Day 17 Munich March 13th

We took a day trip by train to see Neuchwanstein Castle, it was one of the best things I’ve seen not just the castle but the train trip seeing different things out the window, it was all very green and scenic, with the mountains having ice all over them. We had a tour around the inside of the castle it was all highly decorative and lavish as expected. One of the main details I saw was the very large stone settings on the many huge chandeliers, I think some of them in the dance hall area could hold one hundred candles. It was a really great day out of the city atmosphere.

Day 16 Munich March 12th

Today we started at the Pinakothek with a look around at the collection I was impressed to see the works of Lisa Walker downstairs. We went to go have a look at the New Zealanders exhibition Handshake. The whole room had white washing hanging from strung out lines, you couldn’t help but push the garments out of your way as you walked around. I liked the way technology had been used with phone like devices showing videos in the pockets of clothing. We then looked at the work of Karen Pontoppidan Knell Titled Gender Bell. A line of bells had been strung along the wall, each very different in material, and what was inside; but all the same size identical from afar.  All the bells stitched very beautify together with small metal wire holding the various sheets together. The fun lay in look inside each bell to see the material differences.

Day 15 Munich March 11th

Today we went off to the Munich markets to look at some of the more tourist like attractions. We ate some Currywurst and some ginger biscuits, and looked around. We came across a stall that had a range of dried organic materials that I really liked looking at. In the night time, we all made our way to the jewellers’ dinner in a massive beer hall, it was very busy with interesting atmosphere.

Day 14 Munich March 10th

The exhibition titled “A Barbarian, A Title, And a Miracle”, I was firstly really impressed with the set out, it allowed a lot of movement around the room, the aim was for all of the jewellery works to sit next to each other and not be split up. Each work was coded by a coloured piece of wood, with long tables jutting out from the walls. I liked the works of Carina Shoshtary that had detailed and mixed colour fragments that looked like twigs and cacoons. Also, the work of Mielle Harvey that had drawings on ridged squares, and cast objects such as birds.

Next we went to an exhibition tilted “Initiation” and I really liked seeing the repousse work of Gabriele Hinze, mostly brooches hanging from the inside covers of old books fallen apart. The display of rings by Anna Fanigina was interesting it made the rings seem very delicate and venerable as they balanced, hung from strings and suspended on sheets of Perspex.

(Carina Shoshtary)

                                                                       (Mielle Harvey)

                                                      (Anna Fanigina)

Day 13 Munich March 9th

We started the very rainy day with visiting the studios of Laura Deakin and Mari Ishikawa. It was great to see how they had set up their studios, with the equipment they require for their practice. Mari explained the process of how her organic brooches are cast, and I also really liked the red stitching in her works. Laura then took us by train to her exhibition space and showed us some very different work to that seen in her studio. I found her stories helpful of how she studied in Australia and moved to Germany to attend the Academy, and it also made me think how dedicated you must be to make such a big move, she was very honest with her struggles.

                                                                  (Mari Ishikawa)

                                                                    (Laura Deakin)

Day 12 Travel Frankfurt to Munich Wed March 8th

We arrived at Munich just after lunch time, dropped our bags and went straight to the exhibition to start Munich jewellery week. We bought our copies of Current Obsession with our maps ready to study and mark out what to see. I saw a lot of recognisable names I had learnt about and seen along our travels, and noticed a lot of work had come from Israel. It was interesting to see how the different galleries we had visited had set up their displays, some discussing how what they bring must be light and easy to set up in a day.

Day 11 Frankfurt Tue March 7th

We took a train to visit Deutche Goldschmiedehaus, what I liked most was Hermann Jungers necklaces that came in a box with interchangeable components that forced the wearer to make decisions in putting it together. I also liked the use of black and gold in his works mostly seen in the brooches. He had displayed old half destroyed objects such as old plastic balls, rusted sheet metal, crushed cans and wax blobs and from this made work. Technically I liked looking at the brooch backs and how larger stones had been set.

Day 10 Travel Day Amsterdam to Frankfurt:

Today I took in the change of architecture now in Germany, as we took a walk to the old town.

                                                                  

Day 9 Amsterdam Sunday March 5th:

We visited the Stedelijk Museum and stayed for a while, I really like the Jean Tinguely retrospective using everyday materials such as appliance parts, machine parts and old clothing that combined the evolving consumer society with movement and sound. The drawing machines reminded me of the experimental drawing unit we did in first year, and made me think about handmade and machine made. I came across a lot of works that incorporated layering and riveting.

Day 8 Amsterdam to Apeldoorn:

Today we travelled to Apeldoorn by train to visit CODA Museum I enjoyed the exhibition titled Lucy Sarneel Private Territory in Public. Many of the neckpieces where made from zinc and had a lot of fine detail, but also had a nice blue grey colour that was very industrial looking but made into organic forms. She also had a work that was completely rusty.

After this we went to Galerie Marzee it was a huge almost overwhelming space. A work I really liked was by Dana Hakim titled My Four Guardian Angles, from the Blue Series. It was made from iron netting that had been pieced together and sewn with a bright blue thread, the work looked much like birds’ nests to me, and it was about how we live in a fearful society and how the net is like a safety material.

                                                                         (Lucy Sarneel)

  (Dana Hakim)

Day 7 Amsterdam Friday March 3rd:

We Visited Ruudt Peters today he discussed his retrospective exhibition “BRON” that he was in the progress of planning. He said he always tries to challenge the viewer with his jewellery, he never wants the viewing experience to be easy. Corpus was a work he talked about that involved physical performance of boys standing in jackets as part of the work, and others made the viewer climb up ladders to see his work. Overall, I liked his discussion of involvement and interaction as part of his works. He was philosophical in discussion of surfaces being mirrored and shiny, his works all seemed to be very black and I really liked the glass work. We also got to see his collection of jewellery.

Then we went to Galerie Rob Koudijs, there was two exhibitions showing one by Terhi Tolvanen and one by Ralph Bakker. The back latches of the necklaces by Ralph Bakker really caught my attention as new approaches for cold joining. Terhi Tolvanens use of large pieces of wood, that had been painted I also really liked. We spent a great deal of time in the draws filled with jewellery, the work I liked the most was by Francis Willemstijn that was very fine metal maps with wood for a backing.

I really enjoyed the Galeria RA visit, it had a good collection of works. The two artists on display with the first being Jorge Manila, his works hung from the white walls casting great shadows, organic looking but some pieces also looking like dead fruit bats on a power line. Very decayed but you could see the stitching forming and holding the thick black material together. Nils Hint had a large collection of tools that had been forged and made double ended, with gold platting on the ends; spoons spanners and combs. They seem to contrast each other, as if one end was industrial and the gold end was domestic activity. Today we saw a lot of jewellery and I enjoyed looking at new materials and how the jewellers had manipulated them, as well as joining methods and approaches to brooch backs.

                                                   ( Ruudt Peters)

                                                    (Terhi Tolvanens)

                                                                     (Francis Willemstijn)

                                                                               (Nils Hint)

                                                              (Jorge Manila)

Day 6 Amsterdam March 2nd

We went to the studio of Ela Bauer she discussed her love for collecting benches she had a lot of space and stated to pull her works out of draws and spreading them out. Her work incorporated big amounts of colour and made you want to touch them. I was most interested in the transparent and colour combinations joining, as well as the stitching. Her work looked much better worn on the body rather than flat on a bench. I started thinking about combinations of metal and silicon.

Next, we visited Peter Hoogeboom he had his studio within his home, in a small room; it was interesting to see his setup and how he works from a small space. His work was very technical with ceramic processes. The pieces he showed us were very delicate and beautifully coloured with glazes; the pink looking very bodily. The neckpieces also played with noise as the small ceramic bottle shapes hit together. The works are cumbersome and heavy but delicate at the same time.

                                                ( Works by Ela Bauer)

Day 4 London 28th

Today we took a very cold walk over London bridge on our way to the Fashion and textile museum to see the works of Josef Frank he had very organic and vibrant patterns in his works. Large sheets of materials hung from the ceiling and smaller sketches hung nearby.

Studio Fusion Gallery was next, we looked at the works by many jewellers, and had an in-depth discussion about how the gallery operates as a cooperative between seven people; I feel I learnt a lot about how it operated at a day to day level, from placement of jewellery and taking photos of works. I liked the works of Grace Girvan as she set Black rocks that looked like river pebbles, and also looking at the examples of riveting and use of colour.

Caroline Broadhead gave us a tour around Central Saint Martins, the jewellery workshop at the art school at London, it had 140 jewellery students, 45 intakes of first years, and the library had a great selection of materials that you could consult when required to help with your works.

London Day 3 Feb 27th:

Uncommon Ground was an exhibition about landscape works it had detailed observation of the landscape, I enjoyed the prints the most due to the negative spaces, and the use of greens and browns throughout the works.

Next, we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum this had a great collection of jewellery ending in contemporary works. I was interested in the black cast iron jewellery made in Berlin in 1830 at the time ladies traded away their gold for these as a sign of patriotism. The works had very fine detail with lace like patterns.

Sachi Gallery was next, the print room had some works that had been formed from etching and corroding zinc sheet by Arlaric Hammond I really liked these.

(Print from Uncommon Ground)

                                  (Zinc, etched plates, Arlaric Hammond)

London Day 2 Sunday 26th:

We went to the Camden Markets (very Busy) had some food and a looked around, next we went to the British Museum I spent the most amount of time in the European Jewellery section, I found a large glass case with small fragments of silver inside, this turned out to be a Viking hoard, with tiny combs and patterned silver. The Cuerdale hoard was found in a lead chest besides the river with 7500 coins, 1200 bullion it was the largest know to western Europe 40kg in total. I also got to see a work I had looked at that informed a previous work I had made this was the ceramic work of Yee Sookyung, Translated vase. After this I went to the Tate Modern and was impressed to see surrealist works of Miro and Dali.