For this 45 piece collection I drew inspiration from found objects such as rusty nails from my shed and old shirts.
In 2022 my husband and I bought or first home. Our new home is a three-bedroom brick house built in 1934 in central Farnham. We could afford this house because it required a full refurbishment, as the previous owners were an elderly couple who could no longer look after themselves or the house. This meant that a huge amount of the previous owner’s belongings was left in the four sheds he had built for himself in the garden.
At the start of year three, when I had to pick a topic for my research project, it felt very natural for my project to include the nails and other objects I had found when renovating the house and clearing out the previous owner’s shed. For this reason I have chosen alternative stone setting. Working with found objects also meant working with materials that used to have previous life and a previous owner, which in my case was the man who used to live in my house before me. I always had interest in creating jewellery that tells a story, however in this instance I don’t feel like I am creating as much as continuing the life of what ‘used to be’ into what ‘has the opportunity to become’. I am working with objects which either had the function to hold my house together for the past 100 years, or which used to belong to the previous owner. I found textile interesting because of how different it is to work with compared to a sheet of metal. Because of its soft nature it can be bent, twisted and pulled within seconds. It is easy to cut and then stitched together again. Compared to metal, working with textile turned out to offer quick techniques and therefore quicker development of new ideas. What I like the most about found objects, and especially nails, in combination with the textile is how I can hide the nail, yet because of its distinctive shape it is still be recognisable.
Kellie Mackey | Crafts
