BCU FEATURE
NEW DESIGNERS: NEW CAREERS
New Designers:
New Careers
by Beaulagh Brooks
21 Graduates from BA (Hons)
Jewellery Design and Related
Products
This is a programme renowned
for nurturing innovation: led
and taught by a team of active
and passionate practitioners, this
course encourages students to
explore materials, techniques and
processes, challenging conventions
and pushing the boundaries of the
discipline. This year, our graduates
revealed
their
interpretations
38 JEWELLERY FOCUS
of architecture and nature,
translations of scale, explorations
of processes, techniques and
materials that continually question
perceptions of preciousness and
challenge definitions of jewellery.
The jewellery and objects
displayed by our graduates had
been made through a range of
materials: by metals - both precious
and
non-precious,
alongside
acrylic, wood and textiles,
utilising a range of handmade and
production processes.
Joseph Westley and Lois
Wiseman received Precious Metal
Bursaries from the Goldsmiths’
Company earlier this year and
both produced vessels with
differing aesthetics: Joseph’s work
reflected urban landscapes and,
through layering, he created lasting
illustrations in metal; Lois takes
inspiration from her hometown in
Scotland where fishing is a thriving
industry – lobster creel-inspired
pieces ranged from jewellery to
tableware and explored colours
which evoke fishing nets with
intertwined cage structures.
Natural forces inspired the
work of Fun Yan Tang as she
explored pieces conveying a
sense of water erosion, whilst
Tianyo Zhao’s interpretation of
KATIE SHIRT
CARA BUDD
‘‘
This year,
the School of
Jewellery sent
31 graduates
to showcase
their
collections
at New
Designers.
‘‘
T
he graduation show is
the culmination of three
years of hard work for
any undergraduate student in art
and design; however, for many
this is just the beginning of a
series of opportunities that they
prepare for. The next big event in
a design graduate’s diary is New
Designers which is held annually
at the Business Design Centre in
London, showcasing the best of
the UK’s graduates. Space is at a
premium and visitor footfall is
tremendous, so it is imperative
that those selected show the best
of their collections.
This year, the School of Jewellery
sent 31 graduates to showcase their
collections at New Designers.
There were 21 graduates from
the three year full-time BA (Hons)
Jewellery Design and Related
Products course and 10 graduates
from the BA (Hons) Jewellery and
Silversmithing – Design for Industry
course. With over 70 graduates
from just these two programmes,
a rigorous selection process had to
occur, with the students preparing
and presenting their collections to
be considered for a place in the
New Designers spotlight.
erosion considered weathering
and the direct deformation of
rocks. Architecture inspired Abbie
Owen-Thomas to create enamelled
jewellery recording forgotten
details in the buildings around
us, whilst Cara Budd produced
a series of structured jewellery
pieces incorporating her subtle
use of colour and graphic details.
Linda Zelikovska’s collection
in metal explored linear repeat
patterns inspired by architecture,
in contrast to Denan Tucker-
Richardson’s bold use of coloured
felts, evoking Mediterranean
townscapes.
Emily
Howell’s
jewellery
communicated
the
interior and exterior relationship
of buildings using metal combined
with ceramic elements.
There were pieces drawn from
historical contexts which conveyed
sentimental references, such as
Danielle Laurent’s tactile collection
of enamel and flocked jewellery
produced in fair-mined materials
and ethical gold. Hiu Tin Leung’s
pieces questioned man’s impact on
the planet, challenging the viewer
to consider the imbalance between
economic
development
and
environmental pollution. Niling
Liang presented a range of elegant
pieces which explored domestic
July 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk