photograph by Rebekah RobinsonSee more of Jacqui's work here
I found Jacqui's brooch was definitely one of the most universally appreciated of all the brooches. People found it beautiful, intriguing, and very cool. One stranger was so taken with it she just couldn't believe someone was so clever to come up with the idea and how beautiful it looked when it was just a piece of tin with holes in it. That day was definitely a brooch wearing highlight! I actually found it surprisingly difficult to wear, but could never figure out why. To do this day it remains a mystery. But no matter how it never seemed to feel quite right, it was always worth it to be able to look down, turn it this way and that, watch the light move across it, feel the texture of the cut tin and curved edges, and find another little detail in the picture that I hadn't noticed before...
And this cool drawing by AJ... in her 'brooch journal'
The brooch and I travelled to a few places this month - Whangarei, Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Blenheim and Christchurch! Phew!! So there were lots of opportunities for comments from random strangers as well as friends and coworkers.
ReplyDeleteAnd after all those random comments, I have to say the most interesting one was "from far away i thought it was feathers."
Okay, that was the only interesting comment. Everyone else just had a squinty-eyed lean-in and said "That's nice", or "I like that."
Hmmm.. It's made me think about the boring, mundane things I say about other people's jewelry/clothes/hair/shoes/etc.
But now the brooch and I must part and a new adventure with a new brooch will begin.....and I promise to make a concerted effort to expand my own vocabulary when describing other people's stuff!!
“That’s the best one yet!” exclaimed my flatmate. Yes, this brooch sure is beautiful. Quite stunning, quite unique. I love how it is sturdy as the more fragile the brooch the less inclined I feel to wear it. I love the colours and I tended to wear it on a textured orange sweater which really brought out the background orange on it.
ReplyDeleteApart from the initial expected comments about it looking like a grater, people were more interested and fascinated than necessarily giving long commentaries. Many asked for a close up and were intrigued by how it was made and the detailed painting on it.
WhileIi was in San Francisco with it, I got a few more interesting bits of feedback. I asked a male friend how it made him feel and Robert replied: “Inadequate... more than usual.” I think that means he liked it. Also, strangely two people quite separately, but both on one night asked if it had a function to “light up” as it would look cool if light shone through the holes. What a cool idea –eh!?
But, the thing that really fascinated me is that I saw the brooch ‘represented’ at the California Academy of Science – a new museum in Golden Gate Park. It’s a green building and the roof is a living green roof coverage in plant life. It has 7 hills on it, and is covered in round opening windows which were all partially ajar. To me, one of these hills was just like the brooch! To see the living roof click here http://www.calacademy.org/academy/exhibits/
Nice work Jacquie! It’s beautiful.
Ohhh :(
ReplyDeleteI had such a fantastic time writing and drawing in my awesome (Kristin-made, recycled) journal about this brooch, and now I can't find it!
Just in case I don't...
I liked it.
The most significant moment was when a female architect from the same building asked if it was a "Jacqui Chan". Which gave me an odd thrill... Maybe that's why people like wearing well-known designers' clothes...
I'm going to leave it there and hope like hell I find my gorgeous notebook somewhere somehow...
AJ
"I know that picture" followed by a squint was one of the comments I got for this brooch that has been a real hit with people who have noticed it. This was one of the most commented upon brooches I've worn so far which tends to make me think that when I've had no comments on some other brooches that I considered quite 'out there' it really means that people did not like those brooches and so kept quiet. People were thrilled to discover it was made from a tea tin and this often triggered reminiscences of their own stories about tea tins recalled from their childhoods or in their pantries today. The new and gorgeous use of the tea tin also seemed to give the brooch elevated status as an item, possibly due to the reuse, recycle trend that is acceptable and even cool at this time. Viewers who are intrigued by the whole brooch club concept are now asking me 'Who made that' and I must admit to taking some pleasure this time round in saying 'Jacqui Chan' a little bit quickly. Try it - you will see the appeal. (apologies to Jacqui for the cliche)
ReplyDeleteA belated renaissance in the telling of Chinese New Zealander's histories through books, archives and art forms is infiltrating the immigrant histories of this country, supported here and there by the Poll Tax Trust and that could be sparking people's consciousness, interest and understanding of the ordinary object in storytelling via artform. Incidentally a new Chinese kete of stories has been released at chinesecommunity.org.nzJacqui doesn't feature there yet but surely...
Again I wore it in the middle of the breast plate and found I could wear it on almost anything - patterned fabric, plain colours, flimsy fabric and a jacket.
In fact I loved this brooch so much that I could not actually wait for my turn to wear it and bought a silver version from the same series a few months earlier. Is that cheating? Have I really got time to be wearing a brooch that is not 'brooch of the month'? Yes indeed.
The tabs were a bit flattened by the time it arrived so I (carefully) pulled them back out which made the picture on the tin look fragmented and mysterious like in the picture. I liked that it looked like it had been cut from a single piece of tin and worked out what it must have looked like flat before it was pulled up into shape and secured.
Each month I receive the familiar shaped box through the post and it is very exciting to reveal what brooch I'm having the privilege of wearing for a month. At the end of each month I wrap up the brooch in the little box and post it off to the next wearer, sometimes i'm a bit late. Well, I might not send this one on at all. Come and get it Finn!
As trade moderator, I name this brooch the most reluctantly relinquished brooch. So, I find it strange that there isn't more commentary going on here. Does controversy breed more chatter?
ReplyDeleteDamian Skinner recently discussed this family of Jacqui's brooches in his review of the Handstand show (www.pauadreams.co.nz). Here is what he had to say. So, do we agree, disagree??
"Jacqui Chan's Brooches, which she describes as 'Chinoiserie in the age of globalisation: jewellery from the Chinese supermarket' are also very nice: sharp, light on their feet, nicely executed. It's wonderful how the punctured holes both dematerialise the metal, and produce the cheap glitter and glamour of the pieces."
This brooch has been great to wear. Large but light weight and could be a readymade?
ReplyDeleteI hugged a friend, who yelped! Standing back, I realized that the brooch is much like a cheese grater and had grated her exposed skin!
Others have come up and plucked it, like an African finger piano. I don’t invite these actions, but they happen.
My work-mates have really liked this brooch, they all want me to take it off so they can see exactly what it is?
‘Boys’ seem to like this brooch too. Piece of folded, punched and riveted tin. On close inspection the handmade rivets hold the precision folds in place, and the perforations haven’t been punched, they have been individually cut by hand! The finding is crude, but works extremely well. I have enjoyed having this brooch on my bench as an object, as much as I have wearing it.
- Finn
I found Jacqui's brooch was definitely one of the most universally appreciated of all the brooches. People found it beautiful, intriguing, and very cool. One stranger was so taken with it she just couldn't believe someone was so clever to come up with the idea and how beautiful it looked when it was just a piece of tin with holes in it. That day was definitely a brooch wearing highlight! I actually found it surprisingly difficult to wear, but could never figure out why. To do this day it remains a mystery. But no matter how it never seemed to feel quite right, it was always worth it to be able to look down, turn it this way and that, watch the light move across it, feel the texture of the cut tin and curved edges, and find another little detail in the picture that I hadn't noticed before...
ReplyDeletekyla