Jewellery Week 6

BELLE EPOQUE Lioness Ring Gold Opal H: 1.3 cm (0.51 in)  Marks: Eagle's head & indistinct maker's mark French, c.1900 Ring Case Literature: cf. The Belle Epoque of French Jewellery 1850-1910

 

I found this jewellery fascinating because of the stone that is placed in the middle. The stone is what I believe is the most captivating part of the whole ring itself. Once you get past the stone then you'll begin to notice the details of the animals surrounding the stone.

 This truly stunning three-quarter inch wide bracelet dates back to the early decades of the twentieth century - circa 1910-1920. The platinum bracelet centers on a glowing 2.75 carat round cabochon emerald that briefly interrupts a sparkling row of bright-white European-cut diamonds which, along with the two diamonds in the center section, total 4.00 carats.

 

I found this jewellery truly captivating because of the color of the stones as well and the fine details that surround the stone. 

 

Mary Queen of Scots’ Watch: Large SKULL WATCH given by the Queen to Mary Seton. The forehead of the skull is engraved with a figure of death between a palace and a cottage, and a quotation in Latin meaning ‘pale death visits with impartial foot the cottages of the poor and the castles of the rich’ (Horace). The skull is held upside down and the jaw lifted to read the silver dial. The hour is struck on a bell. Made by Moyant A Blois (1570-90). The escapement is unfortunately a CONVERSION to lever.
The skull is of silver gilt and is engraved with lines of Horace, figures of Death with his scythe and hourglass, Adam and Eve, and the Crucifixion. The lower part of the skull is pierced to emit the sound when it strikes, being cut in the form of emblems of the Crucifixion. The works occupy the brain’s position in the skull fitting into a silver bell which fills the entire hollow of the skulL The hours are struck on this bell by a small hammer on a separate train..
The case is opened by dropping the under jaw, which turns upon a hinge, while the watchworks occupy the place of the brain.

Likely one of the earliest examples of horological “Memento Mori” (artistic reminders of ones mortality).
The original engraved dial with 18th century modified to a balance-spring movement by J. Moysan of Blois, France.  via The Seaton Family

 

I found the information of the skull off of Tumblr ( http://indigenousdialogues.tumblr.com/post/13713082659/bloodmilk-mary-queen-of-scots-watch-large ). I found this skull fascinating because although its just plain steel it was still able to capture my eyes and have me take the time to look at it and focus on the details that the skulls withholds. In my opinion the skull seems to represent life in a way. When you think of skulls you think of death, people who have been gone for a long amount of time. When you think of flowers connected to vines you think of life and how precious each part is. Then when you read the information that I copy and pasted onto the blog you'll also read that the skull is actually a watch, which to me represents the time that you have meaning your biological clock. Life and Death the two important things that people seem to always take for granted while the time continues to move along. Time waits on no man and people seem to forget that because their too focused on taking life seriously instead of just living each day as if it was their last. I always give my opinions on pieces from other artists even if my opinion might be fully off from what the artist was trying to put out there to the people because everyone's different and so we all think differently.

Jewellery this term was an interesting and difficult task for me. Although it was fun to create things from scratch especially plastics to make our jewellery recyclable I can't quite find myself becoming a jeweler. I can't find myself becoming a jeweler because of the fact that I don't have much patience when it comes to being delicate with an object that you are working with. Drawing is completely different from jewellery because with drawing if you make a mistake you can almost always take it back but with jewellery if you make a mistake you most likely have to start from the beginning all over again. Jewellery is a fascinating thing to be apart of it's just that I'm not the type to have patience with it or the type to start all over on something that could have consumed a lot of time already. This term was a good experience being able to see how a jeweler works and what they have to deal with it really makes you appreciate whoever made the pieces of jewellery that you wear today.

 

Jewellery Week 5

"Mark Vaarwerk"

Mark Vaarwerk is a Jeweller that people like to call a "super cycler" because

he creates his jewellery from plastics and found objects that he considers fascinating.

542 × 375 - kitandcaboodle.com.au

 

 

This is one of his work that I found fascinating because it reminds me of my childhood. The bracelet reminds me of my childhood because of the wire that he used to create the bracelet. The wire that he used reminds me of the wire that is usually connected to a telephone, the type of telephones from back in the days. The type that people would have as their house phones before the portable ones came out. 

 

This is a photo of the type of phone that I was talking about, the old fashion plugged into the wall type of telephones.

Photography Blog 4

"Fresh Gallery"

During our visit to the Fresh Gallery in Otara I found many pieces that were contributed in the exhibition fascinating. One of the many pieces that caught my eye was a piece that looked screen printed on to a canvas like paper. It was a transformer like the cartoon but had a cultural twist to it. I found that certain piece fascinating because I always take common well known cartoons and give it a twist by adding my culture to it.

This is just an example of what I mean when I say cultural twist. It's basically taking an image that is well known by many people including the kids and adding some of your own culture into it to make it your own in a way. Like in this drawing, I drew Tarzan and Jane. I made Tarzan Tongan and Jane Samoan to show the combining of the two cultures that always seem to be at war with one another. This drawing is basically just to show that the two cultures are able to get along some people just aren't that open minded sometimes especially when it comes to the hardships of the past between cultures. 

How can Photography be used to represent a community? I felt as if this video is enough to answer this question. http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html

Photography Blog 3

"W. Eugene Smith"

I chose to do my third blog on W. Eugene Smith because when I look at his photos he seems

to have a variety of different ways he takes his photos. Some are playful and fun while others may be serious and down to the point but in most of his photos I noticed that he sticks to the black and white effect which I honestly believe brings out the story behind the photos more than it would in color. 

This photo is my favorite photo from W. Eugene Smith. I'm not quite sure why this photo became more eye captivating then all of his other photos maybe it was the his smile or the fact that I found this image to be both pleasing and horrifying. Horrifying because I have a weird phobia towards clowns but once I took the time to actually take in the full image I noticed that the clown isn't as terrifying as I made him seem. I believe that when you actually take some time out to view another persons work you begin to see more than what you saw at a quick glance. It's almost like the saying, "never judge a book by its cover." After taking the time out to view this image properly I began to think about the clowns profession how he's meant to please kids by entertaining them and making them laugh. I realised that being a clown might not be everyone's dream job but just by the smile he has in the photo he makes it seem as if its the best profession out there to be apart of. Not only does he get to bring joy to children but he also gets joy out of it by seeing the children laugh and enjoy themselves. He's a great example of someone who loves doing his job instead of being apart of a profession just for the finances instead of your personal reasons to enjoy what you do. 

This image is an example of his more serious photographs. When I first looked at the photo I automatically thought about the United States, California to be more specific. Although there are many times when I tell people here in New Zealand that California isn't that bad its actually a lot worse than how it is out here. In my opinion I believe that it's all about where you're brought up at. It's not the whole state of California that's dangerous just some places there, Compton is the main area that everyone seems to know about. The states came to mind when I saw this photo because it reminds me of all the older guys I used to see trying to teach the younger boys how to run the streets. Then I took a longer look at the photo and thought about the Military. The Military came to mind because to me it seems as if the man in the photo is a soldier that recently came back from fighting for his country and has time to spend with his new born. It looks as if he uses the time that he has to spend with his new born teaching him how to use a gun. Some people may think bad of this because it is just a baby but others like myself may think of it in another perspective that represents him getting his son ready to do what he might have to do one day which is one of two things maybe even both. Protect his family incase the father is lost at war or protect his country following in the footsteps that his father has already created for him. I think positively about the photos because I grew up with the army through my uncles and cousins so it only makes sense that a father would want his son to be prepared to protect his family or his country just as the father has done. 

After viewing many other photos I realised that the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" is actually beyond true. Looking back at my blog I can see that my opinion towards the photos change as the time I spend on each of the photo increases. Some people might not understand what I'm saying about photography but to be able to understand things myself and seeing the importance of photography is just fascinating to me. 

Photography Blog 2

"Mark Adams"

I chose to do use Mark Adams photos for my blog entry because of the fact that he

was able to capture moments that are considered to be precious moments for the people that are apart of my culture. Most of the photos that I have attached onto this blog are photos that I found off of Google but also remember seeing in a book called "Tatau." The photos are all based on people receiving a tattoo, a tattoo that remains sacred to the Samoan people. 

This photo shows a man who has a Sogamiti but hasn't completed it. A Sogaimiti is a traditional tattoo for the Samoan men which is mainly received by the Chiefs of the family. Receiving the Sogaimiti is a long on going process that is taken seriously amongst our people along with the Malu. A Malu is a traditional tattoo for the Samoan Women. It represents that the women is not only the protector of her family but her whole village as well. Looking at the photos taken by Mark Adams shows that the Sogaimiti and the Malu are more than just a tattoo used for decoration, it's a tattoo that is cherished and sacred. I believe that when others are viewing his photos they can also tell that the ink isn't just for decoration or show. There's more to it meaning once you take a glance at his work you can tell that there's a story that lies behind each photo, even if the photos are just of men getting their Sogaimiti because every man is different and so are the reasons for them getting it done.