Body Wear

Two Xhosa men Dressed in traditional wear

I picked up a few of these plates from the dump a few months ago. I had been thinking a lot about the thought of being recession chic ( style on a budget). So I've been looking at my environment differently. I pick up things! This theme also found it's way into the fashion show. So I picked up these plates because they looked interesting. They have a perfect pattern on the inside and are geometric. When the fashion show came up they were sitting at my bench so i started to play with them.

This particular one came about from thinking about my background and how I have always wanted to do something related t the way the Xhosa dress traditionally. I wanted a non-cheesy way. By that I mean i didn't want a replica of the Xhosa body jewellery but my own Xhosa body wear. The chain is brass and bought and I learnt how to crochet and made this round disc in black. I could wear this!

Bare Exhibition

I was invited, along with some of my classmates to exhibit at Bare in Morningside Durban. I said yes but didn't know how I was going to manage doing everything(work and exhibition). I think it was a good thing because I had to push myself and came up with some interesting things. Lets not forget that I became a zombi afterwards but that is a story for
another day.

I found paper in my journal that I had stuck in and forgotten about. I drew on the patterns on the embossed paper and found a shape which became the bases for some of my new jewellery. The obvious leaf shape, I found interesting because of it's simplicity and yet organic connetations. The simplified lines of the shape which still have strong reference to a leaf lead me to forging earrings and rings. I also found myself returning to the old mussle like shape that I used last year and using enamel(in the picture above). The multiple finger rings seem to have stuck with me. I would like develope the one in the picture above by adding to it colour by using stones, enamel or other media.

Half Year Display

I had to put up a half year dispaly. Which part of that sentance gives away the fact that I didn't want to do it? But after looking at it I saw somethings that I could work on, like the earrings (now I see I needed a close up). I like the simlpicity of the shape that is formed through forging. The use of line to make a shape is interesting to me. Now I will see if i can actually do some work instead of talking about it.

I did want the display to be a combination of natural, dangerous, harsh and old in the cactus and wood with the delicate lines of the jewellery. But I don't think I achieved that.