Dazzle me

So it's that time of year again when exhibitions and outings are in full swing and I just can't wait...

In an attempt to walk off all those Christmas choccies I'd demolished this week, I decided to soak up the vibrant bustle of Southbank's riverside walkway and visit the annual 'Dazzle jewellery' exhibition.

Launched in 1981, Dazzle is an event featuring captivating collections of contemporary jewellery designers. In the past couple of years I'd witnessed it's delicious designs up at the National Theatre, but this year (to my surprise) it had changed venues...

I am ashamed to say that I had never been or even noticed the gallery@oxo before (located within the Oxo Tower Wharf) and that was exactly where 'Dazzle' was being hosted, so I was more than eager to step inside...

Upon entering the new space (which had been transformed into a gigantic jewellery box) I was immediately welcomed in by an array of cutting edge designs by recent graduates (along with well-established names) in the jewellery industry. 

The gallery was brightly lit, modern and edgy, but I did miss the more spectacular and dramatic setting of the National Theatre - Oh well...

Anyway, despite the change of location, the exhibition was still a real cocktail of experiences and I found myself even influenced by the most surprising of things (the buildings, banisters - all that was surrounding me in fact)

The first designs I saw were made by tea-lover Claire Lowe. Apparently she has always enjoyed tea so she questioned the use of it as a material within jewellery. I love that. What a perfect yet unusual combination: tea and jewellery, just the things you’d want to have on a cosy winter evening. (I heard there were complications embedding that warm, crumbly and fruity mince pie into her designs, never mind...better luck next year?)

These works are totally modern, serene and gorgeous and the freckly flecks of black tea embedded in the resin within her designs keeps you guessing. 

Moving on to the works of Dot sim, they featured a strong movement of line and tactility. 

These pieces inevitably invite exploration and all I wanted to do was just try on all of these wearable scribbles.

Here are some more riverside treasures displayed at the event, all in a battle to dazzle...

As I moved at a snail's pace about the sparkling space, I slowly began to notice how filled up to the brim the rooms actually were with jewellery. 

Mid-realisation - another cabinet caught my eye.

Rosina beech’s designs looked almost flute like. I so wanted to blow into them to see if a sound would belch out.  

I was somehow right. When asking a lady about Beech's works I found out that they all involve some sourcing of functional materials and components (usually found within the architectural and music industries). In doing so, Beech is able to take them out of their typical environment and create unique and versatile jewellery.

In some of her designs, she incorporates hand dyed nylon harp strings and anodized aluminium - all of which are durable, unusual and of course, dazzling. 

Similarly, I fell in love with the scale of these bulked up beauties below. The colorful braids portrayed here are made by the extremely talented Grace Hamilton. 

The brightness and quirkiness of these soft sculptural forms are mesmerizing. 

A favourite of mine (by far in fact) was the works of Emelie Westerlund - a true and new discovery of mine. 

Her designs are based on the experience we get when handling her pieces. (Unfortunately I didn’t have time to, regrets, but just admiring them was good enough for me.) 

Arghhh everything looked so incredibly satisfying and fidget-friendly though!

One can apparently pull, press, or stretch them and for someone who habitually cannot stay still or ‘chill out’, these objects seemed to have my name written all over.

Oh the interactiveness and minimalism of it all!

Onto something totally different now, was the jewellery of Sarah Lindsay. 

Her pieces were actually the perfect inspiration for my ‘Transformation project’ that I have to work on over this Christmas holiday. 

The idea is to collect unusual material (that we cannot necessarily buy) and turn them into something totally different.  Well…Sarah Lindsay’s work certainly does just that. 

By building up layers of laminated acrylic dust, Lindsay is able to cut this innovative material into thin organic slices resembling a kind of lightweight and vividly colourful agate. 

Hmmm....dazzle dust, it has a nice feather-like quality to it...

The process itself is one of transformation and originality, turning the remains of plastic into something delicate and unexpectedly natural in form. Crazy. The vibrant colour palette was a nice shock too!

I liked these wearable cubes...

And these beaded pieces, they reminded me of chewing gum!

This exhibition was a pleasure to go and visit. Although I was slightly disappointed with the colder setting, I left feeling super inspired and slightly tired (so I guess it most definitely did a good job!) 

Now I'm off to dive into that sketchbook of mine, see you later my fellow innovators!