The Aussie and Swiss combo

Helen Britton, Galerie Louise Smit

It was a real treat yesterday to visit the studio of couple Helen Britton (Aussie) and David Beilander (Swiss). Both have very different and valid approaches to contemporary jewellery making that were born out of their respective training. For David his background started with a traditional goldsmiths apprenticeship and then later time at the Academy in Munich to concentrate on a more contemporary style of making. His work is based on the idea of transformation in that he transforms the mundane and ordinary for example such as sausages and rats, into jewellery. But instead of coming across a material and then coming up with an idea, he first has the idea and then searches out for the material that will best fit the object he wishes to create i.e the sausages are made from the back of Thonet bentwood chairs.
Where as Helen's style of work is more like a collage of ideas and elements. Her background is in the fine arts so for her things such as drawing are as integral to her competed work. She showed us the plan for an exhibition that is about to take place in Western Australia that included not just the finished pieces but a number drawings that related to this as well.
They were a nice contrast to Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins from the day before as their respective careers have a great deal more dynamic movement and freshness of ideas. Though both couples have a definite sense of humour that is refreshing to hear in the contemporary art jewellery scene.
Clare