19 May 2009

Argyll slate transformed into jewellery

Slate from Argyll is the unlikely inspiration for, and material used by, a beachcombing student whose jewellery is displayed at this year’s Duncan of Jordanstone Degree Show.

Kimberley Waterhouse (24), originally from Kilmartin, carefully smoothes, shapes and varnishes small pieces of slate by hand to create necklaces and brooches which, when smooth gold and silver glinting is added to them, become luxury fashion items.

The former Lochgilphead High School pupil says she has been strongly influenced by growing up by the sea, and her interest in collecting objects which are regarded as everyday and uninteresting, and giving them purpose.

Kimberley, who has just graduated from the University of Dundee with a BDes (Hons) in jewellery and Metal Design, says every visit to her parents coincides with a trip to the beach and a hunt for more materials for her designs.

She decided to use slate because of its capacity to be subtly altered to suit the jewellery design whilst retaining its strong character. Each piece used in her Degree Show exhibit was gleaned from Argyll, and laser cutting was used to make marks on the smooth surfaces of many of the stones.

Kimberley explained, 'Since I was little, I was fascinated by found objects and loved going down to the beach and picking up whatever was left behind.'

'My intention is to take materials that, on the surface, don’t seem all that remarkable and treating them in a way that makes them more precious than people might otherwise have thought.'

'Growing up in Argyll meant I was always within a short distance of an abundance of interesting objects. I found and worked with lots of materials and it was just a question of which to use. I settled on slate because it is the easiest to manipulate. Other objects are not so easy to sand, polish and carve.'

'In saying that, slate doesn’t withstand heat very well and it was quite hard for me to make joins in the beginning before I worked out how to do it. There was a lot of trial and error, a lot of experimentation, at first as I tried to work out how to work best with the materials I had.'

Kimberley initially moved east to study at Dundee College. After completing a NQ portfolio course and obtaining an HNC in Fine Art, she was accepted onto the Jewellery and Metal Design course at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee.

She plans to stay in the Dundee area after graduation, and will be renting workspace from a gallery in Broughty Ferry to enable her to produce jewellery on a commercial basis.

Her Degree Show exhibit features several pieces of jewellery displayed above a large sandbox to recreate the beach environment from which she gathers much of her materials.

'The pieces I used for my Degree Show exhibit have been taken from the ground and had silver and gold added to enhance them. Each individual piece of slate has been given purpose and awarded the status afforded to precious metals.'

'It’s been hard work, but it’s very satisfying to have finished my studies now and see everything looking so good in a proper exhibition space.'

'Obviously I’ve looked at work by other artists and designers, but I’m most guided by the materials and my designs are influenced by what I can do with them.'

'My boyfriend has got used to the idea that we always come back from the beach with a car load of treasures!'

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