JMGA Conference: Inside Out - Jewellery and Object Making Explored in our Region Today
University of South Australia
25-27 January 2008

Conference Paper Presentation
Locating Lacquer as a Medium for Contemporary Jewellery and Objects

Abstract
The luscious objects found in the utilitarian arts of the Far East reveals a highly craft arts that has been practiced for over five thousand years. Lacquer discriminates itself from other arts forms through its characteristic style, appeal and beauty. The surface and form of lacquerware attracts interest, particularly in the techniques and various applications of lacquer. The technical production of lacquer requires a creative vision, arduous hand skills and specialised knowledge. This paper will address the influence of a traditional craft, lacquer, to contemporary jewellery object making in the techno era.

Contemporary jewellery and object practice in the modern age combines several processes not necessarily traditional craft. There is a new emergence in studio practice revealing a designing and production process that is usually associated with a number of alliance including digital and industrial. This contribution is evident in precision in graphic to the applications of laser technology to create a new vitalisation in surface designs. Thus making this media, the technological and manufacturing processes create opportunities in developing new approaches in jewellery and object design. The assimilation of new processes combined with existing tools and techniques further reinterprets traditional concepts in making.

The article will be presented in context to two case studies; a) traditional Vietnamese lacquer and b) traditional Japanese lacquering and metal techniques. Each case study will explore traditional lacquering techniques and its assimilation to worked techno inspired processes in creating the jewellery and objects. It will address examples of East and South-East Asian lacquer techniques and its synthesis to machine processes for surface inspired outcomes. Further the paper will examine the approach of the resulting works from this research. A percentage of the paper will discuss the methodology to the studio approach to give insight to how the progress integrates seamlessly. Thus comparatively engaging on the old and the new.