.,,. ----- I -------------- '--- y ---------- ~ I \ - \ ~ ---- I ------- \ I I ~ I ! \ I ~A I j I ii ~ I I I "---- \/ \ ------------ --------- . A Thesis Presented to NSC@- t:Jn-i versity in partial fulfillment of the requirements - for the Degree of .Mast1 r of Fine---Arts in Craft ,.._____ ------- ---1 \ " -I \ I I \ By Emily Blair War ,ham April 2017 I I I I I -- \ I J/ -- ' \ Thesis 1 mmj'ttee, Kye-Yeon Son, Professor,/Craft Division Gary JYl_a-nf1-e~o~ e Profe sor, Craft Di~si?1:1 Rebecca Hannon, Assoc1ati F~ofessor, Craft D1V1s1on Sandra Alfoldy, Professor, Art History- ~ Grii ical Sntdi.es Division (Program Advisor) Jan Peacock, Pr6fessof , Media Arts (Director, MJ:A Program) ,,, Take Hold My heart pouniJe'iJ and my voi.ce quivere'iJ aJ I attempted to talk ahout the fir,;t piae I ma'ile for the group .;how. I WaJ interrupted ahruptly with the que.;ti.on "Why ii it a brooch?" I WaJ completely taken ahack_, I ha'iJ never been aJke'iJ that before. "It ii a brooch becau.;e I make jewellery": I thought to my.;elf. Looking back now_, I really 'Ju} not know the an.;wer to that que.;ti.on and how much of an impact it wou/J have on me through the next year and a half. At first, I was very annoyed by that question but at the same time it resonated with me. With contemporary art jewellery forging ahead as a vital field and body playing a central role in my medium why not ask the question, "Why is it a brooch?" and more specifically related to my current work, "Why is it a bracelet?" Just like sitespecific public art or sculpture, place largely influences concept, material and form and for jewellery the body is that place/site. A bracelet wraps, intertwines, embraces, all of which are very similar actions that occur between loved ones, in my case, between a mother and child. The bracelet form is what reinforces the conceptual groundwork for this body of work. Jewellery "[possesses] a distinct set of codes enlivened by its relationship to the body, jewellery is a way of thinking and connecting which is strongly embedded in the activities of managing identity that define cultures and epochs." (Cohns ii). During the intervening time between being asked "Why is it a brooch?" to the completion of my MFA thesis exhibition, I have been able to identify and express my intention for this body of work: to tap into these codes and use them to express and connect to my lived experience of motherhood which in tum forced me to 2 re-evaluate my identity at the same moment I was defining myself as a jeweller. My choice of the bracelet for this body of work was purposeful. The bracelet dates back as early as 5000 BCE, where the Egyptians used materials such as wood, stone and bone to represent religious and spiritual interests. Throughout histoxy its form remained a strong expression of symbolic meaning as well as maintains intrinsic value across cultures. "Having always been a form of currency, jewellexy in its traditional Western manifestation adds the incentive of high financial returns." (Cohns 3) My interests lie in the wearers, for them "the value of jewellexy lies in the ways it 'talks': its unique capacity to attract, deflect, evoke, provoke, guard, reveal, seduce -in other words to pe,form." (Cohn 3) I began working with the bracelet form because I believe the bracelet 'talks' to the relationship that recently enveloped me in a barrage of emotions - becoming a first-time mother. It is through this series of bracelet forms that I seek to encapsulate these emotions related to motherhood. In developing "Actor Network Theoxy" (ANT), the philosopher Bruno Latour describes our relationship to non-human objects as a sort of theatrical play in which both human and non-human objects play equal roles 1 (Verbeek 125). It is not only form that speaks this language but also materiality, which has its own voice in my work. It is this "performance" that leads Latour to believe, both types of things need to be studied symmetrically, allowing us to explore the materiality of objects, and as a result, denotes that objects do far more for us then we realize (Verbeek 125). Jewellexy evokes a sensoxy experience, sensual, pleasurable, empowering; one that affects us when we are wearing it and even when we are not. For example, if the 1 To read more on his theory see Verbeek. 3 piece becomes lost, leaving us with feelings of grief, as if an appendage was lost. There is no mistaking that one of the layers in the profound manifold that makes up the meanings of jewellery is its haptic quality where someone may touch and/or manipulate the piece. As humans, we need touch in our lives, infants thrive on it and adults long for it. The haptic nature of this relationship is what perpetually connects humans to jewellery and as a result strongly connects jewellery to the body. My first piece "Take Hold" suggests one of the most important forms of touch, that between a mother and her child. This bracelet form with its matte black, tentaclelike feelers sweeps across the hand emerging from the hollow form spine with great intention and purpose, but at the same time only slightly caressing the surface, able to let go at any moment. Strong but delicate, inviting yet intrusive, the form wraps ever so slightly around the outer hand into the palm, expressing the emotions that become all too present when life presents an immense change such as motherhood. As the form comes to a delicately finished point, the interior hollowness is exposed, giving the wearer a glimpse into the structure that is softly lined with a merlot coloured velvet. The soft caress to the palm of the hand from the velvet mimics the moment the silky hand of a child touches yours when they unexpectedly reach up to hold hands. It is in those moments that one realizes there is an outer force with great magnitude taking hold. One that is both terrifying and beautiful. 4 Take HouJ, 2016. Copper, spray paint 'Fragmented' •~t the end of the day, my iiJentity if not to he a guarantee of authenticity." Thue word.J took week.i to digut. Thue word.J rolled off hi! tongue like they were there f orePer in our group exhibition artift talk; it awoke .Jomething in me I diiJ not know exifted. When I became a mom my .Jituated iiJentity, ethnicity and culture Wad .Jhattered and I ad fabricated Wad forced oPer the yeaN from gender, to find what I now heli.ePe to he my true authentic .Je/j. What a gift to he giPen. The hours and even days after giving birth are hazy, blurred into one epic event. One where you exist in some sort of unfamiliar realm, stuck somewhere in 5 between your life and identity before this event, and not quite, in what your life is slowly unfolding to be. You are half patient, half expected to jump right in and keep a precious new human alive simply from your breasts (which by the way are new entities in and of themselves). Your clothes from before pregnancy still don't fit you and your maternity clothes no longer fit either. The overwhelming feeling as I looked into the mirror for the first time was "Who am I?" and "What just happened?" Fast forward to a year later and I find myself in a similar position with regards to my professional life. Starting my first year of the MFA program I had to ask myself who am I as an artist. I quickly realised I was not the same artist I was before becoming a mother, yet I still did not know who I was as an artist now. Once again I found myself "in-between" and began to ask, what is identity? What is authenticity? How do I piece this back together? My second bracelet form entitled "Fragmented" speaks to this moment when I realized my identity was no longer intact. This piece has a smooth, solid cuff form as its foundation. A strong foundation, that was once all too familiar. This sleek, stable surface begins to be interrupted by what look like small slices, which represent a border between what I once knew and what was about to happen. This strong concrete form then gives way to a multitude of fragmented pieces of sterling silver metal shards and smoky plexi-glass network like structures; my identity in pieces, seeking to be put back together, only to find out not all the old pieces fit back in. 6 Fragnunte'J, 2017. Nickel silver, sterling silver, laser cut plexi The 'In-between Space' uGive your.ielfpermid.iion. '' The.1e wordJ were .,au) to me when I wa.1 in a heavy academic fog toward.i the end of my fir.it year in the MFA program. It wa.1 not until I wa.1 alone again in my .itudio, Jilting and looking at the pa.It year'.! work fau) out before me, in the form of .icallered .iamp/e.J offragmenteiJ though& that her wordJ re.JonateJ; igniting a .ihift I did not know at the time wouuJ be the .Jtart of .Jometbing good. I packed up my .Jtudio; it wa.1 time to .ilartfre.1b. This moment seemed insignificant but has become a pivotal moment, not only 7 in my studio practice, but significantly in self-growth. For some reason the words "give yourself permission" became the key that switched my mindset from cyclical thoughts of concern, worry and self-pity into productive thoughts of acceptance and confidence and most importantly acknowledging fully the raw and transcendent experience of becoming a new mother. This is why my MFA thesis body of work has come to embody all the thoughts, emotions and experiences of this crucial time in my life. Although I have begun to acknowledge these feelings and the impact motherhood has had on my life and work, it continues to be a process. One of the themes I have been exploring in my work is a new relationship between myself and my daughter. Between my old self and my new self a tension that arose between these two parallel realities. It is the idea that an "in-between space" exists, "a meeting-ground of potentiality and authenticit.),2, located neither within the self nor in the world ... In this space, one finds the most authentic and creative aspects of our personal and communal existence, including artistic, scientific, and religious expression." (Praglin 01) Before understanding this "in-between space" and more importantly understanding "me", I had to understand "us", mother and child and the process of individuation. I began to look at pediatrician and psychoanalyst, D.W Winnicott's, well-known transitional object theory. This theory studied the defining moment when a child begins relating to a "not-me" possession(s) for example a blanket or stuffed animal. Winnicott believes that although this object is a real thing, it is not fully perceived as an external reality, rather an "in-between space" or resting place 2 In referring to this loaded word I think of Andrew Potter's definition "The ... essential core of life is something called authenticity, and finding the authentic has become the foremost spiritual quest of our time ." 8 somewhere between subject and object, a third reality if you will. I believe this "inbetween space" is at the centre of the mother and daughter relationship, and over time grows larger. Yet within that space, emotions evolve and become even more complex, interwoven and interdependent. In "Take Hold" the bracelets operate as symbols of this individuation process. Someone who shares similar thoughts around this idea of "in-between space" is philosopher Martin Buber. In his book I and Thou, he explains that objects mediate relationships between people, similar to Winnicott's Object Relation theory where the child's stuffed animal acts as an intermediary between self and mother. In contrast Buber's theory presents two "ways of being in the world: the modes of I-It and I-Thou. In the realm of I-It, persons treat each other as objects. In the realm of I-Thou, persons seek to relate meaningfully to others." (Scott) As I move through this monumental experience my daughter and I are beginning to find a balance between the two. In my bracelets, the tension between the infant's need for his or her mother, and the mother's need for independence is shown through the diverse visual language of the forms and material that make up each piece. The dualities that are strongly inherent in the mother-child relationship transpired into the fabricated space both in the object itself and the space between the object and wearer. As a result the objects are at once inviting and repelling, soft yet strong. 9 Tbe In-between, 2017. Nickel silver, stainless still mesh, !Ok gold. 'Tethered' Struggling to articulate into wor'il.1 the new relation.ihip I a year into motherhoo0 I Wad Wad experiencing7 only intro'iluce'J to a concept that at the time .1eeme'Jforeign to me. We are all tethere'J to peopk7 place.; an'J thing.1. My relation.ihip with my uaugbter7 although I am not alway.1 pby.1ical.Ly hon'J hy her7 .1hapu an'iJ form.i my every ueciJion. Tethering is one of the most meaningful theories I discovered during my MFA 10 research: "the utmost length to which one can go in action; the utmost extent or limit of ability or resources"3 • This definition of tethered encompasses the fundamental human relationships we have in our lives and it is this measure in length, extent or limit that heightens our awareness of the embodiment of these primary relationships. As a result, a form of tension emerges that allows us to become in tune with our surroundings and to all the elements present, helping to create this unique bond. I am talking about the invisible space or cosmos if you will, where a great set of actions take place and where an exchange of meanings and perhaps miscommunications cross paths and intertwine. This tension, like an elastic band, expands and retracts through the emotional ups and downs of the relationship without breaking. It is not until one or more parties are pushed to their limits that the ties might then snap, threatening or breaking that bond. It was difficult to imagine what it would be like to be physically attached to someone I barely knew for a whole year. How would I react? How long would I last? In a sense, becoming a mother is an invisible form of tethering, that one can never truly prepare for or maybe fully even accept. The helpless, new human you just brought into the world needs you, wants you and you just want to take a hot bath or go for drinks with a friend. It is funny how you don't become fully aware of your freedom until it is taken away or altered. Conversely, with the gravity of obligations involved in the upkeep of a relationship comes a sense of great meaning. Isn't meaning what we as humans all look for in life? In some shape or form we all feel tethered to the many different kinds of relationships in our lives, tethered to something or someone by way of technology, for example the cellphone or by complex notions of co-dependency. It is this connection 3 Definition found on Dictionary.com 11 that links two or more things whether they are human or non-human and this relation can be both positive and/or negative but doesn't necessarily mean physically attached. Depending on the means in which the two things are connected, the in-between space can represent or mediate many messages or meaning. While exploring these ideas I have come to find interesting works by creative artists who use complex metaphors to explore related concepts. As a first example, Montano and Hsieh's performance piece Art/Life: One Year Performance 1983-1984, (R.ope Piece), the two performers are connected at the waist by an eight foot piece of rope but never once had physical contact with one another. "The reality of the rope became the symbol of relationship ...the difficulty of relationships ...the inescapability of interdependence ... The rope made visible the psychic bond that exists between any two people in close relationship and told the truth that we are each alone yet connected" (Langston 1). Hsieh explains, "because I feel that to survive we're all tied up. We cannot go in life alone, without people. We don't touch, and this helps us to be conscious that this relationship connects individuals, but the individuals are independent". This performance piece unleashes many emotions in the viewer, but one can only imagine what this experience might be like and never fully grasp it unless they too endure the same struggle. In contrast to R.ope Piece (1983-1984), Marina Abramovic and Ulay, lovers at the time, tethered themselves together by their own hair and sat back-to-back, not speaking or moving for sixteen hours. In talking about this piece, Abramovic explains, "we became a kind of polarity. He presented the male energy and I presented the 12 female energy and we tried to combine them". 4 In this case it is the lack of physical space between them and their limited mobility that brought awareness to their own relationship. These limitations may also bring new perceptions to the non-human things that are between them, for example the clothes they are wearing, and the hard floor where they sat. The act of being tethered in this instance, brings them into physical contact, and interestingly this proximity creates great discomfort. It is this discomfort that allows them to recognize the work and the endurance it takes to maintain a lasting relationship and that in doing so, one must re-adjust and adapt to ones surroundings. It is two parts making up a whole. Both examples drawn from these works explore a physical tethering in reference to the relationships among humans and have inspired me to examine similar ideas with regards to the relationships humans have with non-human objects, jewellery in particular. It is the piece entitled "Tethered" in particular that embodies these ideas. The bracelet is web-like made up of fine steel mesh that is connected by strong curved lines at irregular intervals. The wire mesh has a network of fold lines that allude to an abstract, active space I envision exists between loved ones near or far. The material is strong but at the same time has a softness, and intricacy to it. The sweeping curved lines that intersect the soft mesh at certain points can cause discomfort for the wearer reminding us that there are many hard times present in all relationships, even loving ones. 4 To read more about her work visit http://www.li-ma.nl/site/catalogue/art/abramovic-ulay/relation-in-time/8039# 13 Tetbere'J, 2017. Nickel silver and stainless steel mesh. 'Movement, Momentum' and 'Center of my World' The fir.Jt day I dropped her off at daycare and I went to my fir.Jt day ofgrail .Jchool reinforced the feeling - I wouuJ never he a .Jtay-at-home mom. At the .Jame time, there wa.J .Jometbing .Jo fulfilling about knowing that at the end of the day I wou/;J he going home to .Jach a precioa.J gift. '~u MuniJi'' be .Jay.J from acro.J.J the table at our 14 fir.Jt meeting - a term I Wa.J notfamiliar with unLi[ that iJay. Another moment of clarity emergeiJ a.JI recognizdJ that my iJaughter ii my guuJing point. I feel whole now., I can go out., p ur.Jue my iJrearn.J knowing I have tbil amazing little per.Jon to come home to., to take care of., to work hariJ for aniJ to make prolld. Axu Mun'Ji is the core stimulus for all human experiences a "symbol [that] originates in a natural and universal psychological perception: that the spot one occupies stands at "the center of the world". This space serves as a microcosm of order because it is known and settled. (RevoLvi_;.com) My daughter is my Axil Mun'Ji. Having this strong bond and need to not only provide for her, but to be a guiding point for her, allows me (stronger than ever) to "venture into any of the four cardinal directions, make discoveries, and establish new centers as new realms become known and settled." (RevoLvy.com) This simple yet powerful concept has provided me with enough inspiration to develop two pieces. The first of the two, entitled "Movement, Momentum" uses a strong, irregular sterling silver spiral to capture a sense of upward motion. As your eye follows the spiral you quickly realize the path is not smooth or predictable but rather fragmentary where soft round curves abruptly turn into 90°angle. This is indicative of life, the road is not always smooth and predictable and especially with a two-year-old. The spiral creates an interesting space, a space for your arm to enter by way of p urple bristle lined portals at either end. Entering the bottom portal indicates a point of beginning and as the hand moves through the space and out the top portal a trajectory has been established . The tip of the spiral is subtly curved up, open t o the world and ready for take off. 15 Movement, Momentwn, 2017. Sterling silver and nylon bristles. The second of the two, entitled "Center of my World" draws on scientific concepts of the nucleus. The nucleus is the core of other parts or groups. It is the driving force behind growth and functioning. The irregular wall structures mimic that of the walls of a maze much like the maze of life. Between a strong exterior and interior wall opens a space where an illusion is created. The soft forms on the inside that are nestled in the velvety, flocked walls have a sense of shifting and growing within the space, not trying to escape but moving amidst. Life can be hard and confusing but I now know I have a soft, comforting and fascinating creature to come home to, a creature that paradoxically, I am giving life to, now gives me life. 16 Centre of my World, 2017. Nickel silver, Sculpey, Rayon flocking, gold leaf. Final Thought.I When I entered the MF A program as a new mother I was unaware of my own identity crisis and my own process of individuation. It was through the process of designing and creating this body of work that I was able to become mindful of the unique and powerful experience I was undergoing. It is sitting at my jewellery bench in my studio where I am most comfortable in 17 this world. I quietly, diligently work for hours as deadlines loom and I work against the dock until my motherly duties pull me away. This space is my 'in-between', a space where my role as mom is never far from my thoughts. My role as artist is reestablished and my choice whether to present my finished work to an exterior audience is always present. There is an inherent duality that ties all the themes I have explored over the past two years. This duality creates an intriguing tension throughout the body of work, one that presents a sense of strength and aggressiveness and at the same time a soft vulnerability. In fact, it has been through the challenges of this MFA programme and the forging of the pieces for my exhibition that I have come to realize I can balance two essential parts of my life - a mother and an artist. I am now able to 'Take Hold' of the future. 18 Work Cited Art Jewelry Forum. Contemporary Jewelry in Per.1pecti11e. Ed. Damian Skinner. USA Lark Books, 2013. Print Bennett, Tony, Lawrence Grossberg, and Morris, Meaghan, eds. New Keyword,1 A re11i.ded VocahuLary of Culture and Society. Blackwell, 2005. Print Cohn, Susan. "Recording Jewelry: Identity, Body, Survival". http://unsworks.unsw. edu.au/fapi/datastream/unsworks:5818/SO URCE02 ?view=true, 2009. Web Isle-Neuman, Ursula and Julie M. Munz. Space, Light, Structure: The Jewelry of Magaret De Patta. California: Museum of Arts and Design, 2012. Print Langston, Ingrid. "What Can I Do With It: Activating Franz Erhard Walther's Fir,1t Work Set". http://www.moma.org/explore/inside out/2012/12/12/what-can- i-do-with-it-activating-franz-erhard-walthers-first-work-set. December 12, 2012. Web Potter, Andrew. The Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lo,1t Finding Outt!el11u Toronto: M cClelland and Stewart, 2010: 3. Print Praglin, Laura. "The Nature of the "In-Between" in the D .W Winnicott's Concept of 19 Transitional Space and in Martin Buber's Das Zwischenmenschliche". Uni11ertJita.d. 2.2 (2006): 1-9. Web Scott, Sara. Internet Encyclopedia of Philo.:,opby: A Peer-&11iewed AcmJemic Ruource. Web Shafak, Elif. Black Mi/Jc: On the Conflicting Demandtf of Writing, Creati11ity, and Motherhood. Trans. Hande Zapsu. USA: Penguin Books, 2007. Print Verbeek, Peter-Paul. "Artifacts and Attachments: A Post-Script Philosophy of Mediation"/nt!We the Pofitu:.1 of Technology: A_qency and Normati11ity in the CoProduction of Technology anJ Society. Ed. Hans Harbers. The Netherlands: Amsterdam University Press, 2005. 125-46 Print 20