new site

www.sarahkettleydesign.co.uk

call for works

Addictlab is an exciting world wide database of artists with both virtual and 'real' activity in the form of exhibitions, publications and networking.

They currently have a call open for works of a sustainable nature for an October publication so take the opportunity to showcase your work towards possible inclusion.

http://www.addictlab.com/labfiles/?page=project&project=56

Gold selling parties!

I currently subscribe to a business idea blog called springwise and i just thought i would share the latest idea that caught my eye. The website reads:

As the weakening economy causes purse strings to tighten in many parts of the world, consumers are increasingly looking for new ways to earn some extra money. Enter My Gold Party, which facilitates Tupperware-style parties that help guests sell their unused trinkets, cashing in on record gold prices.

Launched earlier this year, My Gold Party sells all the equipment minipreneurs need to host parties in which guests can sell their gold, including a scale, karat tester and book of instructions. Party hosts then invite guests to bring gold coins, watches and jewelry to their party, where they assay and weigh each item to determine its current market worth. The party host pays guests for the items with cash or a cheque, then ships the gold to a refinery, which in turn pays the host—at a rate the host hopes will be higher than paid to the party guests. The gold is then melted down and reused. My Gold Party's kit for hosts is priced at USD 699.50. (Obviously, scales and karat testers can also be bought from many other suppliers.)

Consumers in hard times have always been able to sell their spare jewelry in pawn shops, but by bringing the process out of the back alley and into the living room, My Gold Party legitimises and updates it with a social and entrepreneurial twist. As the saying goes, there's gold in them thar hills—both for the consumers who have it and for the minipreneurs who help them sell it. One to bring to cash-strapped hills near you?

Website: www.mygoldparty.com

Immaterial

Manuel Vilhena proposed at Carry the Can that to focus on the production of beauty is in itself an ethical activity standing in opposition to the destruction of ecosystems for financial gain (2006). His talk was challenging in that it tried to deal with the difficult prospect of a non-materials based approach to ethical issues in craft and design. Since then I have come across a number of makers who explicitly work in this way, and this short piece introduces three of them: Elena Corchero, Elliat Rich, and Keith Armstrong. These are the people I meet because my own work often takes place at the same intersection of technology and craft, hence the technical bias. What is interesting is that the questions this kind of practice is forced to ask of itself are those that most often remain difficult and blurred by familiarity for us as jewellers and craftspeople.


Elena Corchero finished her masters at the RCA last year, and worked with the Distance Lab in Scotland to make a series of highly decorative embroidered pieces inspired by her Spanish heritage. The rich patterns included small coloured lights and pierced solar panels to power them. The resulting fans, headpieces and neckpieces were also highly poetic as the power they gathered through being worn in daylight transformed them into glowing objects for the interior once removed. As the power fades, so do the lights. In her work she aims to “explore the beauty and melancholy of craft to challenge the aesthetics and function of smart fabrics and … emphasize the emotional value of keepsakes, garments and toys”. Elena has moved quickly from prototypes to commercially available products, and launches an online boutique at Lostvalues in May 2008. See her site for more details at http://www.lostvalues.com/.







Solar Vintage Fan 2007
Machine embroidery, solar panels, LEDs


Elliat Rich aims to “create sustainable options through a non-materials based approach to sustainability”, and asks what it is we want to sustain. For her, there is untold value in “humble pleasures” such as sharing a cup of tea or watching mould grow. Two Way below considers and illustrates the two way process of respiration between us and the garden. Her site can be found at http://www.elliatrich.com/.






Two Way 2007
Electroluminsecent panel, conductive knit, conductive thread, fabric


Keith Armstrong’s works are “influenced by philosophies drawn from critical, ecological theories and inspired by principles of social justice, sustainability and progressive social development”. He draws heavily on the writings of Tony Fry and seeks to demonstrate an integrated way of working which focuses on sustainment in its widest sense, as “challenge, terror, opportunity and adventure” (Fry 2000). Keith typically works with teams of other practitioners including dancers, technologists, fashion designers and jewellers to create complex interactive works shown internationally. In 2007 he collaborated with the fashion design team High Tea with Mrs Woo and designer Leah Heiss on InStep, a sensory bandage for the foot which would draw attention to the literal contact of body with ground, and thus also to our larger impact on the earth as ecosphere.








InStep 2007



While it might be challenging at first to accept the use of technology as a route to ethical practice, I hope that these accounts have shown that it is appropriate for some of us in the jewellery community to deal with such issues not only through a responsible use of material, but also through political awareness and an emphasis on human interaction. Most importantly, it should let us reconsider existing practices in our own field and encourage us to consider different routes towards ethical making.



Sarah Kettley’s own practice is also described in Peacocks and Wallflowers, a new paper for Visual Communication published by Sage. See http://www.jewellerytalks.blogspot.com for an abstract or contact her for a full copy.

Helen Carnac is in the process of putting abstracts from Carry the Can online. The conference website will be made available shortly. Look out for news on Helen’s blog at http://makingaslowrevolution.wordpress.com/ or on re-value.

Manuel Vilhena’s site is at http://www.manuelvilhena.com/indexsw.html.

This an article for the June 2008 issue of Findings, the ACJ's members newsletter.

Don’t forget that the re-value blog is a site for all of us. If you have come across an inspiring way of working or an ethical issue you want to deal with in making, please do contact Sarah or Jaimie. We are also looking at changing re-value to a more accessible format, such as a Facebook group. If you have any comments, do let us know.

Continuing eco recognition for artists and designers in Scotland!

After being closely involved with the Eco Prize for Creativity in 2005 (short-listed) and 2006 (judging) , it is interesting to take an more detached view this year, especially since they have had the privilege of Wayne Hemmingway as a judge! i've just been browsing this years winners and runners up. There is a jeweller on there once more...check it out!! well done Elena Corchero

exhibition opportunity

There is an oportunity listed at the moment on the Axis website that may of interest.
See Deliciously Disposable Earth at http://www.axisweb.org/opOPPO.aspx?ENQID=26742, the deadlin eis 15 November 2007.

[re]design CONTAINS Exhibition...go see!!

Hey, i got this wonderful email through the other day from a fabulous social enterprise called [re]design. I first heard of them about a year back but never got round to contacting them. Then, when i was down in London for the last ACJ meeting a spoke to couple of guys who were representing them at 100% Design in Earls Court. They really are my kind of people. When i got home i emailed them and now regularly recieve there e-letters.

i'm going to check it out tomorrow and i'll update you when i get back tomorrow night. so excited about it.

Details below:

Ever thought about the ‘ingredients’ that go into making the stuff you invite into your home?

CONTAINS explores the stories behind the products we use every day – how they’re made, the materials used,
the energy consumed, the miles travelled – in an innovative, inspiring and accessible exhibition that shows
how design can make a difference.

Finding products that are better for you, for others and for the environment can be tricky.
[re]design’s six ‘er’ words are a handy guide to the ways a product can be better… for everybody.

Cleaner...? Products that avoid polluting our air and water.
Closer...? Products that are made locally or made to be loved.
Greener...? Products that use natural, biodegradable materials from well-managed sources.
Lighter...? Products that are more efficient.
Longer...? Products that are built to last.
Recycler...? Products that use materials that are reclaimed or easy to recycle.

CONTAINS houses 100 thought-provoking, sustainable designs from cutting-edge UK designers.
You can find the exhibition in shipping containers at Newcastle’s Monument – you can’t miss it!

CONTAINS
Monument, Grainger Street, Newcastle NE1 5AF
19-28 October 2007

Visit WWW.REDESIGNDESIGN.ORG for more...