Glittering national recognition for MIT jeweller

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Glittering national recognition for MIT jewellery maker

The 2007 National Jewellery Showcase held in Wellington last week was a glittering event, and one Manukau Institute of Technology staff member’s entry shone particularly brightly.

Ross Malcolm was the overall winner of the national cotemporary jewellery award for his neckpiece entitled Potted Colour. It is part of series called Windfall inspired by a walk Ross took following an Auckland storm.

“I saw fresh kauri leaves among the decaying leaves and really noticed the variation in colour and size,” he says. “Later on that day I went to a garden centre and saw more things strewn around and that made an impression too. Being open to other people’s ideas also helps and one friend suggested emphasising the colours. From there everything clicked.

“I made the leaves in the neckpiece from plastic taken from flower pots. Other leaves are made of silver and they’re all linked together so, once again, there’s a lot of variation.

“What’s important to me is working with fresh concepts and I’m especially interested in found objects. A lot of my work is made using recycled materials that I find castaway. There’s a lot of value in things that have been discarded or lost. I find something and see the potential in it and it sends me into almost a meditative state.”

Ross gained his Bachelor of Visual Arts at MIT and now works as a technician in the jewellery workshop at MIT’s Manukau School of Visual Arts. Working part time, Ross passes on both his technical skills and his passion for jewellery to the students while being left with time to work on his own pieces.

Now in its second year, the National Jewellery Showcase attracted more than 6000 visitors and featured the work of more than 120 jewellery designers from around the country. It featured contemporary and traditional pieces ranging from timeless classics to the eclectic. Apart from the award for contemporary jewellery, an award was also given for fine jewellery featuring precious metals.

Ross sold two pieces at the event and also got some commissions from a private collector.

ENDS

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