Following meetings in Hong Kong in 2014 Dr Ching Sze Yin, Cicy, lecturer of Jewellery at Academy of Visual Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University, and Dr Elizabeth Shaw Senior Lecturer and Convenor of Jewellery and Small Objects at Queensland College of Art Griffith University decided to develop an exhibition to show at both of our institutions.
We identified similarities between our studios and approaches and were keen to develop a dialogue between our students and graduates and saw the 2015 exhibition as a way to do that.
The people invited to exhibit were asked to respond to the question "Why Jewellery? Meaning, why do you make it? Why is it the focus of your arts practice?"
The first Why Jewellery exhibition opened at HKBU in the Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery Hong Kong in May 2015. It then toured to the Webb Gallery at Queensland College of Art Griffith University later that year.
Why Jewellery features selected works from current BFA students and recent graduates (up to three years out from Queensland College of Art Griffith University and Hong Kong Baptist University). In 2017 the second exhibition in the series opened in Brisbane in June before touring to Hong Kong. Cicy and Elizabeth also exhibited current research from their own practices. In 2019 the third exhibition in the series will open in Brisbane in May before touring to Hong Kong in September.
The gallery text for Hong Kong
Why Jewellery?
Humans have long adorned themselves with jewellery, even before written record. During this long history, jewellery has come to represent specific meanings, functions, and to be associated with certain values. We use jewellery to cultivate good luck, avoid disasters, establish identity, build comradeship, show off wealth, display power, express love, memory and other feelings, and also to proclaim our or a society’s social and aesthetic values. Of course jewellery can also be considered a pure fashion statement which is a proclamation in itself.
The development of jewellery differs amongst different eras, regions, cultures, geographic environments and technology progressions. There is always a common thread though, and that is to suit the needs of the time, the community, and the individual. Through the interaction of wearer, surroundings, and jewellery pieces, we learn how to express ourselves through adornment. Contemporary jewellery artists take this dialog a step forward. They often use jewellery as the medium for discussing issues that they care about, or use traditional values associated with jewellery for articulating their personal views and opinions.
Participants of this exhibition are students, graduates and teachers from the Academy of Visual Arts, the Hong Kong Baptist University and Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Australia. They strive to create jewellery pieces from topics that are dear to their hearts. Through the interaction of works from two different cultures, we hope to illustrate the possibilities of contemporary jewellery, and its versatility in discussing contemporary issues.
早於有文字記載之前，人類已經開始穿戴裝飾品。在穿戴的長久歷史中，首飾有著它一定的定義和功能價值。由趨吉避空、躲災避禍，到明身份、建立認同，它也可以誇耀財富、顯示權力，更可讓人表示愛慕、思念、宣洩情懷，也表現個人或社會的價值和審美觀，或只用作流行的指標等等。
在不同的時空、地域、文化背景、地理環境、國家情勢、技術發展之下，裝飾的目的在配合民族及時代的需求下各異發展，內容好像各有不同，但又卻一脈相承。它總是在人生活的環境中和各種各樣的人、事、物相交相遇，在種種互動的經驗中，學會如何通過裝飾達到保護、顯彰自己的功能。當代的首飾創作人更常以首飾作媒介，表達個人對其關心議題的立場和態度；或措用首飾的約定俗成定義，表達其個人的價值觀。
此展覽展示了香港浸會大學視覺藝術院和澳洲葛里菲茲大學昆士蘭藝術學院的師生首飾作品。各人以首飾作媒體把各自關心的議題，以不同的材料和手法為出發點，創作一件又一件的作品。
希望透過展示兩地的首飾作品，讓觀者可感受首飾在當代的多元面貌，並對首飾作為創作媒體多一分認知。
We identified similarities between our studios and approaches and were keen to develop a dialogue between our students and graduates and saw the 2015 exhibition as a way to do that.
The people invited to exhibit were asked to respond to the question "Why Jewellery? Meaning, why do you make it? Why is it the focus of your arts practice?"
The first Why Jewellery exhibition opened at HKBU in the Koo Ming Kown Exhibition Gallery Hong Kong in May 2015. It then toured to the Webb Gallery at Queensland College of Art Griffith University later that year.
Why Jewellery features selected works from current BFA students and recent graduates (up to three years out from Queensland College of Art Griffith University and Hong Kong Baptist University). In 2017 the second exhibition in the series opened in Brisbane in June before touring to Hong Kong. Cicy and Elizabeth also exhibited current research from their own practices. In 2019 the third exhibition in the series will open in Brisbane in May before touring to Hong Kong in September.
The gallery text for Hong Kong
Why Jewellery?
Humans have long adorned themselves with jewellery, even before written record. During this long history, jewellery has come to represent specific meanings, functions, and to be associated with certain values. We use jewellery to cultivate good luck, avoid disasters, establish identity, build comradeship, show off wealth, display power, express love, memory and other feelings, and also to proclaim our or a society’s social and aesthetic values. Of course jewellery can also be considered a pure fashion statement which is a proclamation in itself.
The development of jewellery differs amongst different eras, regions, cultures, geographic environments and technology progressions. There is always a common thread though, and that is to suit the needs of the time, the community, and the individual. Through the interaction of wearer, surroundings, and jewellery pieces, we learn how to express ourselves through adornment. Contemporary jewellery artists take this dialog a step forward. They often use jewellery as the medium for discussing issues that they care about, or use traditional values associated with jewellery for articulating their personal views and opinions.
Participants of this exhibition are students, graduates and teachers from the Academy of Visual Arts, the Hong Kong Baptist University and Queensland College of Art, Griffith University, Australia. They strive to create jewellery pieces from topics that are dear to their hearts. Through the interaction of works from two different cultures, we hope to illustrate the possibilities of contemporary jewellery, and its versatility in discussing contemporary issues.
早於有文字記載之前，人類已經開始穿戴裝飾品。在穿戴的長久歷史中，首飾有著它一定的定義和功能價值。由趨吉避空、躲災避禍，到明身份、建立認同，它也可以誇耀財富、顯示權力，更可讓人表示愛慕、思念、宣洩情懷，也表現個人或社會的價值和審美觀，或只用作流行的指標等等。
在不同的時空、地域、文化背景、地理環境、國家情勢、技術發展之下，裝飾的目的在配合民族及時代的需求下各異發展，內容好像各有不同，但又卻一脈相承。它總是在人生活的環境中和各種各樣的人、事、物相交相遇，在種種互動的經驗中，學會如何通過裝飾達到保護、顯彰自己的功能。當代的首飾創作人更常以首飾作媒介，表達個人對其關心議題的立場和態度；或措用首飾的約定俗成定義，表達其個人的價值觀。
此展覽展示了香港浸會大學視覺藝術院和澳洲葛里菲茲大學昆士蘭藝術學院的師生首飾作品。各人以首飾作媒體把各自關心的議題，以不同的材料和手法為出發點，創作一件又一件的作品。
希望透過展示兩地的首飾作品，讓觀者可感受首飾在當代的多元面貌，並對首飾作為創作媒體多一分認知。
