Broach of the Month Club III has begun.

Although this iteration of the Broach of the Month Club (II) project has completed, a third round has begun here.

Finale – Broach of the Month Club 2010

1. Wearer Jo Mears takes Ross Malcom’s ‘In the Pink’ on a Kombi tour of the South Island

2. 2010 Broach of the Month Club brooches

3. Photos of the 2010 launch party by Rebecca Robinson

4. Wearer responses:  Bronwyn Cornish brooch, Jenny Robertson tapestry book, Garth O’Brien antique brooch

5. Wearer journals and photos

6.  Video of wearer interviews

Gillian Deery

Gillian Deery 2010

sterling silver, stainless steel pin

The latest comment from Christine (May2010)

“Only when worn does a necklace or ring take on a life of its own; only when pinned to a garment does a brooch assume an identity.”[1]

 

This quote for me sums of my experience of B.O.M.

I have loved wearing Gillian’s wonderful metallic piece.  This eruption of silver that, when worn constantly on my jacket makes its own special sound.  Such pieces as these are possibly seen as ‘wearable sculpture’.  Wearing this brooch reminded me of the work of Len Castle.  The resonance of his work and references to the volcanic areas of the central North Island.  I can see linkages in both artist’s practice.

For me, the brooch could function as a ‘found object’ as a bit of the real that has been imported into the making process.  Maybe an ‘imitation’ of the real thing.  However its elegance makes this piece very unique.

The brooch has many admiring comments and looks particularly shining on black.  It has both impact and its own delicate nature.  I’m completely sold on this beauty.

Christine May 2010

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[1]  Carole Guinard, “De Main a Main From Hand to Hand, Passing on Skill and Know-How in European Contemporary Jewellery.”  Mudac/5 Continents Editions 2008

Tatjana Panyoczki

Tatjana Panyoczki 2010

“Tutti Frutti” waxed pompoms, sterling silver, stainless steel pin

The latest comment from Dan (18 August, 2010)

It’s confession time, dear diary.  As I head out for the BOM swap, I have to admit I have yet to wear Tatjana’s exquisite creation – but, fear not, it will be worn –if only to the meet.

And I’m sorry I’ve been a tad unsuccessful this time but:

a.)    I was away for the first fortnight

b.)    I haven’t been anywhere.  Yes, I know, no excuse, but apart from going to the printers (whoopee) and helping my in-laws shift house down country, it’s been a highly unsocial couple of weeks.

And – this brooch screams out for an occasion.

I really love it, it’s a real tactile piece – reminds me of little jubes you used to get when I was a kid.

So, a bit sad I dropped the ball  this month, looking forward to a quick wear tonight and I promise to get back into the swing of it BOM wise.

Renee Bevan

Blooming Big Brooch – Renee Bevan 2010

cotton, stainless steel pin

Latest comments:  (see all comments below)

24.4.10 –

Received Renee Bevan’s brooch @ the swap meet. It’s the exact opposite to Kristin’s brooch and much easier to wear and attach.  Having a generous breast shelf on which to perch it helps!

It’s a brooch that attracts a lot of attention.  It’s hard not to notice it.

Wore it to R’s  60^th birthday.  People seem to see it from a distance and then come up for a closer inspection.  Some want to touch it, other tried smelling it!

I like wearing it, but I have to be feeling confident and outgoing – several people have wanted to buy one! I’ve sent them along to Masterworks.

It’s fun.

5.5.10

Decided to wear the brooch to Newmarket, and went to various fashion shops – ie Zambesi, Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester etc. although peoples’ eyes swiveled towards the brooch, not ONE comment.  Disappointing!

Went into John Howells, the jeweller in Mount Eden.  Asked him what he thought – He commented on its crafting – (good).  Thought it was a fresh interesting, concept.

It has been fun wearing Renee’s brooch, it’s easy to wear.  The pin is very good, and it’s light, and nestles nicely on my chest.

My only reservation would be the backing material is it felt?  It’s not the colour I object too, but I felt a lovely, soft leather, like chamois would probably wear well, and give it a different feel.

Not one person said they didn’t like it.  Some said they wouldn’t wear it.

Kristin D’Agostino

argonauts + antipodes – Kristin D’Agostino 2010

copper, ball chain, steel pin, polymer clay

www.kristindagostino.com

Latest comment from Joey (Aug/September 2010)

I wore my BOM ‘Argonauts  and Antipodes’ like a piercing on my favourite T-shirt the 1^st time & the kids I teach loved it.  The 7^th formers saw its brilliance.  Each time I reached for that T-shirt I wanted to war “A & A” too!   Unfortunately after one frantic day in the Art Room I thought I’d lost it but later found it on the floor.  I got too scared to wear it after that!!  But I loved it!!

Joey xx

Ross Malcolm

In the Pink – Ross Malcolm 2010

plastic, nylon, sterling silver, stainless steel pin

See comments for all wearers reflections.  Latest comment on Ross’s broach  –

Hmm, initial outing felt a bit like coming out – a stunned audience to which I responded. “Yes – it does make you feel a little gay.” There after all the women wanted to try “In the Pink”.
A fascinator.
Not very man friendly but a great challenge to wear
Hopefully it has enjoyed a little time resting in the box after that exhausting trip around the south island.
– wearer

Raewyn Walsh

Vessels – Raewyn Walsh 2010

Fine silver, oxidised silver, copper, paint, graphite powder, surgical steel

www.raewynwalsh.com

See comments for all wearers feedback.    Latest comment by Dan (25 April, 2011):

Month 3

To be honest a Broach Month of fits and starts – got it late and swung into action – loved the texture and colors – & envisaged the way I could wear ‘them’ in a variety of ways.  But…put then on several times, but on most of my jackets, they didn’t quite work.  Either a tad heavy, or a bit crowded on a slim lapel, so they had a few thwarted outings.  Wore them to an A.R.T Trust meeting so they got their outing the other day.

So feel a bit guilty that Broach x3 didn’t spend much time out of the box – didn’t help that I was wearing my leather jacket most of the month because of the cold….

Dan

Lynsay Raine

Sub Aquatica – Lynsay Raine 2010

brass, polymer clay, steel wire

http://lynsay-raine.blogspot.com/

See comments for all wearers feedback.    The Latest post by John (21 April 2010)

21 April 2010

To sum up –

I have had Lynsay’s brooch for a month.  I haven’t worn it a lot but I have looked at it and handled it almost daily.  I guess I like the direct rapport with a piece rather than having to look at myself in a mirror to see the work so

I might be a brooch wearer.  Although I have pieces from Warwick Freeman and Steph Lusted and I do wear them sometimes.

The one big moment was the Objectspace opening and I blew it because I had carefully hid den the piece away from burglars and could not find it on the day.

Sorry Lynsay.

Also I guess I don’t go out much to appropriate wearing places.

RESOLVE to do better next time.

John Parker

Ilse-Marie Erl

Bone Cameo, Ilse-Marie Erl 2010

found bone, oxidised silver, cotton, stainless steel pin

See comments for all wearers feedback.  The latest comment from Wearer(April  2010)

There is a mystery that surrounds this delicate remain.

To whom or what did this belong?

Was it part of a hand that reached for fruit, or a leg used in flight?

We will never know.

Is this all that is left of a life well-lived or one cut short by trauma or drama?  This poignant remain is held lightly on this brooch with blood-red binding.  A reminder of a ‘past’ that now lives on.  This brooch has travelled with me daily during its temporary stay with me.  It has perched on the pocket of my well-worn denim jacket on cooler days, clung closely to me on silk dresses or happily on a well- worn ‘cardy’.

It celebrated along with many others at the ‘Street party’ for the 40^th Birthday of Govett-Brester Art Gallery in New Plymouth.  Listened to the ‘Trons’ and amazed at the wonderful light show projected onto the gallery’s exterior.  It is quietly-spoken and thoughtful piece.  Not immediately noticed by those around me, but those that did were intrigued.  When questioned about it, all I could do was tell my ‘own’ story.

This brooch, like myself, spent most of its time at work.  It ‘escaped’ several times each day on the necessary ‘nature stops’ with our golden retriever ‘Battista’.

For me, this brooch speaks of both

• Disappearance and discovery
• Something found and fascinating
• Peaceful
• Mysterious
• Comforting

Reminds me that beauty can be found in all things via texture, colouring, and surfaces.

Sharon Fitness

Purple floppy poppies with a blue edge – Sharon Fitness 2010

 silicone, pigments, sterling silver, 9ct gold pin

http://poppywilderness.blogspot.com/

Latest comment by Garth (, 2010)

I have lived with Sharon for the last two weeks – on my shoulder, on my chest but never under my feet.

The reactions have been loaded glances to sheer delight

Unfortunately I took off my jacket and left Sharon resting on a chair.  A friend leaned against her and two of her caps came off.

I felt I had treated her badly – but to my surprise she is quite resilient and well made.  The caps were not difficult to put back on and she looks as fabulous as ever.  Sharon met another one of her brooches at Avid in Wellington.  I am told that Avid have Sold one and it is marching the Wellington streets.  Sharon needs to be out there daily. Easy to wear. Great comments  – it wears/looks great.

Rachel Bell

Aunty Win’s Minimal Marigold Corsage – Rachel Bell 2010

vintage bias binding, cotton

www.fragmentationandthefound.blogspot.com

Latest comment from Bev(30 March, 2010)

Bright- exuberant – fun!!!

Seem not to have had so many opportunities to take this month’s brooch out and about as much as usual which is a pity as it is such a great brooch that is very different from what people expect of jewellery.
My friends who sew enjoyed it and marvelled at the use to which a ‘workhorse’ piece of sewing material could be put and at the creativity of the maker.  It stimulated conversations about other bits and pieces from sewing baskets and what could be made with them if we had been creative.  Brought back some memories about crafty things we did as children such as ‘french knitting’ with disused cotton reels.

Think that most other viewers had no idea of what this brooch had been created from and just liked the vibrancy and combination of the colours. Everyone thought it was a rather fun piece of work.  I think it is an ideal summer brooch – light, colourful and a frothy bit of fun.

However, as Jenny has commented, the fabric has definitely shown the signs of the wear and tear of the past year.  Obviously most pieces of jewellery don’t get passed around a group of people as these brooches have but jewellery is destined to be worn so the materials and construction methods need to be reasonably robust.  I was a bit saddened when I took it out of the box to find that it had lost the crispness and some of the vibrancy I remembered from my first sighting; the piece seemed a bit flattened.  I originally thought that this might make it a bit harder to wear but it didn’t; viewers thought it was great so perhaps it was just the wearer being a bit conscious of any deterioration.  I’ve had fun wearing this brooch and wish I could hang onto it for a bit longer.

Have been in Melbourne this past week and looking at the jewellery on offer there I realise that there really is some really exciting contemporary jewellery being created here. [ I knew that, of course, but nice to reaffirm my opinion]   The jewellery here definitely seems more innovative – either in the use of materials in non-traditional ways or in the use of non-traditional materials.  The Melbourne viewers who saw it liked this brooch too….thought it interesting and different and were intrigued with the material.  All commented on the differences they perceived with NZ’s contemporary jewellery.  [ I also wore some of Sharon’s … could have sold a lot of your rings Sharon… and Ilse-Marie’s works].  Anyone I had a chance to talk to about the BOM thought it was a great idea.
The jewellery scene here is fun!  The BOM makers are a very talented group of young people and it has been a pleasure to have had the chance to wear their creations, albeit for such a short time.
Thanks so much – I’ve enjoyed them all.

Anne Baynham

A Ruby Red brooch to match your Ruby Red Slippers – Anne Baynham 2010

oxidised copper, perspex, beads, steel

www.alphalayerblog.blogspot.com

The Latest comment from Jenny (24  March, 2011)

In this final week of BOM I’m ‘fessing up to feeling like something of a failure as a BOM wearer and perhaps a poor choice of advocate for NZ contemporary jewellery – in context of the project at least. I was hoping the final BOM offering – Anne’s ‘Ruby red brooch to match your ruby red slippers’ – would rouse some sort of response from others when I wore it. But alas, non. Red has been a favourite colour over summer (in bid to NOT wear black) so a bejewelled red brooch adorning a lapel (it needed clothing with a bit of substance to take the weight of the brooch) went a unnoticed – sorry Anne but the comments were about the clothing I was wearing it on. I’m wondering now if the choice of wearers should have favoured people who were perhaps a little less known for their jewellery wearing so that the addition of a piece of jewellery to their attire would be noticed and draw comment. That aside, the Ruby Red Brooch was a lovely brooch to wear, but as I don’t own
any Ruby Red Slippers I felt I couldn’t play or pretend to be Dorothy (if that was the reference) and be swept off to another land – wishful thinking there.

Like Cath’s brooch earlier, this felt like one of those very ‘proper’ brooches with a formal sense of purpose, one that could be worn to formal occasions but with that hint of fun about it. There’s something about a brooch with a regular form (circular in this case) where its components are framed like a traditional piece of jewellery that keep it ‘safe’ and contained for the wearer – it is an obvious ‘brooch’ that conforms to expectations of what  brooch has been traditionally. So in contrast to the likes of Ross’ ‘In the pink’ or Sharon’s ‘Purple Poppies’ the more conventional brooch form seems to contribute to a more formal sense of purpose for its wearer.

I caught something on TV the other day skimming between channels – some female character was being told not to wear a brooch because only old ladies wear brooches – (I think the scene was supposedly some vibrant corporate office trying to project of suitably dynamic corporate) – they obviously hadn’t heard of the potential of some brooches for gaining attention and what they have to ‘say’ about the wearer!

The found the emphasis on things red interesting with this brooch (apart from being a favoured colour of mine) – the fact that the very name of the brooch wants to emphasise its colour – colour is very important to me (integral to my aesthetic leanings at least) but it is a colour that often divides people – I often have people comment when I wear red how much the like it but would never wear it themselves because of some connection or other. I was interested yesterday in the debate around the possibility of having a red sliver fern on the All Blacks jerseys for the world cup (in remembrance of the chch earthquake) – in my usual ignorant non-rugby take on things I thought it was in very poor taste as it looked like it had been soaked in blood (of the dead) … it took a few seconds for the braincells to connect that the red and black are Canterbury colours … I did know that but the point was that was not my first thought on seeing a red sliver fern. But I see blood as
being as much about life as it is about death – it’s all a matter of association. In the case of the Ruby red brooch my association with ‘red’ was very much about the vibrancy and intensity of life.

Time to direct the brain cells towards other pursuits (ie the things that provide me with an income!).

So girls, where and when is the BOM party?