Sensorial Sensibility: Crafting Relational Strategies in Contemporary Jewellery Display

Abstract

The body occupies a significant place in contemporary jewellery. It provides a platform from which themes of
social, political, cultural and historical issues can be addressed through the wearable object. The role of the body
is not limited to the physicality of the wearer and often addresses concepts of embodiment. The jewellery object
operates as an extension, or symbol of bodily experiences: a phenomenological approach that does not rely on
the object being worn. In contemporary jewellery this enables the maker, wearer or viewer to explore the
sensorial characteristics that indicate why and how the wearable object is made, interpreted and experienced.
This paper examines the role of display in contemporary jewellery by locating the enquiry in the gallery space.
This is an environment that actively divides the physical proximity between body and object, with only a few
exceptions, and in turn places importance on the role of the viewer. By investigating this environment I propose
to present a relational approach to contemporary jewellery: how a craft object can both stimulate and represent
emotive qualities experienced between body and object that will engage the viewer.

The methodology I have developed examines Nicolas Bourriaud's notions concerning relational aesthetics (1998)
to inform the conception and display of contemporary craft work. The aim is to present in the exhibition space a
body of work that is rooted in the theoretical framework of relational aesthetics and from which the concept of immersive aesthetics may be defined. Here, the embodied experiences embedded in the wearable object are explored through presentational methods to provide tangibility to the sensorial responses that occur between body and object and their social context.

Underpinning the research is a review of significant work that makes a departure from the taxonomic mode of
displaying craft collections towards one predicated on the exploration of bodily processes. This ethos has
inspired a growing number of contemporary jewellers who seek to actively engage an audience with their work
using various strategies beyond the display case. This creative drive demonstrates a move away from the
presentation of the craft object as an autonomous artefact towards an approach based on social interaction.

In this paper I argue that through the definition and exploration of this new schema, one can reveal the varying
presentational methods open to the contemporary jeweller and the ways in which display methodology may
inform critical discourse within the subject. The aim is to define the visual language that is emerging from the
output of a number of contemporary jewellers, and to demonstrate how the representation of a craft object can
be used as both a creative strategy and a tool for further research.