Okay, I must say that last week at MoB Workspace, Miss Liana aka Plastic Girl and we had a most dreadfully horrible thing happen to us both. I finally feel like I'm ready to talk about it.At all started on a bright sunny morning in the studio when we eagerly pounced on the city newspaper, hoping that our press release promoting our web launch would have had some sort of an effect. Well, there was jewellery news alright. Indeedee doo- an article entitled "Handcrafted with brains and beauty" all about a certain Rebecca (Mitchell) but no mention of our own fabulous selves! OUTrageous. The fact that she is a former international model and certainly makes a pretty picture really got our female danders up.
After all, neither of us are strangers to the arts of female beauty and poise: Liana was once the belly dancing champion of Australia (or the universe) and I did 2 years hard graft at the Joh Bijelke-Peterson School of Physical Culture (Queensland's answer to Hitler Youth- involved alot of marching, shining faces and hair scraped back in bouffant buns, what were my parents thinking?).
But what really was so terribly hurtful were Rebecca-former-international-model-mother-of-2's words: "our collection employs only natural products - never glass or plastic - in its creation." Now, I could say that using gemstone beads sourced from "exotic locations in Turkey, Asia and the Middle East and the vast islands of the Pacific" does not maketh a personally handcrafted piece of jewellery and that until you diamond drill through hundreds of beach pebbles, thousands of pieces of tumbled glass and melt and shape millions of bits of plastic, you don't really know the meaning of the term 'handcrafted', but no, I won't say that. Because that would be petty.
So I spent the weekend in the kitchen fuming in the fumes, melting my way through a stack of vinyl records and milk bottle tops on my new Art Wrecko jewellery inspired by Nana Mouskouri for Flash Trash. Sneak peek:But what really was so terribly hurtful were Rebecca-former-international-model-mother-of-2's words: "our collection employs only natural products - never glass or plastic - in its creation." Now, I could say that using gemstone beads sourced from "exotic locations in Turkey, Asia and the Middle East and the vast islands of the Pacific" does not maketh a personally handcrafted piece of jewellery and that until you diamond drill through hundreds of beach pebbles, thousands of pieces of tumbled glass and melt and shape millions of bits of plastic, you don't really know the meaning of the term 'handcrafted', but no, I won't say that. Because that would be petty.
Info about our web launch:Web Launch: Museum of Brisbane Jewellers Now Online
Venue: Craft Queensland
Dates: Thursday 24 August – Wednesday 20 September 2006 inclusive
Contemporary jewellers Liana Kabel and Rebecca Ward of Museum of Brisbane Workspace have combined forces to launch their websites in 2006. www.lianakabel.com and www.rebeccawardjewellery.com are the dynamic portals to two very different and creative worlds. A new body of work from each jeweller will be on view at CQ Store window to highlight the occasion.
Competitions to win original jewellery will be launched from www.lianakabel.com and www.rebeccawardjewellery.com starting 24 August
6 comments:
I finally came to my senses and realized how regimented and artificial physical culture was, after having to stifle my giggles at the ludicrous hairstyles. Sorry it took me 2 years. Next I thought netball was the thing...hmmm. However you have to agree that these childhood experiences are character building!! I hope that the editors are shamed into publishing an article about your fabulous websites.
mother, i thought we had agreed never to mention the netballing again. 5 years of therapy helped to to put all that behind me...
Thank you for making this OUTRAGEOUS situation public!!! Handcrafted my ...
I can't believe that such ignorance can still exist. We can put people on the Moon! but still Contemporary Jewellery is slandered, we can instant voice message for free around the globe, but still cutting edge trends are off the radar. I say if you're not handcrafting in plastic/glass/foundobjects/fabric etc then you are sooo living under a rock.
I won't be caught dead in anything less, but then I'm incredibly vain, perhaps others are less so and will settle for looking out of date.
am I being a bit over the top?
I think not!
oh, and netball? good lord Bec!
who is this rebecca mitchell woman? Some easy breezy beautful covergirl claiming to make 'contemporary jewellery'. Can we give her some royal craft slap?
Just remember that only the very pure of heart can ever hope to wear a Nana inspired brooch...oh i want one of those so badly I am a bit beside myself...
dear wonderful fronds- thankyou for all your support. so glad that there are people who know the true meaning of 'handcrafted' and are not precious about their precious materials! i'm always up for a bout of royal craft slapping.
I might have to put some nana glasses up for sale on my website soon ramona. I will have a few extras from the 50 i did for Flash trash. thinking of doing another set of 50 all cut from old nana records instead of the assorted records i used for flash trash (kamahl, accordian cavalcade, Tijuana Brass, airport love theme etc) which had to come from toowoomba dump as part of the exhib conditions. maybe i can market them to the nana mouskouri fan club... or not.
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