeralds, gold and diamonds.

Tony Williams displayed a scorpion brooch with a hinged tail ending in a diamond sting - a beautiful piece with more than a hint of menace. You would certainly make a statement with his jewellery. Apparently he endeavours to fulfill Ruskin's maxim that 'fine art is that in which the hand, the head and the heart work together.'

Chris Idour also has fantastical pieces, working in a mixed media of precious metals and stones. From butterflies and dragonflies to teddy bears, his work has a 'middle earth, medieval and Nordic feel, which is quite fitting with Chris's Norwegian ancestry.'

Henderson Jewellery stood out with spider and cross motifs - these are works of art with messages of a darker side and deep emotions. Iain Henderson claims, 'I have no boundaries and don't care what others think of my jewellery', which might be just as well. All of the pieces have names, and this necklace - 'A Question of Faith' - can be worn without or without the hanging spider.

The settings of Christine Hafermalz-Wheeler were striking and bold. They are distinctive and individual - you can imagine forming a personal attachment with these creations. She says, 'My preference is for warm, organic forms that drape the body like well cut cloth; subtle combinations of materials often carry stroies that extend meaning beyond immediate visual impact.' She won the award for fine jewellery and believes that every day is an occasion and that people should wear special jewellery whenever they want.

I really liked Gold Ore Silver Mine, based right here in Cuba Mall. These New Zealand handmade designs of gold and silver, greenstone, paua and other gemstones are exquisitely simple and immensly classy.

Hey Jo's Silver combines stones and silver in bold designs, and often pictures tell stories reflected in the jade, tiger's eye and amenonite.

Another favourite was Emily Lake's Flame Art Jewellery. It felt slightly out of place here as it was glass - beads and pendants and gorgeous paperweights full of flowers or seahorses. She lives and works in Picton and runs workshops where she takes two people and teaches them her techniques - what fun it would be to take a ferry over and spend a few days there, blowing glass and tasting wine! I took her card.

The halls were thronged with people exclaiming and enjoying, touching and trying on. So many beautiful things were brought together under one roof and everyone seemed to be enjoying the art and design. This is a really fun way to spend a girls' day out. Take in a film and a meal with a few glasses of wine and the day is complete!