Jayne Wallace
Sheffield Hallam University, UK

Sometimes I forget to remember

One of my first resulting pieces: is a necklace made from enamelled copper and synthetic silk. When worn the necklace has the capability of communicating a small number of silent image sequences, of significance to the wearer, onto digital displays in the near radius of the necklace. These digital ‘visits’ will not occur often, only occasionally. The digital potential is future focused, where these sequences could occur in a personal or public environment.

There are connections to objects now aged and frail through years of attention and use; an old costume doll's ragged skirts, the white enamel of children's milk teeth and of glass feathers, a white horse, a miniature pastry cutter and a daughter’s curls. There are references to objects once treasured and now lost, to current human relationships and to dreams.

When these ‘digital’ events do occur the result may be an environment where, for a few seconds, the surroundings appear to be paying particular attention to the wearer; the locality is literally acknowledging something personally meaningful, these moments are for and about the wearer.

My way of communicating this concept of the piece to the participant has been through making a short film

To acknowledge that it is important enough to create an environment where personally significant aspects of someone’s life can be referenced and paid attention to is to engage with and respect the concerns and hopes of another person. This piece is not about sentimentality, rather a balance between personal value systems and an interpretation of these personal significances resulting in a new experience.

To conclude; my perspective as a jeweller & as a researcher is to acknowledge the importance of continuing a strong aspect of my craft education;  that of challenging ways of making, ways of thinking and ways of interacting with objects and people. There is currently a blur between disciplines, between relevancies and in many ways this is a good thing. Our potential roles within craft are changing and we have the opportunity to extend our field, to be forward facing whilst holding on to our values and human centred approach, communicating these to new arenas and collaborations.

Craft, while it is rooted in the making of physical objects, provides the conceptual and empathetic means of addressing a far broader range of experiential issues that extend the relevance and value of new technologies.

The challenge we face as practitioners, researchers and commentators of craft is to firstly realise, then emphasize and finally communicate the values and sensibilities evident within craft practice and knowledge to other disciplines and arenas.

The future is to rise to meet each new challenge. It is important to realise the challenges facing craft, but it is also important to see the challenges craft poses for other disciplines and for our possibilities of future interactions with our environments.