Cath Dearsley Subliminally Infiltrates Host a Brooch at Masterworks - 05 October 11

The geeks were very excited to Subliminally Infiltrate the artist talk for the very special Host a Brooch project by Jacqui Chan in conjunction with Caroline Billiing aka 'The National' which has just completed a six weekend cycle, operating out of a converted shipping container in Hagley Park (because the physical gallery space formerly occupied by The National is lost in the red zone).  

You can see and read all about this project here:

hostabrooch.blogspot.com

This evenings feature geek was Cath Dearsley, and we each wore something from our own collection.  Here Lynsay's Bunny Poo necklace is helping to set up the data projector.

The artist talk was incredibly inspirational and informative.  Such a massive project to undertake with so many good results.  Host a Brooch not only introduced hundreds of people, young and old, to the world of contemporary jewellery, it also helped them to renegotiate their emotional journey through the earthquake damaged city.  

 Jacqui constructed sixteen brooches out of materials she found walking around the ruins; construction materials, safety fencing and warning beacons.  Each participant was invited to host a brooch for two hours, taking photos of their journey, noticing how the brooch guided them to notice certain things.
Looking at the resulting photos, on the blog and in the THINKspace installation, I cant help noticing the role of photography and how fantastic the range of images are, especially considering that most of these would have been taken by non photographers.  Host a Brooch not only introduced contemporary jewellery to these participants, but also the art of seeing and recording through still image.

 A palestinian man had visited the gallery a few weeks ago and saw Jacqui's first THINKspace installation which was about the series of brooches she made while living in Palestine for six months.  He was so moved by her installation that he brought in the orange flower in the bottom of this photo.  Here the orange flower is communicating with one of the brooches hanging on the wall made of orange plastic fencing material.

Nadene's vintage (pre graduation) Cath Dearsley flower also talked to the Palestinian man's flower

 Sharon's Deer pendant sniffs our Kristins Kryptonite necklace and Jhana Millers Credit Card Brooch.

Then sniffs out the remnant of drop sheet used during the installation of the Lisa Walker show last year.

 

Then tries on Cath's Bunny Poo necklace

The Bunny Poo necklace then tries on Lisa Walkers green glittery bone necklace

Ah, there is Cath's Kryptonite series a couple of drawers down

Lynsay's Bunny Poo necklace noticed that Renee was wearing spotty shoes

Renee then noticed that she could see us in the mirror up above

Out the back door, the orange plastic mesh was looking kind of like something from the Host a Brooch project

 

Sharon, Ross Malcolm, Renee Bevan and Shelley Norton all proudly sporting their Host a Brooch badges - you could say that Host a Brooch has Subliminally Infiltrated the Subliminal Infiltration.

Cath in Kryptonite earrings tries on a Palestinian Brooch

 Eloise received many comments on her Sinead Jury necklace which looked absolutely stunning on black. I want one!

 After dinner at the foodhall, I couldnt help but notice how the Host a Brooch badge had attracted itself to the carrot and orange juice glass

Subliminally Infiltrating with Unnatural Tendencies at Fingers - 03 October 2011

The Auckland Jewellery Geeks decided to Subliminally Infiltrate Fingers, the home of the New Zealand Bone Stone Shell movement, wearing the plastic fantastic work of our lovely Australian Jewellery Geek friends Melinda Young and Lauren Simeoni at their exhibition 'Unnatural Tendencies'.

Melinda and Lauren subliminally infiltrated the Fingers balcony with plastic poppies to replicate the fake plastic blooms over the road at the newly revamped Auckland Art Gallery.

 It was a very rainy afternoon. Lynsay arrived looking like a drowned rat with a very wet red puff ball brooch.

Melinda and Laurens show 'Unnatural Tendencies' was huge and took up the whole back wall and the drawers underneath.  Such an impressive collection, over eighty pieces on show!

Melinda Young looking on as Eloise tries on Renee Bevan's fantastic silver plated balloon necklace.

 Nadene and Lauren Simeoni reminiscing about the black rubbery piece that Nadene made at last year's Unnatural Naturally workshop which was the launching piece to a whole new body of work.  

There was a bit of a frenzy to try things on when the price lists finally arrived. 

 Sharon wearing Melinda ring, Lauren puff ball and Melinda pipi. Just cant get enough it seems...

 Joey wearing Zoe Brand and trying on the collaboration Melinda and Lauren brooch that we bought.

I was also quite tempted to buy this lovely yellow string which launched a conversation about everyone thinking I was a brooch wearer not a necklace wearer - so I will have to start wearing my necklace collection and put up pictures of them on my other blog.

 

Cath could not decide which necklace to buy. Wearing three at once wasnt helping her decision much.

She ended up buying this one which was my favorite. New Fingers shopgirl Georgina was wearing a very large red puff ball.

Kristin and Jacqui Chan discussing the very cool Host a Brooch project that she has just completed in conjunction with The National in Christchurch.

Four geeks in a row started a spat of silly photo takings:

(Lauren, Melinda, Lauren, Melinda)

 Five Laurens and a Melinda

 Green Puff, Orange Puff, Red Puff, Puffs on display.

 Lynsay's red puff ball which was still very wet got a little hungry and started attacking the popcorn and nibbles.

 

We all went out for dinner after the opening and had a thoroughly good evening.  We love the Australian Jewellery Geeks!

Sharon Subliminally Infiltrates the 20th Annual Wallace Art Awards 05 September 2011

Sharon and Joey were heading off to the 20th Annual Wallace Art Awards at the Pah Homestead, so decided to wear their Floppy Poppy and John brooches to this very fine art VIP event. On the whole, not many jewelleries being worn by anyone - contemporary or ordinary. Luckily there were a few past and present Broach of the Month Club wearers to brighten things up. 

On the way down Patiki Road, we were horrified to hear Chris de Burg's "Lady in Red" on 95bfm (a first for them we believe).  Little did we know then that we would find Bronwynne doing a Lady in Red impersonation above an air vent during the speeches.

Joey and John went over to have a go too.

Such a lovely venue, but not purpose built for listening to endless speeches.  Ex Mayor John Banks and his wife escaped the room early - must have got too hot in there for him. 

Shortly after the air vent jollities, we were delighted to hear Bronwynne Cornish's name called out! She won the developement award and a 2 month residency in Vermont, which by chance is the one she was hoping for if she was going to win something.  Super.  Here we are, standing next to the paramount award winning piece by Akiko Diegel.

Christine wearing Victoria McIntosh and Fran Allison, Eloise wearing Lynsay Raine.

Shortly before meeting these two we were passed by Auckland Mayor Len Brown who stuck out his hand for a little finger wobbling action with Floppy Poppies, saying 'OOH, this is nice'. Never to let a chance like this go by, Joey asked Mayor Len to put the train service back on to Helensville. He loves trains.

Here is Richard Orjis admiring First Runner Up Emil McAvoy's lovely picture of our dear ex prime minister Helen when she was a spring chicken. It was one of my favorites of the show. Richard's fiance Harry was very taken by Floppy Poppies and got a nice surprise when he saw Joey wearing John in the conversation circle next door.  I must say, I was disappointed to find 2010 Broach of the Month wearer Philip not wearing a brooch. I suppose not everyone will catch the adornment bug.

Such a lovely old building.  Thanks Auckland Council and James Wallace for spending all that money to create such a fantastic venue!

The Un-Subliminally Infiltrated Fingers Grad show 01 August 2011

The Geeks had not planned to do an infiltration of the Fingers Annual Graduate Show, but on a whim I decided to document it anyway, because by golly these girls have done well already.

Kvetoslava Flora Sekanova was in this year's Talente, Jessica Winchcombe is in the Marzee Graduate Exhibition in the Netherlands (Sarah Walker-Holt would have been too if her work hadnt been stupidly sent back by NL customs) and Flora and Sarah are both finalists in the New Zealand Jewellery Show's Contemporary Jewellery Award.  

Well done!  

This year's graduates were selected from Hungry Creek, Whitireia, MSVA and Unitec.

You can view the full catalogue online here

 The rare luxury of space as the exhibitors take up all the back wall cabinets

 Yang Zang did some large scale stitched fabric pieces, Flora made some very large scale but apparently very light brooches and a very yummy paint dipped pendant.

Sarahs pieces are absolutely fantastic. I want one!

 Lynsay Raine wearing a miscellaneous love heart. 

 Raewyn Walsh wearing Yang Zang

Sharon Fitness wearing Yang Zang.

Funny how when non infiltrating we still managed to subliminally infiltrate a bit.

 

Jessica Winchcombe striking a pose

 Wine girl, Octavia Cook was wearing the most fascinating necklace that looked like double happy fire crackers. Nice.

New Zealand Contemporary Jewellery Subliminally Infiltrates The Jewellery Salon and EyeCatch at Objectspace 28 July 2011

When given the invitation to wear as much New Zealand Contemporary Jewellery as possible you get a whole bunch of jewellers and fans of jewellery wearing a whole lot of goodness.

As the EyeCatch curators pointed out, looking at this picture you cant help seeing Audrey Hepburn, but actually this picture was taken four years previous to that famous image.  Lavender Sansom was seen at the time as wearing far too much jewellery and I guess that can be said of a number of people in this post, but oh what fun we had checking out everyone's lovelies.  

This event is to raise awareness and funds for a Kobi Bosshard Master of Craft show next year at Objectspace.  If you know anyone who owns a Kobi, let Objectspace know.  This picture shows Kobi wearing Warwick in Sydney. 

"Piss elegant" (my new favourite Kobi saying).

Even though we were all wearing our most fabulous, there was a bit of Kobi envy going on when you found someone wearing Kobi - and there were quite a few.

Chris is wearing her brand new Victoria McIntosh pill necklace and Renee Bevan hydrangea puzzle. Al wears Gavin Hitchins.  Apparently Al talked to someone who bought a Kobi in the New Lynn train station in 1964 because there was a train carriage going up and down the country selling art and jewellery at the time. Fantastic!

Alan Preston went all out

Eloise wears Kate Barton, Robyn Singh (whatever happened to her?) Andrea Daly, my favourite Lisa Walker hose, and Cheryl Sills. 

Fran Allison wears Fran Allison, Sharon Fitness, Jacqui Chan and Ross Malcolm; Sharon Fitness wears Shelley Norton, Renee Bevan, Raewyn Walsh, Lynsay Raine, Kristin D'Agostino, Sharon Fitness and her Cath Dearsley Flying Rocketship (on her back) 

Lynsay Raine wears Gillian Deery, Cath Dearsley, Raewyn Walsh and Sharon Fitness.

Lynsay pointed out that only at a contemporary jewellery event like this can you get away with touching everyones chests/breasts and nobody batts an eyelid.

Pauline Bern was adorned front and back with lots of goodies.

Phillip and Jane Clark with some very lovely items including what looks like three Warwicks on Janes back.

The fantastic EyeCatch display walls cleverly allow for spying through the slots into other spaces. Here I catch a wave from 2011 Talente jewellers Rachel Bell and Flora Sekanova

Rachel Bell wears a brand new Rachel Bell that still has wet glue and Alan Preston Kiwi

Aerial shot, clockwise from left, Nadene Carr, Sarah Walker-Holt, Renee Bevan, Gillian Deery and Lynsay Raine

Sarah wearing Sarah, Renee wearing every NZ pendant she owns

Even the wine girl was wearing a whole lot of lovelyness. She is a Hungry Creek student called Eileen, maybe she will be famous in a few years (you saw her here first!).  Who knows...  So many new graduates are getting really big breaks now with invites into great shows and even getting into Talente.  I think this is so cool and cant wait to see who comes after us. Thank you so much to all the people who are making this happen. Super!