Materials: Brass mixed metals and found wood
Dimensions: 2M x 150mm
Detail of Installation
Darja Nikitina
The Cass
London, UK
As an Alumnus of The Cass Darja has created a beautiful range of pieces from little pots to outstanding installations. Of her work she says;
'My body of work apart from being a range of jewellery and metalware is also a collection of snippets from thoughts, observations and memories. As an author I like to narrate though my pieces by giving hints and fragments of the ‘plot’ only, which allows the viewers to complete the story using their own imagination.
Everyday life, from household tools to human relationships, is the main source of my inspiration. The creation of pieces is accompanied by the use of mixed materials and found objects, taken from the daily environment. However the reality always passes through the prism of my imagination and interpretation, endowing the outcomes with a sense of surrealism and a touch of humour. Thus the key feature of each story becomes the contrast between real and unreal, rational and intuitive, natural and artificial. I believe the work reflects my vision of the world around us and is the medium of sharing it with other people.'
These containers and vessels definitely hold their place in the world of stunning art objects as well as in the world of metalsmithing.
Since the dawn of time humans have created containers to hold things that were important to them, from large vessels to hold food and harvests to intimate containers for small precious things. They might hold memories, ashes, medicine, beverage, fruit or food - but all spring from the imagination and skill of the maker. Some have specific religious functions, some are meant for everyday use. When one thinks of a vessel or container the inclination is to think of something with solid walls - yet many of these works involve the exploration of positive and negative space, and the use of negative space to help create the illusion of the wall of the vessel.
As the world’s largest jewelry related internet site, Ganoksin strives to develop exhibitions showcasing work from around the world. This exhibition was open to all metalsmiths, professional and amateur, advanced and beginner. Participants are from The Netherlands, the USA, Canada, Australia, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, Israel, Hong Kong, Colombia, Romania, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia and Denmark. While most of the pieces are by an individual metalsmith, some are collaborations, one of three artists spanning 50 years.
In total 319 artists contributed 729 show pieces for the permanent online exhibition.
Objects in the exhibition include boxes, lockets, urns, ash containers, bowls, wine cups, reliquaries, match holders, vases, teapots, pitchers, sugar bowls, baskets, nests, pillboxes, clutches and a range of sculptural forms. A variety of techniques are showcased covering a wide range of metalsmithing techniques. Materials used include everything from gold and silver to less expensive metals. Ornamentation includes the addition of enamel, chasing and repousse’, gemstones and found objects.
The exhibition was curated by Beth Wicker, President of the North Carolina Society of Goldsmiths in the United States, and Adjunct Instructor at Northeastern Technical College in South Carolina. Director of the exhibition is Hanuman Aspler, founder of The Ganoksin Project, the world’s largest internet jewelry site.
http://www.ganoksin.com/exhibition/var/albums/HoldingPlace2013/Darja-installation_details.jpg