m1 pollinate
Jane Pollard

Sydney based, self taught jeweller Jane Pollard has been creating wearable objects from found and collected materials for the past 15 years. Pollard is fascinated by the nostalgia and passion held by vintage haberdashery, buttons and buckles and adds to the objects stories and lifespans by transforming them into contemporary jewellery.

The forms made are inspired by the objects Pollard finds and receives, and are underpinned by her commitment to utilise recycled materials. As her collection grows so does her appreciation of the individual objects, each piece drawing on the inherent qualities of the component objects – their colours, shapes and patterns – to create unique wearable pieces.

Pollard’s earlier works were inspired by her experiences with string spun from the plant fibre Agave; a skill she learnt while teaching in an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory. Jane has revisited this string making technique for pollinate, her first solo exhibition. pollinate reinforces the collector and hoarder within Pollard as she beautifully brings together objects, ideas, styles and materials to create a plastic landscape. All flower shaped, the pieces are built using an array of materials including hand cut, melted polypropylene with hand spun string, buttons, buckles, silver, found objects and beading.

m2 Coral Wreath
Pennie Jagiello

Jagiello celebrates the beauty and fragility of the ocean in her first solo Sydney exhibition Coral Wreath. The work replicates her own intimate interpretation of the beauty within the sea, alongside that which is destroying it.

Twisted recycled plastics replicate the products that are destroying our oceans, while also emulating the fragility of sea life and the changes associated with the increase of human impact.

The pieces also reference Pacific art and adornment, emulating materials and techniques a speaking of the impact of global warming on coastal communities and the effect the environmental changes will have on the future of coastal towns

Recycled materials are an intrinsic component in Jagiello’s work, materials are not so much sourced, but chanced upon, influencing and moulding the piece to be made. Discarded plastics can live in the marine environment for up to 600 years and so sings a significant song in this body of work. Previously Jagiello has also utilized telephone cables to communicate the need for urgent awareness of the extreme danger our beautiful oceans are in and how we are rapidly destroying them.

Running until September24

Anna Davern

Richard Burns, Anna Davern, Amanda Fox, Lisa Furno, Stephen Gallagher, Pennie Jagiello, Elfrun Lach, Jane Pollard and Mel Young

at Pablo Fanque

November 4 – 24, 2008

Recycled, renewed, reborn is a group exhibition of wonderful works by Australian artisans with a penchant for ethical creations. Using recycled materials and making ethical creations does not mean that design and beauty are forsaken.

Melinda Young, Smoke Neckpiece, 2008, Polyester Sewing Thread, Smoky Quartz, Oxidised 925 Silver

Melinda Young, Blood Neckpiece, 2008, Polyester Sewing Thread, Dyed Quartz, Oxidised 925 Silver

Recycled, reused and renewed looks at artworks in their own right; they just happen to be made from loved or reinvented materials. I have been increasingly captivated with the innovative use of recycled resources in jewellery and object making, and while I appreciate the growing relevance and need to explore the possibilities of working with existing materials, this factor can sometimes overshadow the artworks created.

Pablo Fanque