Abstract

“Seeing as a kind of journey: from dark to light, from nothing to substance. Sight as crossing over…an understanding of oneself and the other. “ (Samuele Mazza. Spectacles)

Over the last 15 years as a lecturer I have been increasingly interested in the integration of emerging technologies for the creative industries, overseeing the installation of laser systems for welding, cutting and marking for jewellery and applied art courses. In order to further understand the technology that artists increasingly look for to use as a daily tool, I recently completed the research project Laser processing on titanium for contemporary jewellery: a bridge between cultures at The University of Manchester in the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering. The difficulty in understanding between my own art background and their engineering culture, however, created in the project a new dimension. The relatively straightforward task of finding applications of laser processing for contemporary jewellery also became a mission to improve the communication between art, science and engineering through the objects being made.

The Ocular series 1-6 created during the research, was grounded in the aesthetic and function of the measuring instruments used in optometry. These had always been an intriguing source of interest to me, perhaps because of my lifelong condition of hyperopia and astigmatism. Manual instrumentation, trial lenses and correcting glasses provided an important design influence. The objects all include a lens in the centre, inviting the viewer to peer through, to examine in detail, to inspect further - actions associated with scientific observation and also with improving sight, clarifying vision, aiding discovery, altering perception or simply appealing to the wonder of magnification.

The journey that I encountered during my research included microscopic views of titanium oxidation and opened new levels of material understanding thanks to the help of engineers and scientists working around me. Eyesight correction and the essential use of both eyes needed for binocular vision became metaphors for the research. The Ocular series were modelled on the idea of a monocle that might be made to individual prescriptions, suggesting that correcting vision would help see the ‘bigger picture’, assuage ‘clouded’ or ‘tunnel vision’.

For this exhibition it is my intention to further develop the concept of using sight as a bridging mechanism between the cultures of science and art. Jewellery is the ideal art form with which to communicate and carry this notion forward and I hope to work with a scientist and/or an engineer to carry it out. The object/s made will also engage with issues surrounding the public understanding of both art and science, exposing aspects of engineering research and of art practice that aim to change persistent preconceptions.