handSTAND awards winners - July 2009
Photo credit to Damian Skinner. Read his review at Paua Dreams.
TopMark Products is proud to be a sponsor of the 2009 handSTAND jewellery awards - showcasing emerging contemporary jewellers.
A small yet vibrant part of the visual arts sector, contemporary jewellery has grown exponentially in recent years and witnessed a number of New Zealand practitioners establishing national and international reputations.
The makers showcased in handSTAND provide a fantastic snapshot of just a few talents emerging out the handful of tertiary education programmes in this field, from around the country.
The TopMark Awards
TopMark Award winner Vaune Mason’s unique work, Control, stands out with its consideration of the jewellery wearer. An intriguing and nostalgic object, the work is not what you would consider typical jewellery. A vintage-looking object resembling a mourning jewellery locket, or a ‘box brownie’ camera, and finished with a sensible leather strap, the wearer of Mason’s work engages in a conceptual manner with the object.Read more
Second place in the TopMark Awards went to Vivien Atkinson, whose series Suite: Illusions addresses bridal jewellery. A universal symbol, the ‘bride’ is synonymous with beauty, purity and of course the always implied air of temporality. In transferring the fragile and undoubtedly highly skilled craft of cake decorating to jewellery, Atkinson engages directly with the discussion of adornment, an issue which resounds more strongly in contemporary jewellery than other art practices.Read more