IntoFlora

Imagine you’d been asked to create a piece of jewellery for a famous person who has really inspired you. What would you make and what would it look like?

Eight internationally recognised jewellery designers have had just that brief from curator Kath Libbert, who runs the Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery at Salts Mill in Saltaire.

‘I wanted to explore the concept of creative inspiration and how it happens, and asking jewellers to make something for an inspirational person seemed a good way of doing that,’ says Kath. All the tributes are on an exuberant floral theme as part of a new exhibition called IntoFlora.

The eight resulting pieces of jewellery are part of a project called I’m Into and will be on show at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery from July 16. Says Kath, ‘The work of the eight artists I’ve chosen is truly a floral feast for the eyes! And as a bonus their I’m Into… pieces offer a fascinating insight into their processes of inspiration.’

They include floral jewellery tributes to Van Gogh, Florence Welch, Cate Blanchett, interior designer Tricia Guild, revolutionary Che Guevara, food activist and author Michael Pollan, glam rock star Peaches and circus director Tilde Björfors.

Each of the jewellers has written about their own creative process and about how their I’m Into person has inspired them. Shanghai based jewellery Lisa Juen, who has made a Pussy Brooch for Peaches says,

‘…Not just that I was fascinated by the music, the artist herself put the audience under a strange spell. The show, the music, the entire person were about sex, femininity, power and strength that were literally revealed layer by layer with each song, when the artist kept peeling off items of her outfit. The highlight in the end was a litle LED light that was mounted between her legs, called the ‘Pussy Light’…

‘My fascination with light, paired with the imagery of the flower, the symbol of femininity, seduction, sex & strength found strong support and inspiration in Peaches’ performance.’

Tricia Guild’s reaction to Selina Campbell’s dahlia design necklace incorporating dyed fresh water pearls was to say that she ‘was very touched to have provided inspiration…and dahlias are one of my favourite flowers!’

Other I’m Into pieces include a dramatic and sumptuously colourful collaged body sculpture by Mikaela Lyons in honour of Florence Welch and Ana Hagopian’s delicately beautiful tribute to Cate Blanchett, a myriad of purple paper blossoms that sit gracefully on the body.

Tokens of love and worship, instruments of seduction, gifts of remembrance: flowers play a powerful role in the way we express emotion – and in this exhibition, as an individual expression of creative inspiration…

If you would like to win one of two pairs of invites to the private view at Salts Mill, then tell us who you would like to dedicate a piece of jewellery to, and why! Closing date 12th July

The Exhibition runs 15th July to 26th September at Kath Libbert Jewellery, Salts Mill, Saltaire