Urgent Adornment India edition

If you are given a time schedule, a deadline, will that push you create in manner that you typically wouldn’t? Does the pressure of time (or lack of it) force you to be more creative and intuitive? As an educator, these are questions that I deal with everyday with my students. There are some students who will work only at the last possible moment, just before a deadline. Some thrive when given strict time schedules. Then they are others like me who panic just as the deadline approaches. While I adhere to timelines and deadlines in my day job, I have never let it creep into my jewellery making or blogging. But for once, I want to delve into timelines and deliverables through this post on Urgent Adornment India edition.

Urgent Adornment in South Africa

This article titled Urgent Adornment in South Africa by Beverley Price in Garland Magazine is what got my thinking on this track. Ms. Price conducted a workshop on Urgent Adornment in 2018 at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She challenged her colleagues to create pieces of jewellery in two hours, with foraged everyday materials using limited technology. They were not allowed to use precious metals like Gold and Silver or “hot” joining techniques like soldering. This was to see how “the urgency of a deadline to create an object” impacted inventiveness. In times of need, in urgency, we tend to fashion ritual articles using seemingly unconventional objects. She the compiled workshop video on Youtube here.

I have seen this quite often at home and in many other Indian families. When I read Price’s article, I learned how this was not unique to India and was common in South Africa as well. Infact, I smiled quite a bit when I saw the safety pin necklace on the video which reminded me of my own from 2012.

My interpretation – Urgent Adornment, India edition

The description of the process struck a cord with me when I read it in June 2020. India was preparing to come out of a more than a two month lockdown in a phased manner. Stores both online and offline were still only selling essential commodities as sale or posting of other items was forbidden during that period. This scenario would continue in Tamil Nadu for another month. There was no question of going out, let alone sourcing jewellery supplies. I spent June working on Thamara, my copper jewellery line. I ran out of copper sheet by the end of June and I then I did not know what to create or how. In order to motivate myself to “shop at home” or forage for supplies in my own house, I decided to take up this challenge.

Before I go any further, I would like to place on record that I neither own the copyright of “Urgent adornment” nor do I speak for India at large. However, I wanted to do this project to not just motivate myself to look at my craft differently but in the process bring attention to Price’s brilliant concept as well. To make this project my own (at a certain level) I made a few tweaks. I gave myself only 3 hours for this project. One hour to shop at home for supplies and two hours to make the pieces. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do both on the same day. Ofcourse, I retained the repurposing and upcycling aspect of the challenge. With each piece, I wanted to talk about some cultural aspect of India as I saw it.

Day 1: Gathering materials – 1 hour

I went around my house looking at forgotten/old supplies, broken or to-be repaired items, and to be recycled items.  There were many more objects but I cannot seem to find a photo of them. I did pick a few jewellery materials as they fit my criteria of being old and/or forgotten. They include UFOs like the jhumka tassel with chains, cotton knotted dori, filligree flower and a palm leaf disc. I hand made the chain years ago while learning to make jumprings for chainmaille. The bracelet is my MOP button bracelet from 2010. My final list of materials included wheels of a broken toy car, an old wooden mini elephant (which had broken from its stand and decorated many years ago), and an “O” ring from a handbag. Apart from these materials, I used artistic wire (20 g), 2 bead caps, glue, a piece of felt, acrylic paint and my tools.

Day 2: Jewellery making – 2 hours + 15 minutes

As I picked my materials, I sort of knew what I wanted to make with them. I wiped and cleaned all the supplies and took apart the bracelet for the buttons. The finished pieces came together surprisingly quick. I could not finish all four pieces seen above in two hours time as I was continuously disturbed by phone calls and door bell ringing. Therefore, I gave myself an extra 15 minutes to add the green dori to pompoms and palm and make ear hooks for the wheel earrings. Still, I was happy that I completed what I planned. Let me further describe each of the pieces in my Urgent Adornment India edition.

Ambaari

The wooden elephant had been at home ever since I was a child and has therefore been submit to several “makeovers.” The elephant has originally been a part of procession of elephants so I equated it to the Ambaari where decorated pachyderms carry a golden shrine or a deity. I decided to use the elephant as is with the pink paper and paint and quickly wire wrapped it to a brass ring. The MOP button became a way to finish the wrap. I had saved the pink ribbon that I received as packaging during a Swap and hop one year. I tied it to the brass ring to complete the necklace.

Pompoms and Palm

If I have to describe the visual culture of India I would describe it as being bright, colourful and fun. What could be more fun than Pink Pompoms? Pompoms with a chain tassel! I wrapped the pompoms to the palm leaf disc and added the tassel along with a thread bead. I added drops of glue to all the fibre components and let them rest. While making the piece, I was reminded of the exuberance of Punjabi women in their traditional attire – embroidered phulkari jackets on kurtas and Parandhi (tassels) in their hair. Hence the fluorescent green dori to add more colour to the piece.

Meera in Meena

While I was gathering supplies I found extra prints of images created for my picture jewellery across the years. Making picture jewellery the using resin would mean days, time that I did not have. Then I found the frame which originally might be used as a base for wrapping thread. I knew I could paint the frame to make it resemble an enameled – Meenakari piece. Which is exactly what I did. After trimming the image of Meerabai to fit the frame, I sealed it using cello tape.  Using felt I glued and covered the image from the back. I was so proud of myself for thinking of the idea and executing it in minutes. I painted the filigree flower as well and glued the zardosi button on it. A couple of holes and jump rings later, the pendant went on the chain, now complete.

Wheels Earrings

Up until my mid twenties, I used to be fascinated with bikes and cars, particularly with wheels. Chrome wheels were my thing. I am not sure why I grew out of it but seeing an old shabby toy car with these shiny wheels revived my interest. I glued the mop buttons on to class them up a bit and created a loop using a couple of bead caps and wire. This piece is completely off tangent with regard to the three other pieces that I was making. But since I was making the previous two pieces simultaneously and they were both drying, I wanted to use the time and get one more piece done. My original intention was to have the colour pink across pieces and which I forgot to add in the wheels earrings in my mad rush to finish on time.

My Urgent Adornment India edition was a much needed creative sprint. I am hungry for such jewellery challenges that will help me create. I am stoked to have heard from Kevin Murray (Managing Editor, Garland magazine) and Beverley Price and how appreciative they are of this effort.

Please do share your thoughts, comments, and feedback on my endeavour. Do look up Garland Magazine for they spotlight unique Indo-Pacific voices and ideas.

I hope you found it interesting
Cheers