FRAGILITY
Norman Cherry
United Kingdom

During the Time of Covid, and specifically when we were all subject to periods of Lockdown, I had plenty of time to reflect on how we live and what care we take of our planet. I resolved to spend the time in isolation creating new work which would not involve buying any new precious materials, only use items I already had in the studio. One of my many “boxes of stuff” contained the fruits of several years of beachcombing and another had many years’ worth of lint saved from my tumble dryer. Here were perfect examples, I thought, of materials which have already been jettisoned and now saved along with others which would normally be consigned to rubbish or added to one of my compost bins. Thus my series of Lockdown brooches was made between 2020 and 2022. Since then I have continued occasionally to use beachcombings, lint, and other materials thought of as detritus to create new works. This necklace, Clean up our Beaches, is a recent example.

Necklace « Clean Up Our Beaches », 2024
430Lx110Wx50D mm / 20 gr
Beachcombings (fishing net, plastic fibres, cotton fibres) and lint.
Textiles construction techniques including an idiosyncratic form of felting.

More « FRAGILITY »

Fragility – Kamile Staneliene / Lithuania

FRAGILITYKamile StanelieneLithuaniaSometimes in life, we face moments when we feel completely shattered and broken inside. There are times when we manage to stand up on our own and piece ourselves back together after difficult experiences, and other times when we need...

Fragility – Katerina Jirsova / Czech Republic

FRAGILITYKaterina JirsovaCzech RepublicThese necklaces continue my ongoing exploration of the dialogue between the body, the object, and the space we inhabit. Crafted from white chalk, they carry the qualities of softness, fragility, and impermanence – a material that...

Fragility – Denis Music / Ukraine

FRAGILITYDenis MusicUkraineFragility is a state of tension — between strength and collapse, between freedom and threat, between life and its disappearance. My brooch Black Cloud was inspired by the installation of Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, which rose above the...

Fragility – Yuqi Fan / USA

FRAGILITYYuqi FanUnited StatesTo me, “Fragility” emerges in the dynamics of attachment, the way we rely on objects to express ourselves, cherish lost ones, and soothe insecurities. Through jewelry and wearable objects, I explore how these attachments reveal the...

Fragility – Agnes WO / Spain

FRAGILITYAgnes WOSpain“At the beginning there is nothing. Then comes a deep void, and beyond it, a blue depth.” These words, drawn from Bachelard’s L’air et les songes and embraced by Yves Klein in Le Vide (1958), open the path for my two pieces. Both arise from the...

Fragility – Sébastien Carré / France

FRAGILITYSébastien CarréFranceFragility of… The Cycle of Water From the melting of the poles, to changing the power of the gulfstream We are already starting to feel the impact of global warming with an increased power and frequency of rain and snowstorms.While...

Fragility – Keith Lewis – USA

FRAGILITYKeith LewisUnited StatesThe Saddest Aisle Consider the Saddest Aisle, that mass of forlorn, abandoned baskets huddled together at the thrift store. In their puppy-eyed, earnest yearning they exude an almost hilarious melancholy. And they long for a new home....

Fragility – Deimezi Xenia / Greece

FRAGILITYDeimezi XeniaGreeceAt the heart of my work lies a philosophy that embraces the power of emotion as the catalyst for expression. My pieces are narratives, telling stories of the experiences that define us. The need for communication and understanding oneself...

Fragility – Isabelle Busnel / France

FRAGILITYIsabelle BusnelFranceThis work looks at fragility through two brooches made from broken jewellery found in flea markets. Each piece is partly lost and incomplete, set in soft silicone and stitched with light punch needle embroidery. The pale blue and pink...

Fragility – Rikke Lunnemann / Denmark

FRAGILITYRikke LunnemannDenmarkHow Much Care Do You Need Today? A five-meter-long bandage gilded with 24ct gold leaf. You can cut into it – a small piece if you need a little, a larger one if the day hurts. It is jewellery, but it refuses to be just jewellery. It...