Fran Carter and Caroline Thomas
19 February - 18 March
In-Gallery Day with Artists: Sunday 6 March 10am - 4pm
Contemporary jewellery artists Fran Carter and Caroline Thomas present Moments of Jewelleryness, an exhibition of jewellery and object that contemplates commonly held conceptions of jewellery and ideas of adornment.
Since 2017 the pair have documented moments of artistic inspiration found in unlikely places within the urban environment - scattered detritus, wonky pipes, road markings, rusty chains - scenes and objects from the everyday that strike a spark of creativity in the mind of a maker.
Moments of Jewelleryness gives form to these ideas, revealing the creative potential of seemingly ordinary encounters. Carter and Thomas transform a series of inspirational moments into objects, all of which are informed by the artists’ individual and collective understanding of ‘jewelleryness’. Cigarette filters become a chain of adornment, a found wooden box is transformed into a brooch.
With Moments of Jewelleryness, Carter & Thomas use the language of the cityscape to present their work. Mounted sheets of tin fencing, pallets and PVC piping painted white echo the origins of the moments that inspired the works in their exhibition. Fluorescent road marking paint is used as a leitmotif throughout the installation.
In the lead up to the exhibition and throughout its run, Carter and Thomas will be revisiting the beginning of their project which first took physical form on the streets of Melbourne in 2017 for Radiant Pavilion, a biennial jewellery and object festival. They will be distributing a limited edition of ‘Moments of Jewelleryness’ magnets around Wellington. Upon discovery, the artists invite people to share their own encountered jewellery moments via social media. These encounters will contribute to the project as it continues to evolve on Instagram @moments_of_jewelleryness
Fran Carter and Caroline Thomas first met while studying jewellery design at Whitireia NZ. Since then they have exhibited widely in Aotearoa and internationally, both individually and together. Currently the two share a studio space with a fellow jewellery artist in Wellington, where this current show was conceived and created.
Join Fran and Caroline in the gallery for a casual drop in session on Sunday 6 March 10am - 4pm. The artists will be present to explain more about the ideas behind and forms within Moments of Jewelleryness.
