Building on the Body: Identity, Materials, Jewelry by 108contemporary

8/2-9/22

Cover: Cocktail Ring, Sharon Massey

Photograph: Jack Dean

Model: Laurel Ryan

Building on the Body: Identity, Materials, Jewelry

Place and Materiality

Architecture to Art Jewelry: The Use of Industrial Materials on an Intimate Scale

by Kat Cole, 108|Contemporary Lecturer

Demitra Thomloudis, studio jeweler, is an Assistant Professor in the Jewelry & Metalwork area at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia. She received her MFA from San Diego State University and a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Recognized internationally she has been invited to exhibit, lecture, and teach at The Museum of Arts and Design, The Museum of Modern Art, Arnhem, The Benaki Museum; The Hellenic Museum, and The Penland School of Crafts among others. Residencies include the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Smitten Forum. Publications include To the Point, New Necklaces, CAST, 500 Plastic and Resin Jewelry, 500 Enameled Objects, and The Art of Jewelry: Plastic & Resin. She is represented by Charon Kransen Arts, Alliages Organization, and Penland Gallery.

Materiality presents an explicit lens to observe the authority of place/site within jewelry’s historical and contemporary contexts and its inseparable bond it has to individuality, society, and culture. Materiality in itself contributes to meaning-making through dialogues, selections, and actions. As makers, we work between the gap of what we intend to say and how our methods and materials inherently subsist as we reflect through them. The crafting of jewelry is a means to profoundly support our foundations for self-expression and identity. In many ways it exists to engage intimately with the body in an effort to deepen our understanding of the world we are surrounded by.

Cole is a studio artist in Dallas, TX. Cole received her MFA at East Carolina University and BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is co-founder of the online and pop-up project Jewelry Edition and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Society for North American Goldsmiths. Kat Cole’s work is internationally recognized and has been published in Lark Books’ 500 Enameled Objects, Schiffer Publishing’s Art Jewelry Today 3, Metalsmith Magazine, Ornament, American Craft and Art Jewelry Magazine. Her work is in private and public collections including The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, Racine Art Museum and Houston Museum of Fine Art.

Humans began making beads out of shells for bodily adornment, some of our first creative endeavors and one of the defining characteristics of our species, 75,000 years ago. It was 12,000 years ago that historians point to an ancient Mediterranean people who built round structures for housing as our first examples of architecture. Our basic need for shelter has grown to encompass a transformation of the landscape with more than half of the world population living in cities. We spend a vast majority of our time in these structures of our own making — living our daily lives within the context of architecture. Often, this is without thought to the buildings and their materials that constantly surround us. It is only by changing the context that one can appreciate the everyday.

Concrete, glass, steel — materials of the urban landscape are ubiquitous and banal. They are chosen for their abundance, durability and strength. What happens when those same materials are reinterpreted, scaled down, into the intimate landscape of the human body? Concrete with diamonds, gold on steel, bricks and pearls — the art jewelry world is rich with artists using materials that have been appropriated from industrial purposes. While the use of found objects is not new to studio jewelry — some jewelers are researching and developing new ways of working with materials usually associated with large-scale architectural purposes with surprising affect. These innovative makers take materials that would not normally wear well on the body and transform them into pieces of wearable art that challenges our notions of what is “precious.” What speaks more poetically of the human condition of today — gold and diamonds or steel and concrete?

Kat

by Demitra Thomloudis, Feature Artist

London, England

eleanor bolton

Cotton, acrylic, stainless steel, brass

7.1” x 6.3” x .5”

Cotton rope, yarn

12.6” x 7.1” x 1.2”

Eleanor Bolton is a British designer based in London. Eleanor trained at the Royal College of Art graduating in 2010. Her unique craft technique of coiling and hand stitching cotton rope creates sculptural yet lightweight tactile jewelry. Through working intuitively, the material provides the information and inspiration for the growing forms that evolve through a sensitivity to the micro details of the making process as well as to the precise scale of the pieces. The movement, knotting and twisting of the coils reveals the striking stitching in contrasting colors, while their form as large-scale jewelry pieces celebrates the softness, tactility, and lightness of the material. This attention to detail, combined with the innovative use of the materials, define Eleanor’s approach. She aims to use the manipulation of simple materials to create something unexpected and unusual. Color inspiration for the pieces often comes from the palette of fine art painters.

“I am known for my unique craft technique of coiling and hand stitching cotton rope to create sculptural yet lightweight tactile jewelry.”

Large Knot Necklace

Atlas Necklace

Zadie Necklace

Gray Multi-strand Necklace

Dallas, Texas

kat cole

18” x 10” x 1”

Color Landscape

Steel, enamel, stainless steel

8” x 4” x 1”

I find meaning through the observance and intimate awareness of the places I inhabit. With each geographic change, I have become more attuned to the natural and man-made attributes that make a location unique. I look to the built environment, the city in which I live, for the formal qualities of my work: materials, forms, color, and surface quality. The steel and concrete structures that surround us are evidence of human inhabitants past and present. Monumental structures are interpreted into the intimate scale of jewelry and are completed when worn on the landscape of the body.

I work in steel and porcelain enamel, both materials predominately used industry, on the small scale of the body. The combination allows me to create unique and lightweight forms with distinctive surfaces and colors. Enamel is sifted or painted onto the surface of the hollow steel forms and fused in a kiln at 1500 degrees.

“I find meaning through the observance and intimate awareness of the places I inhabit.”

Boundary Lines Loop #1 Red Steel, enamel

Boundary Lines Loop #2 Steel, enamel

Glasgow, Scotland

karen-ann dicken

Karen-Ann Dicken is a jewelry designer and lecturer based in Scotland. She graduated with her MA from the Royal College of Art in 2007 and is currently researching for her PhD looking at the use of 3D printing to make tooling for craft.

Mountain City Ring

18ct gold

1.4” x 1.4” x 2”

Asteroid City

quartz

2” x 1” x 1”

Her collection of city jewelery was inspired by a concept of Buckminster Fuller and his idea that if you make a geodesic dome big enough then the air inside will be lighter than the frame, and we could build cities that floated around the world. The collection explores the possibilities of these being built and the implications of such a project. Would this be utopia? Or would this be a floating housing scheme where people feel restricted and trapped by their surroundings? Her work is created through laser welding and 3D printing, predominantly using steel and gold.

“The

initial concept for the collection was to produce jewelry that was fragile looking and yet strong using the theories of triangulation as seen in engineering and architecture. The pieces are created using laser welding as a production method.”

Las Cruces, New Mexico

motoko furuhasHi

Untitled Hammer sank pewter

19.69” x 15.75” x 2.36”

Mesilla

Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

2.95” x 2.95” x 1.2”

NMSU Parking Lot

Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

2.95” x 2.95” x 1.2”

Anthony

Tape, road segments, brass, silver, powder coat, paint

2.95” x 2.95” x 1.2”

My research has been influenced by the locations where I have lived or visited. Since my childhood, growing up in Tokyo, I use my imagination by looking at maps to travel around the world. My recent works still have been inspired by my experiences traveling, and the roads that take me from one place to another. I use materials from streets that show physical evidence of the passage of time. This is characterized by my selection of “insignificant” objects as the focal point. Raw materials collected from locations I have visited become precious pieces of evidence that recall the nostalgia or history of a specific place. These objects carry the sustainable value. Relevant to the site from which it has been excavated, each found object is a unique representation of the interrelationships between time, location, perception, and importance. Materials that at first glance appear insignificant, are actually relics of an entire narrative that would normally be forgotten. Each imperfection represents a thread of its own reality, unique to itself and carries the history of a distant memory. Highlighting narratives behind these imperfections is what I strive for. My work is a shift in the meaning of perfection transforming our perception of reality to new perspectives.

“My research has been influenced by the locations where I have lived or visited. I use materials from streets that show physical evidence of the passage of time.”

Providence, Rhode Island

yong joo kim

In Light of II Series #2

Velcro® hook & loop fastener, thread

6.2” x 6.2” x 3.9”

Passen Necklace

Velcro® hook & loop fastener, thread

28” x 9.4” x 4.3”

For me, making art is a way of exploring this simple yet complex question: what does it mean for us to survive? I focus primarily on a single material: hook and loop fasteners. The choice to create jewelry out of an inexpensive material often considered unattractive and mundane was originally inspired by two reasons. On the one hand, it was to survive financially by keeping material costs down. On the other hand, it was to challenge my ability to survive in a field known for its use of attractive and precious materials. What I have since learned is that the creative process is also something that requires survival.

In the creative process, we often get stuck. When we do, we feel as if there is a finite limit to our ability to create. To survive the creative process is to continue to feel alive when we get stuck by not giving up. To do this, we must be able to embrace and appropriately respond to a variety of unpleasant surprises, so as to overcome them. When we do this, we often end up with art that defies our imagination—art that provides us with experience of sublime, inspiration, and beauty that helps us realize there still exists infinite possibilities. I wish to share these experiences with those who witness or wear my work.

“I find new ways of looking, decomposing, composing, and creating a relationship between jewelry and our body.”

Indiana, Pennsylvania

sharon massey

Brickwall Knuckleduster

Copper, enamel

2” x 4” x .5”

Necklace (variation), Ductwork Collection

Copper, enamel, salvaged galvanized steel

12” x 5” x 2”

Cocktail Ring

Copper, enamel, nickel

4” x 4” x 4”

My work is inspired by the post-industrial landscape of Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. As the Rust Belt region has shifted from a reliance on coal, steel, and manufacturing; remnants of that past have remained. Smokestacks, chimneys, and other masonry edifices are scattered like monuments around the region. These brick structures dominate both the urban landscape and the surrounding countryside.

The Ductwork and Brickwork series of jewelry investigates the architecture of the postindustrial landscape and the metalwork within it. Using copper and enamel to imitate masonry patterns, and salvaged galvanized steel with a crystalline surface, I create abstractions of familiar architectural forms.

“My work is inspired by the postindustrial landscape of Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, and I pay homage to the region’s blue-collar past through my use of both labor and materials.”

Detroit, Michigan

tiff massey

Lousiana St.

Hazelnut wood, copper, broom, rope, string

19.5” x 6” x 3”

Nevada St.

Hazelnut wood, copper, rope, caution tape

12” x 8.25” x 1.25”

Hildale St.

Hazelnut wood, silver, rope, book

14” x 7” x 2.5”

Beaubian St.

Pine wood, copper, glass, rope

17.5” x 7.5” x 2.25”

My work merges the regal aesthetics of traditional African fashion and hair-styling techniques with the grandiose bravado of 1980’s hip-hop jewelry. Influenced by Detroit’s history of ostentatious fashion, my work examines how symbols of wealth in the regalia of African diaspora affect the viewer’s behavior and attitude, eliciting an experience where viewers may encounter an object and engage in thoughts and/or acts of vanity. What intrigues me the most about my wearable sculptures is how the work makes people feel. Once the body activates the piece, the wearer takes on a persona very different from their first encounter with the works. This brief window of sureness; the “I’m it” expression validates the very essence of its conception. This is why I make. This is the Detroit way-oflife being shared through the vehicle of jewelry. This is not just a symbolic gesture usually associated with love. The work is about you and your own “you-ness” when you feel like a million bucks — Slick Rick said it best: “I’m fresh, dressed like a million bucks.”

My experience with jewelry became my gateway to other media, to a larger perspective, and to making large-scale sculpture, always with a consistent emphasis on adornment. What happens when the viewer becomes adorned and how does the environment facilitate that transition from the unadorned to the adorned? How does the context and placement of an object influence an individual’s perception of self? The work first seduces the viewer, creating a desire to take, touch, and activate. Once activated the pieces immediately create a sense of confidence in the wearer, producing an increased desire to show off and be seen.

“My work is an observation of class, race and contemporary culture, viewed through the lens of African adornment and life in Detroit.”

Tokyo, Japan

ritsuko ogura

White Roll Brooch

Corrugated cardboard, acrylic color, silver, paint

2.1” x 2.8” x 1.9”

Burnt Ball Brooch

Corrugated cardboard, silver 3.23”

Back to Wood Bracelet

Corrugated cardboard, cashew nut resin coating, rubber cord

2.8” x 2.95” x 2.95”

Neck Wave

Corrugated cardboard, acrylic color

17.3” x 17.3” x 4.7”

I was fortunate to come across corrugated cardboard. I use corrugated cardboard for the following reasons: It is cheap, unprecious, popular, standard manufactured material of our time. It must be very easy for everybody to find all over the world. Originally, we use it for packing, so it never attracts people’s attention by itself. It has a destiny to be thrown away instantly after people have used it up. It’s totally different from Japanese paper which is very beautiful and artistic itself. So, it fascinates and inspires me very much. When I think about how I can make it into jewelry and how I can give it power, brilliance, dignity, grace, etc., I can imagine so many things in my mind. Also, I can discover and explore many possibilities whenever I face this material. Finally, it will metamorphose into beautiful jewelry.

“I use corrugated cardboard for the following reasons: It is cheap, unprecious, not special, popular, typical standard manufactured from factories in our time.”

Milano, Italy

federica sala

There’s a reality to discover, in which everything is possible, and it is exactly the opposite of what we know. Through my work I’m looking for the union and balance of elements, defying the laws of the reality we know, playing with the whimsical nature of glass, wood, and iron, my elective materials. All the uncertainties I see in our surroundings are turned into delicate jewelry pieces that once placed on the body, there’s nothing else you can think about.

My work is deeply based on a scientific approach to materials that I manipulate to create things never seen before. By pushing the boundaries of materials, I look for the inner tension of things that I shape into a new temporary balance.

“By pushing the boundaries of materials, I look for the inner tension of things that I shape into a new temporary balance.”

Richmond, Virginia

caItie sellers

Renovation #2 Bracelet

Sterling silver, copper mesh

4.5” x 3” x 1.75”

Brick Necklace

Sterling silver, copper mesh

8.5” x 7” x 1”

Highways, railroads, and power lines link us in a common web across the developed world, and while these structures require the most sophisticated engineering to accomplish they are so familiar as to be largely ignored. I turn this imagery into adornment, using the language of jewelry to load value onto these basic necessities for modern urban life.

I am interested in the subtle changes of architectural details between cities and the visual cues that inform an outsider of a place’s personality. Having lived in numerous cities, I use my observations to catalogue these similarities and differences and then reflect them in my work. The subtlety allows the wearer of my pieces to make a connection to their specific place in the world by dressing in a representation of its landscape.

Using soldering, fusing, and hand forming, I primarily work with oxidized sterling silver, fine copper mesh, 18k gold, and precious stones.

“My work is informed by my sense of place and observations of the many cities in which I’ve lived. I am intrigued by the urban landscape.”

Brno, Czech Republic

jiRi sibor

Untitled, Twisted Circles

Stainless steel, acrylic, cold connected-riveted

2.6” x 2.6” x 1.7”

Green & Fluo Yellow

Stainless steel, glass rods, cold connected-riveted

2.84” x 1.9” x .79”

Untitled, The Circle Series

Stainless steel, acrylic, cold connected-riveted

2.4” x .5”

Blue & Fluo Yellow

Stainless steel, glass rods, cold connected-riveted

3.54” x .43” x .63”

As I create wearable small objects, I use architectonical language and engineering structure in combination with glass or acrylic, which bear influence of the light.

Translucency and reflections of the light is my target. The subtle light is a phenomenon which we perceive directly, spontaneously, without a need to evaluate it rationally.

“In my jewelry, there is an essence of architecture, design, and engineering elements that surround me and are deeply rooted in the history of my country.”

Athens, Georgia

Demitra Thomloudis

Reconstructed: Grid

Paint, cement, fibers, resin, steel, wood, duct

tape, sterling silver, nickel silver

4” x 3” x 1.75”

(W)eighted, 15.014 Ounces Necklace

Paint, cement, resin, steel, wood, sterling silver, nickel silver

12” x 12” x 1.5”

On loan from the collection of Efharis Alpedis

(W)eighted, Necklace with

Reassembled Interior

Paint, cement, resin, steel, wood, sterling silver, nickel silver

20” x 12” x 2”

My work acts as a mobile vestige; rooted in place, personal narrative, and identity. I am influenced by the vernacular architecture and landscapes of site-specific locations which has led me to extract aesthetic characteristics and construction techniques that I employ in creating works for the body. As an artist using jewelry and objects as an artistic format for self expression, my work intends to challenge the construct of the medium as a means to examine value, material sign systems, and extensions of personal/place identity. By relating to the aesthetics of architecture, landscape, and place I see jewelry as a means to connect us closer to the world we are surrounded by.

“My jewelry is influenced by the vernacular architecture and landscapes of site-specific locations.”

El Paso, Texas

JESS TOLBERT

Staplewear 9

Staples, steel

2.25” x 2.5” x 1.25”

Staplewear 3

Staples, steel, sterling silver

3.25” x 1.5” x 0.25”

A humble staple is often overlooked, simply used to bind a few pages together, or to post a flyer to a lamppost; its purpose does not often extend beyond what it was intended for. I am drawn to its recognizable form and to the rhythm of its use. Through repetitive actions of layering, patterning, and systemically constructing, I replicate the pace of mass production, but not its protocols. With infinite possibilities, I reflect upon the unknown makers and their process to create a product that is now my raw material, capturing labor in the form of jewelry.

“I am drawn to a staple’s recognizable form and the rhythm of its use.”

San Francisco, California

Julia Turner

Stack Bracelet

Maple, stain, sterling silver, steel, magnetic clasp

2.5” x 2.75” x 1”

Lamina #3 Walnut, steel

7” x 10” x .5”

I create graphic and sculptural pieces that are strong and subtle, beautifully crafted, and a pleasure to live with. My work is driven by a continuous exploration of materials and techniques from diverse disciplines. My studio tables are piled with small experiments in form and surface which I arrange and re-arrange, finding tensions, creating compositions, moving ideas forward, and developing the strongest impulses into finished work. I freely combine everything that interests me; mixing hot and cold connections, carving and fabricating, wood and gold, traditional enamel and industrial paint. My work reflects a fascination with the boundary between the human-built and natural worlds, the beauty of accidental collaborations between them, and our often funny ideas about what we can and can’t control.

“My work is driven by a continuous exploration of materials and techniques from diverse disciplines.”

Iowa City, Iowa

Kee-ho Yuen

Time out

Gold plated silver, bronze, anodized aluminum, bird eye maple wood, and rock

4” x 3” x 2.5”

Look beyond the adjectives

Anodized aluminum, wild rice, Pyrex glass, brass, rock, cork, acrylic paint, Plexiglass, and laser printer ink, glass bottle by Benjamin Revis

2.75” x 2.25” x 1.75”

My work is an evolving collage of both the philosophy and the sensibility of the East and West. It is an aesthetic investigation as well as a quest to whimsically comment on human emotions and interactions. I employ an eclectic use of contemporary and traditional technologies and materials, ranging from advanced 3-D computer modeling to traditional fabrications and enameling.

“My work is an evolving collage of both the philosophy and the sensibility of the East and West.”

Special Thanks to our Generous Patrons January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019

Myra Block Kaiser

George Kaiser Family Foundation

The Anne & Henry Zarrow Foundation

Hogan Assessment Systems

Jean Ann and Tom Fausser

Maxine and Jack Zarrow

Family Foundation

Robin Ballenger

Burt B. Holmes

The Mervin Bovaird Foundation

Arts Alliance Tulsa

Shannon and Eric Richards

Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass

Charles and Lynn Schusterman

Family Foundation

Jan Jennings and Herb Gottfried

Bank of Oklahoma

Susie and Tom Wallace

Corey Block

St. John Ascension

Frederic Dorwart

Flint Family Foundation

The McGill Foundation

Larry and Marilyn Lee

Robert and Roxana Rozsa Lorton

William F. and Susan W. Thomas

Kathleen Baab

Katherine G. and John Coyle

Peter M. Walter

TODD Architecture Group

Sanford & Irene Burnstein

Foundation

Doug Campbell

Holbrook Lawson and Rick Holder

Ruth K. Nelson

Anonymous

Oklahoma Arts Council

Kalpana Misra

Anchor Stone Company

Cecil & Virgie Burton Foundation

The Gelvin Foundation

Tammie and David Maloney

The Charles and Marion Weber Foundation

The Newman Family Foundation Bank of Oklahoma

William F. and Susan W. Thomas

Peter M. Walter

Margaret and Jack Neely

Leigh Ann Moss

Debbie Zeligson

Hall Estill

The Judith & Jean Pape Adams Charitable Foundation

Barbara Brehm

Kathleen Gerety and James

Howard

Kirkpatrick Family Foundation

Janet and Ken Levit

Annie and Jeff Van Hanken

Kathleen Patton Westby Foundation

Sandy and Bob Sober

Janis Updike and James M. Walker

Caroline Crain

Sherri Goodall

Woody Guthrie Center

Susan and Boby Mase

David and Carolyn Nierenberg

The University of Tulsa Oklahoma Center for the Humanities

Winston Peraza

Derek Pettifer

Terri and Nigel Higgs

Julie Allen

Laura and Scott Andrews

Michael and Dana Birks

Daniel Burnstein

Matt Carney

Crossland Construction Company

Samantha Weyrauch Davis

Beth Downing and Gavin W. Manes

Janet Hasegawa

Christian Keesee

Kenneth Lawence

Cindy McGhee

Marcy and Bernard Robinowitz

Andrea B. Schlanger

M. Teresa Valero

Marcia MacLeod

Cristina Umezawa

Martin Wing

Nancy and Andrew Wolov

Melanie and Lex Anderson

Laura and Scott Andrews

Julie Allen

Christina Burke

Kenya Carter

Jan and David Finer

Katie Fox

Terri and Nigel Higgs

Christian Keesee

Kenneth Lawrence

Rita Levit

Marcy and Bernard Robinowitz

M. Teresa Valero and Ghayth G. Coussa

Red Scarecrow Brooch, Ritsuko Ogura

108|Contemporary

Executive Board

Myra Block Kaiser, Chair

Jean Ann Fausser, Vice Chair

Jan Jennings, Secretary

Scott Andrews, Treasurer

Board of Directors

Barbara Brehm

Kathie Coyle

Samantha Weyrauch Davis

Katie Fox

Terri Higgs

Holbrook Lawson

Roxana Rozsa Lorton

Marcia MacLeod

Kalpana Misra

Leigh Ann Moss

Winston Peraza

Shannon Richards

Cristina Umezawa

Janis Updike Walker

Martin Wing

Board Interns

Sarah Andrews

Bonita James

Derrick Pettifer

Staff

Susan Baley Executive Director

Jennifer Boyd Exhibition Director

Jack Dean Communications Coordinator

Laurel Ryan Community Engagement Manager

BOB Exhibit Committee

Jan Jennings, Chair

Jennifer Boyd

Barbara Brehm

Catherine Crain

Jack Dean

Brian Hughes

Erin Rappleye

Cristina Umezawa

Jeff Van Hanken

Graphic Design

Cristina Umezawa and TCC Digital Media Students

Video

We thank our generous models for their time and participation.

Brady Craft, Inc., dba 108|Contemporary, is a charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Entry wall installation