purpleclaire textiles: lost in lace at birmingham museum and art gallery →
A couple of weeks ago I went to the exhibition Lost in Lace. This is one of the best exhibitions I have ever been to, anywhere.
The word “lace” conjures up ideas of either rather demure or slightly tacky attire, rather than the cutting edge installations in this exhibition. Various dictionary…
Simonetta Starrabba
Rome-based Simonetta Starrabba began making jewelry when she opened an old tin box of vintage buttons that triggered in her a passion for these wonderful little objects, inspiring her to create button jewels and unleashing her newfound artistic skills. Hunting for vintage buttons ever since, she searches for these fantastic little objects anywhere from collector stores to flea markets, keeping a special preference for those from 1920’s to 1940’s as they are always different and full of smart details. These are usually made from bakelite, casein, all kinds of plastics, glass, bone, wood or crystal. In her designs, she tries to find harmony between forms and tones as she sews different buttons together, fashioning her jewelry just like a child playing LEGO. Starrabba’s constructions are charming and marvelous, yet serious and intriguing.
Suzanne Golden
After signing up for a beading class in New York taught by an artist she had read about in the newspaper, Suzanne Golden was hooked. She became a member of the Bead Society of Greater New York, where she took as many classes as she could and taught herself other techniques through magazines, books, and the Internet. Totally obsessed with the process and constantly experimenting with all types of stitching, over time Suzanne evolved her now signature style: big, bold, colorful pieces of jewelry. Golden is always trying to push the boundaries of beading to express her artistic vision, be it inspired by a picture, painting, clothing or something colorful. Playful and spectacular, Golden’s pieces do not go unnoticed.
Frank Tjepkema
After graduating from the Design Academy in Eindhoven, Holland, Frank Tjepkema immediately teamed up with Droog, collaborating with the fabled Dutch design firm on several projects, before going to work for Philips Design. In Amsterdam, he set up his own studio called Tjep, where he worked on interior design and architecture projects, as well as furniture and jewelry. “Clockwork Love” is his most recent jewelry collection, which consists of six timepieces expressing different ‘heart moods’ through the layering of wheels and gears of clockwork along with other symbols to form pendant hearts. These riveting frozen mechanical arrangements illustrate the complicated mechanism of emotion while linking up to themes such as fragility, passion, uncertainty, and desire.
