The Shape of Words/Siâp Geiriau
I'll be creating a collection of ten pieces of jewellery based on my (autistic) sensory responses to Welsh words. A project culminating in an exhibition at Oriel Bevan Jones Gallery in Jan 2021. An online gallery of the finished collection will be uploaded here on January 25th. A short film will accompany it as soon as covid restrictions allow.
Each piece will be based on my initial sensory response to learning a new word in Welsh. The project started taking shape in July 2020. I associate shapes with sounds, so when I started listening to new Welsh words, I associated shapes with them. I wondered what these shapes would like if translated into jewellery. That was the seed.
I know, both as an autistic person, and as 'me', that I find it hard sometimes to go outside my comfort zone and explore materials and structure freely. With this in mind, the collection will not be made with a view to looking cohesive. Given the varied input used for each piece. I will be experimenting with what best fits each item both as a visual representation to how the word 'feels' to me, and to how the piece creates sensory input to the wearer itself.
I'll be keeping a blog, along with video and written diaries, notes and sketches. I'll be asking for input along the way, and hope you'll enjoy seeing the process. There was a rather lovely piece mentioning the project in Jewellery Focus magazine, which you can view here.
For progress, please visit the blog below Diolch yn fawr!
The project has been made possible by funding from Arts Council of Wales and The National Lottery.