Blog

If you have a look over on the Studio Space and Project Space Tenants pages, you’ll see that we’ve been doing a bit of updating and uploading of information about our new tenants Inari, Jess, Naoko and Sam.

We also organised a get together at the Sporting Club Hotel which is just up the road from Northcity4 so that we could all relax over a glass of wine (or two), share a bite to eat, play a bit of stick and generally get to know each other and have a good time. Which we did.

At the moment we’re all just settling in and finding our routines in the space but already exciting projects are getting off the ground and interesting looking things coming off people’s benches. Keep watching this space.

NC4 get together at the Sporting Club Hotel L-R Romani, Jess, Sam, Caz, Ali and Kath

Inari Kiuru: New Jersey

Jess Kelly

Naoko Inuzuka: three brooches

Sam Mertens: Moodlights

Last Saturday night we installed the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series of signage installations on the facade of the Northcity4 warehouse in Brunswick.  It was windy and bleak and a long ways up.  City.Loop.Collab member and Northcity4 tenant Romani Benjamin was invited to be the first artist to take part in this project.  She utilised layered and ripped bill board posters and cut out the negatives of the shortened version of our name.  The City.Loop.Collab team then lit the paste up with video footage of NC4 action: people and activities that have animated the initiative over the last couple of months since it opened the door to a new approach to craft education.  Footage of this documentary can be seen at Northcity4′s exclusive exposé this year at Craft Cubed in August.
For more information click here.

The 2012 Northern Exposure Visual Arts Festival has put a call out to artists to be involved in two projects; High Views – Art in Windows and Small Works Small Spaces. Artists are invited to create site specific installation based artworks that engage with the High Street precinct. Opening on the 15th June and running until 2nd July, the Festival is an exciting feature on the Northcote, High Street calendar of events and all selected artists have the opportunity to win a range of fabulous prizes.

applications are due Friday 18th May

Exciting projects are happening in the Northcity4 studio after dark!

Romani Benjamin and Andrew Phillips are taking over the workshop at night to foster a new collaborative project called City Loop Collab.  It has aspirations to be an ongoing series of globally mobile outdoor projection events that engage with the surfaces of the urban landscape and the people that live amongst them.

Romani and Andrew met at Northcity4 and found an immediate connection with the ideas inherent in their respective practices. Romani is an artist whose plural practice draws together cast glass, works on paper and experimental projection and is a board member and studio space tenant at Northcity4. Andrew is a multimedia artist and animator and is also the brains behind Northcity4′s graphic identity and website.

The projection work employs a fluid layering of aesthetic genres and cultural references such as video, drawing and installation with twentieth century art movements, advertising and popular psychology.

Attention all jewellers! The National Contemporary Jewellery Award (NCJA) is calling out for applications.

This important acquisitive award is sponsored by the Griffith City Council and held at the Griffith Regional Art Gallery in New South Wales.

Important because there are very few awards such as this in Australia devoted to the promotion of excellence in contemporary jewellery.

$5000 also goes to the winner of the award. There is also an artist in residency award and a solo exhibition on offer at Metalab in Sydney.
3 further excellent reasons for entering the award.

Our very own Caz Guiney, was highly commended in the 2004 National Contemporary Jewellery Award for these works. Look closely.

Go to the Griffith Regional Art gallery site to download the application form.

Applications close Friday 22 June 2012

Kath

The workshop in full swing

Last weekend saw Northcity4 full to the brim with students. It was very exciting to be running our first workshop in the new designated school area. The workshop was on Sublimation Printing on Metal and Plastic taught by Anna Davern (me).

printed images ready to be pressed onto the metal

preparing the images to print

It was a full house with 10 students working at our brand new benches (built by the ubiquitous Robbie Rowlands). Everyone commented on how beautiful and new they were and how it wasn’t going to be long before they will wear the marks of many makers.

Using the heat press to apply the image

Producing images in photoshop

Everyone had lots of fun, including the tutor (me) and her assistants (Caz and Romani) while learning a new technique which can be reproduced at home! We even had delicious home-baked chocolate chip biscuits made by Ali Limb!

The weather was beautiful and we opened up the front roller door at lunchtime

Eating lunch around our beautiful extendable dining table

At the end of the two days everyone was totally stuffed but we’d all made some new friends, some new pieces of jewellery to wear and had plenty of material to make more at home.

testing out printing onto perspex

saw piercing the image

And we’re running the whole thing again this weekend! It’s getting full but we might be able to squeeze 1 or 2 more in if you get in quick!

the "crit"

Carolyn wearing her finished brooch. Carolyn is an artist who had no jewellery skills before the workshop

All materials included in the fee and jewellery skills not necessary. Click here to enrol!

We now have a full complement of Studio Space tenants. Excellent news!

from this....

... to this!!

It was a tough decision from some fantastic applications and we can now announce our three new tenants.

So, joining me (Anna), Ali, Romani, Cass and Nicky are:

Inari Kiuru, Sam Mertens and Jess Kelly. They are gradually moving their equipment in and it’s nice to have some fresh faces and new equipment around the place. I can’t wait to see what they will be making here!

More detailed profiles of each artist to come…

- Anna

An early Roman portrait of a woman wearing jewellery from The History Blog - click image for link

Last Monday, Katherine Bowman and I started our mega week of jewellery events by attending the lecture ‘The history of High Jewellery’ by Giampaolo Della Croce, Senior Director of High Jewellery, with Italian jewellery house Bulgari at the NGV.

Egyptian Neckpiece from Ancient Digger - click image for link

It was entertaining and informative, Giampaolo was charming and funny (and very dapper in a black satin suit!) and the canapes were delicious and plentiful! And contrary to my expectations there wasn’t a focus on the jewellery of Bulgari.

"A Goldsmith In His Shop" From the Metropolitan Museum of Art - click image for link

He presented a (technically very impressive) powerpoint slideshow about jewellery from antiquity to the Renaissance. He spoke about the reasons for wearing jewellery and how this has changed across the ages as well as giving examples in history of the social protocols of adorning our bodies. He also talked about particular materials such as gold and precious stones and told stories of the lives of particularly famous gemstones such as the Koh-i-Noor and the legends they inspire

Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Mother) wearing the Koh-I-Noor set in her crown on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after the coronation of King George VI, with daughter Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth II - click image for link

It was a great talk and we were both glad we went. It’s always interesting to learn about all aspects of our field and after recently going over my History of Contemporary Jewellery notes for my e.g.etal journal blogposts, it was great to be transported back even further.

16 Roman gold rings from The Jewellery Loupe - click image for link

- Anna

Cass Partington is a great friend of Northcity4.

Cass has been with us from the very beginning, from helping with our initial working bee to moving her studio to Northcity4 late last year.

As an important part of the Melbourne jewellery scene, Cass’s work and practice continue to inspire.

It was great to catch up with Cass recently, and here are the results!

1.What are you working on at the moment?

Most of my time is spend filling orders for variations of the multiple ring sets. I’ve been making these for many years but still find them stimulating due to the different combinations and patterns/stones/materials. I’m working on a new piece that features Rubies and a mix of golds and patterning.

I’m also working on a newish line of 18ct yellow gold pendants which are quite simple. My work is always driven by what I would like to wear.

2.What was the last exhibition you saw?

The last exhibition I saw was a group show at Sophie Gannon Gallery in Richmond in early March. The show, ‘Fashion Loves Art Loves Fashion’ explored how fashion is inspired by art and included collaborations between Julia deVille and MATERIALBYPRODUCT, John Nicholson and Josh Goot and Romance was Born and artist Del Kathryn Barton.

3.What was the last object you purchased? (can be interpreted any way) 

It would probably be something from one of the op shops near the studio in Brunswick. I have a fairly nasty second hand picture frame habit.  I collect these to frame drawings and photographs to add to the clutter in my untidy home.

4.What is your favourite tool? 

Hard question that one. I think most jewellers have a special love of tools. I guess if I had to choose it would be my trusty handpiece or jewellers saw. These are the two things I use most at work.

5.Who would be your dream collaboration? 

I would love to design something functional in collaboration with an industrial designer.

6.Do your carat stamps say 9ct/18ct or 375/750?

Depends on the size and nature of the piece. Nicky (Hepburn) has a lovely tiny 18ct stamp that I borrow on a regular basis…

Thank you Cass!

Kath

Romani Benjamin is one of the founding members of Northcity4.

Not only is Romani a lawyer, she is also an artist. Romani’s practice is varied and includes glass, drawing, collage and painting.

As Romani has a studio at Northcity4 we thought we would start our studio visit series with her.

1.What are you working on at the moment?

I’m just finishing a 30 page sketch-book that will be included as part of the Brooklyn Art Library in NYC.  The artists involved will have their work exhibited in July at the library.  In September, a book will be published containing one image from each of the sketch-books in the exhibition.  Beyond that, the Sketch-book will remain in the art library permanently for anyone to review the work.

My sketch-book deals with themes of distance and travel in a conceptual way. Through a mixture of medium, I have used found collaged material including images from old books and billboard posters taken off city walls in Melbourne. My work explores the evolutionary distance experienced by a city with today’s demands of global expansion and the real demands on the environment as a result of those demands.

Many of these pages have been scanned, enlarged and then returned to the walls of the city, in the form of billboard posters.  The performative element of this project is as important to the work as a whole as the detailed pages themselves.

2.What was the last exhibition you saw?

The German Expressionist exhibition at the NGV, which I thought was amazing.  The inclusion of a number of periods was brilliantly done and well curated.  I was particularly pleased to see the work of Hannah Hoch.

 
3.What was the last object you purchased? (can be interpreted any way)

I don’t generally buy objects…truly…I cant think of anything.

4.What is your favourite tool?

 Depends on the day …

5.Who would be your dream collaboration?

My thoughts go to my current project which is on the drawing board…..it has a sound component…that said I would like to collaborate with local composer Hugh Crosthwaite who pens beautiful string quartets, one of which will be incorporated into my new installation.

6.How long have you been working with glass for?

I have a plural practice where I like to employ the appropriate method and material to resolve an idea.  Therefore I have worked in glass and bronze casting, collage, and found and mixed media for produce sculptural work.

I have been glass for 10 years or so and am currently developing a new body of work which will include cast glass and sound.  I hope to have this developed enough to be able to show later in the year…at least try our the idea in a project space to see if the sound component will be effective.

7. Do you start the day with tea or coffee?

I start the day with a coffee that my husband brings me in bed every morning…even if he’s cross with me!

thanks Romani!

Kath