With the upcoming show at Objectspace Harrell and I have started playing chess once again …

Likening our Handshake relationship/interactions to joining up and ‘playing a game of chess’ ; Harrell explains … ‘it has that kind of same mental stimulation for me. But here it is a particular kind of game that I happen to just have been involved with for a long time; a kind of strange obscure one but its an interesting one to play. Its not like we have been playing in any sort of competitive way but its an interesting process of you serving me some stuff and I get to respond to it and you get to respond back and we have this game back and forth. This back and forth becomes a volleying development of an idea and thinking of conceptual aspects as well as the real aspects like what’s going to happen with it and how does that manifest…’

Here are some of our initial plays …

Exhibiting the still or the moving: Do we want to present something static or dynamic within the gallery space? … or do we want it to carry aspects of both?

Collaboration: Do we want to collaborate beyond ourselves? With multiple people? One other person? A specific group/community? Collaborate with the other Handshakers? Or with Objectspace? Or is it a group or person with specific skill set, ie local jewellers, jewellery shops? …..

Exhibiting and curating: With the body as gallery, jewellery has a unique ability to be ‘on show’, ‘display’, on ‘exhibition’ through wearing. Selection/placement/the introduction of other elements such as clothing or other jewellery items all form a curatorial experience. ‘It’s a curatorial experience but is not normally thought of in this way’… this casual and reoccurring curatorial action could be highlighted through formalising it more?

The individual / the generic / the bespoke: Bespoke and generic jewellery carry ‘individual’ stories through their bespoke nature or individual ownership and use. These ‘individual’ stories/narratives are what make the pieces interesting.

Jewellery/Not Jewellery … It’s all jewellery: There are a number of things that could be thought of as jewellery that are not normally thought of that way… Tattoo’s, scars, freckles, ‘a new nose!’ … ‘do you remember?’ … ‘this was one of the first things you said to me Harrell’ … ‘wearing a piece of jewellery is like wearing a new nose’ … ‘that was brilliant!’

Jewellery valuations: Explore the value systems of jewellery that do not reside in its material or monetary value but instead in other areas. Juxtapose these other value systems with the material/monetary value systems – equalise them.

And we finish for the day ….

With one big movement on the board: Exhibiting jewellery / the peoples jewellery / the peoples stories / the peoples museum … of jewellery.

Ding! … adjournment…