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Artist's statement

Rachel is a recent graduate from the Glasgow School of Art. She is a jeweller, designer, maker from the Northern Isles of Orkney. She is interested in creating pieces which contain a balance of material, pressure and tension. Her work is an expression of her constant longing for a sense of belonging. She is interested in the psychology of attachment to a specific physical place and the memories and thoughts arising from the feeling of belonging.

Her work is focussed on the idea of a ‘sense of place’, through which she has been investigating her own honesty. Her pieces are true to the materials they are made from; she does not try to conceal how they are constructed. It is this honesty that flows into the final outcomes. The sensitivity of the fragile papers held in by pressure and tension; create an uneasiness and sadness, although aesthetically beautiful in muted tones of blue and green.

She has been working closely with drawing materials in her pieces. Drawing is an integral part of her design process. It is the love of the tangibility and immediacy of a sketchbook, as well as how private and controlled a sketchbook could be; that was the catalyst for her to transfer those qualities her own work both in aesthetic and in sensitivity.

Her pieces are mainly constructed from silver and gold wire frames with tension set wound papers. These papers are all hand dyed and wound individually to create intricate patterns incorporating the flaws and ripples. She uses papers to create pieces that have a sense of preciousness, papers that are usually worthless, but when manipulated and set in a precious setting have a much greater meaning. By using paper, her pieces have a limited lifetime. It is the wearing away of the precious papers within a materially precious band that is the interest. The piece is always under tension and stress, but aesthetically complete.