In the time that gallerist/goldsmith (1) Jane Bowden has been making jewellery, she has come to be associated with a bold clarity of form, a distinctive, pared-down aesthetic that shuns timidity, but not sensitivity. The sculptural severity of the Zen ring - a solid, open band of gold that rotates through ninety degrees - embodies this tendency, as do the voluptuous Pillow ring with its subtle asymmetry and the rings and bracelets of the Shake, rattle and roll series (the unexpected rattle is provided by internally-secreted ball-bearings).
Attention is lavished on the smallest of details, which may in actuality be obscured from the view of the non-wearer. The matt exterior of a voluptuous rectangle of silver contrasts with the glossy finish of the ring's interior - revealed only when the ring is removed. A grouping of plain matt silver and gold rings of varying widths contains a surprising internal sequence of concertinaed bands, subtly differentiated by the polished gleam of their finish. Comfort is also a consideration. The perimeter of a substantial square ring is rounded to facilitate its wearer-efficacy - a thoughtful detail reversed for its companion bracelet, wherein the squared section that rests against the wrist is smoothly and conversely curved.
A further process-driven strand to Bowden's practice - that quotes from a Japanese tradition of wrapping - evolved from an earlier and ongoing body of work, which involved the creation of woven gold sections as inserts for the more stark geometry of squares, ellipses and rectangles. Drawing down the metal strands to a requisite fineness for these intricately woven sections, necessitated a wire-binding procedure - a process that fortuitously provided the aesthetic impetus for the rather more organic, wrapped series of rings, bangles and bracelets. Effectively collapsing traditional configurations of the diamond ring, in a recent work Bowden threaded seven tiny cubes of gold-encased diamonds onto a band, fashioned from a remarkable continuous coil of five metres of fine yellow-gold filaments. An additional three metre binding of white-gold strands secures the stones, but also (unusually) allows them a certain mono-directional mobility.
Bowden has never been inclined to utilise colour in her jewellery, preferring the subtle tonal variations of a variety of disparate metals. In an understated warp/weft juxtaposition of bright golden and greenish-yellow hues for example, she has elected to interweave strands of 24 carat and 18 carat gold. However for the first of the wrapped bracelet series, she began to incorporate colour - in the form of terracotta-coloured seeds from Arnhem Land - into the fine metallic strands. Subsequent pieces have included single-colour splashes composed of concentrations of fine beads of carnelian, peridot, lapis lazuli, amethyst, onyx, garnet and haematite.
Contrary yet complementary impulses come together most exquisitely in an outstanding woven ring, in which the boldly looping architecture of a horizontal eye-form of polished silver is offset by an undulating wave-like insert of woven gold strands. Moreover in a characteristically assured conjunction of metals, the silver 'eye' configuration is lined with the luscious glow of gold. Bowden's woven sections - the result of a painstaking and rigorous process - confer a warmth within the slickness, a sense of rhythm in the midst of sleek geometry, a certain intimation of unpredictability. In essence Bowden achieves in her jewellery, a breathtaking boldness that is cannily counterbalanced, softened and ultimately elevated by a seductive, sometimes curvilinear glimmer of gold.
(1). Established in 1997, Zu Design - jewellery + objects is a contemporary gallery and studio space in the heart of the city of Adelaide, which Jane Bowden continues to operate in partnership with Roman Kielczewski.
by Wendy Walker
Wendy Walker is an Adelaide-based writer, art critic and curator. Her monograph on photo-based artist Deborah Paauwe was published by Wakefield Press in 2004.
Please contact the gallery for further information on available work.
|
