Turangawaewae Jewellery Exhibition 1998 - 99
http://www.adam.co.nz/crit2.htm
Eyewear today is no longer just visual aid. It�s evident by the
way we put on looking glasses to transform the flaw of our
deteriorating eyesight into a signi�cant asset that they have
evolved into another way of daily self-expression. Frames as
picture frames have supplanted the eyes, they mask, screen or
mirror the face till the part stands for the whole. Eyewear is a
metaphor for identity.
As you may have noticed, particular frame shapes are chosen by
the appropriate people so it is indeed pleasing that there are many
ready-made persona out there for adoption or modi�cation. WWII
aviator, plastic intelligentsia, gold trim name-frames,
apres-sporty wraps, streetwise rap, wireframes (made in Italy),
anti-fashion ug-glasses, and things our mother wore. An icon now
replaces the eyes.
I�ve made a range of tab-and-slot plastic-extrusion spectacle
kitschsets for New Zealanders to cut out, assemble the tabs and
say �I AM�. I also want to introduce frames from historical high
points such as the 14th century leather frames here brought out of
hiding for a new life. These works �t in with my other eyewear
jewellery; from my �rst paua shades of 1984 to the recent
surprisingly modern 18th-century-derived silver eyeglasses. The way
these are crudely sawn from the sterling in the manner of those
times reveals my soft-tech roots.
Brian
B r i a n � A d a m J e w e l l e r y E y e w e a r �
@Brian_Adam1 ph/fx +64 9 817 6816 NEW ZEALAND
http://www.adam.co.nz/crit2.htm work in progress