Since
opening in 2003, the MoB Store has also been home to the MoB WorkSpace.
This provides both a space for artsists to work and a unique
opportunity for visitors to MoB to observe some of Brisbane's premier
artisans while they work. The peices created in the MoB WorkSpace are
available for purchase through the MoB Store.
There are currently four resident jewellers and one graduate mentoree.
Liana Kabel
Liana Kabel’s recent jewellery has
explored the use of recycling Tupperware with silver to make funky and
glamorous wearables. She melds, fuses and shapes the plastic and adds
the customised silver finishes to make earrings, neckpieces and
bracelets. Liana Kabel likes to work with ‘ordinary’ and sometimes
forgotten or overlooked items and pair them with precious elements to
create a cohesive and evolving style.
Mark Vaarwerk
In making jewellery Mark attempts
to create wearable pieces with a certain measure of intrigue and an
element of discovery. Combining everyday, throwaway material with a
precious substance such as silver asks the wearer to consider what the
words ‘value’ and ‘precious’ really mean. Mark uses a drop spindle to
individually hand spin each neckpiece from thin strands of plastic made
from ordinary shopping bags. Finger rings are formed by wrapping layers
of plastic cut from ordinary household bottles (such as shampoo or milk
bottles) around an inner ring or rod of silver or gold.
Bibi Locke
Bibi joined MoB Workspace in 2006
as the studio's first graduate jeweller. Bibi's unique style involves
hand-sawing modern linear designs into flat sheet metal, then twisting
and persuading them into graceful, flowing, three dimensional forms
that are wearable artworks. Bibi is currently developing an Honours
dissertation regarding the use of recycled and renewable materials in
contemporary Australian jewellery. Bibi is also is focussed on making
jewellery that is environmentally sustainable.
Renate Fojikovo
Renata’s work displays her
ongoing interest in combining precious and non-precious materials, such
as sterling silver and plastic or textiles. The inspiration for her
wearable pieces comes from two main areas - industrial design and new
technologies. The concepts which underline the her work draw upon the
idea of cyborg as well as on the notion of technology becoming an
inseparable part of our everyday life. Renate's peices get their form
and shape through a variety of processes - ranging from hydraulic press
forming, embossing to good old-fashioned knitting.
Dan Cox
Dan Cox is the graduate resident of the
Museum of Brisbane. His main practice investigates the areas of
aviation, architecture and the environment, whilst looking at the
impacts of globalisation on the world’s flora and fauna. His work is
increasingly narrative whilst trying to maintain a unisex aesthetic,
creating pieces which are individual and unique. Works may be wearable
or small sculpture and include varied techniques in manipulating the
metal and various materials used in his pieces.