Materials: Hand-fabricated copper tubing, reeds, liver of sulfur
Dimensions: 4’ x 4’ x 4’
Realation to theme: The need for some degree of personal space is ubiquitous among human life, but as social creatures, there is also a need to be close to one another. In this sense, there is a constant implicit negotiation between individuals as they learn each other’s different personal view of what is close enough and what is too close, in order to find a common ground for dialogical exchange. This piece comments on that social phenomena by reconfiguring the boundaries between the wearer and those that surround her, while simultaneously drawing in the same people that are kept at bay.
Holland Houdek
Syracuse, NY. USA
Working from the body, I create metal structures that play off the natural curves and lines of the human form. While my concept changes from one series of work to the next, I tend to focus on dichotomies –the beautiful versus the repulsive, the delicate and gestural against the heavy and burdensome, the meditative contrasted by the straining– in order to affect the conscious perception of both the viewer and the wearer of each piece.
In this way, the unifying concept of my work is the dichotomy between the mental and the physical. While the physical form is always accessible to us, it is the hidden quality of our consciousness of the physical form that is most appealing to me. Whether it is the consciousness of an everyday bodily position, of the body enduring a straining position, of meditative positions, or of social space and personal boundaries – I explore all of these themes in my work.
I view the body as a site of experience, as a place where things happen, and my work confronts the viewers with this notion and asks them to reconsider the subject’s and their own body, and how they are able to interact with and move about the world. Conscious perception is contingent on the corporeal self, and my work comments on this intrinsic dependency that many of us take for granted and yet are more intimately aware of than any other relative concept.
Ganoksin hosts the jewelry list Orchid, with over 13,000 list members from all over the world, speaking from a wide range of technical and aesthetic experiences. The exhibition theme grew out of a desire to celebrate the creativity encompassed in this wide variety.
Artists were free to interpret the theme in any way they chose. Each artist could submit up to six pieces. Interpretations include uniting different materials into one cohesive form; intellectual and emotional “unitings”, where the meaning of the piece unites multiple concepts; the uniting of time - past, present and future; and a number that focus on the harmony created when uniting multiple materials and/or concepts.
The work submitted involved a wide range of jewelry techniques, from very traditional to very cutting edge, as well as using materials from traditional precious metals and gemstones to “re-purposed” and “up-cycled” materials.
The exhibition showcases 330 images chosen from entries from over 111 artists representing 26 countries.
Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Serbia, Spain, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, USA, Venezuela, and the Virgin Islands
Many of the participants began their interest in jewelry at a young age. Some are relative newcomers to the field, and some have over 35 years of experience as professional jewelers and goldsmiths. While some grew up in families that were goldsmiths, and followed in those footsteps, others only began creating jewelry as adults.
