Keywords: australia, extrusion, gemstones, melbourne, metals, stephen gallagher, victoria, amethyst, ametrine, brooch, cotton, crystal, glass, paint, pearls, polymer-silicone, stainless steel mesh, synthetic

Arcadian Brooch

Stephen Gallagher

Dimensions

143 x 145 x 72 mm

Materials

Brooch: synthetic polymer-silicone is extruded through embroidered stainless steel mesh. Materials include silver, pure gold, paint, cotton, crystal, amethyst, ametrine, glass and pearls

Artist statement

‘I am a jeweller with a focus on Elizabethan surface decoration. I adapt the textile motifs and embellishments of the era — from existing portraits and objects — to demonstrate how the past continues to be relevant to contemporary craft and design. By employing modern materials, I translate my findings into decorative artefacts which are a fusion of the contemporary with the historical. I am drawn to the condition of surviving items, the Renaissance ‘bling’ that is held in major collections throughout the world. It is the damaged, the unfinished, the unmounted, the detached or missing that intrigues me more. What is left is the sense of the original, giving an illusion to a space that needs to be filled by one’s imagination.’

Behind the scenes

Interview with Durbach Block