2014 Marken-Schmuck exhibition, Studio Gabi Green, Munich, Germany
2014 Wear/Ware/Where exhibition, Fremantle, Western Australia . Recipient of the award “Addressing the theme most successfully”
The Passport series was presented in two exhibitions in 2014, one in Germany and one in Western Australia. The group exhibition ˜Marken-Schmuck” was held in Munich at Studio Gabi Green. ˜Marken” in German means “stamp”. It can be interpreted in many ways, the first one of course being the postal stamp. The other group exhibition “Wear/Ware/Where” was organized by the Jewellers and Metalsmith Group of Australia (JMGA WA) and was held in Fremantle (Western Australia).
I developed a body of work that satisfied simultaneously the themes of both exhibitions which made the whole experience very interesting.
Australia is where I live – I hold a Permanent Resident Visa. France is where I am from – I hold this connection lively. The immigration stamps on my passport record my whereabouts. They are the imprinted memory of my dual identity.
I used the images of my visa and passport stamps as the visual basis for my jewellery, either on paper or on recycled sterling silver. I explored paper as a new medium, as a means of exploring my vulnerability as a woman. The images were stripped and folded in a ˜noeud-papillon” in French (literally “butterfly-knot” or a bow-tie). The butterfly, in Aboriginal Nyoongar culture, is the most delicate female creature. The balga tree sap earthy colours, the sandalwood and quandong seeds also speak of the Australian landscape. To transfer images on silver I used a non-toxic, environmental friendly process where no acid is used, as opposed to traditional etching.
blandine hallé 