photograph by Rebekah RobinsonSee more of Raewyn's work here
Nicola William's drawing of the kowhai -
Latest comment: Finn 22 August 2009
The Kowhai was beautifully made with a good finding on the back, but it needed to be worn on quite a thick garment, otherwise it would hang down on an angle towards the floor. I thought the effect of the light through the resin from the silver made it float, and made spectators enquire about what it was? I particularly liked the detail that only the wearer would see, as they put it on.
Somehow this gorgeous Kowhai pod is often mistaken for something edible...... comments I received were -
ReplyDeletefrom a guy: "can I lick it?"
from a gal: "looks like a lolly"
from an older woman: "I think you need big boobs to wear that" ha ha
Yeah, I gedit: do you want a medal or the chest to pin it on.
ReplyDeleteI can't say that this brooch is a badge of honour but it can be seen as part of a collection...or something that has been collected. At the very the wearer can consider themselves "decorated" - regardless of the size of their boobs.
the beautiful kowhai pod.
ReplyDeleteI love Raewyn's jewellery, and unfortunately I got to wear my booch for 2 weeks this time. Still, it had several successful outings - a couple of family events where it immediately got recognized as a kowhai pod (tree lovers that my family are!) and a couple of work days. The boys at work preferred my previous 'terminator' brooch - typical.
what i have loved about wearing brooches is how they art either the perfect last touch to an otherwise unsuccessful outfit, or you build your whole wearing exerience arond your brooch (or any other piece of jewellery or clothing you are suddenly determined to wear that day). I particularly enjoy this second approach to brooch wearing, and love the things you end up pulling out of the back of the wardrobe, or piecing together into a suprising ensomble.
With the Kowhai Pod I've found myself wearing a lot of 'prettier' clothes than I'm used to. Perhaps, due to the more subtle nature of the brooch (compared to some others) or its delicate appearance, I'vefound it works well with softer colours and simple shapes. Whic is all wonderful - finding yourself wearing things you wouldn't usually wear even out of your own wardrobe! and experimenting with whole different styles & ways of wearing - all from a simle but beautiful brooch
thanks - kyla
I enjoyed the reflective quality of Raewyn's kowhai, it seems to be both an object and it's shadow or reflection, with the thinner sillhouette (sp?) behind, and the small gap between the two. I also liked the way it could sit along the line of my neck, sort of extending that line downwards below my collarbone. (My collarbones are my favourite part of my body, they are deep hollows and sometimes water collects in them when swimming or bathing, this seems a strange thing to share with the world but somehow relevant!) Kathy
ReplyDeleteThis brooch in comparison felt very delicate and the top piece of the brooch had a slight crack in it which after the first wear
ReplyDeleteSnapped. Most unfortunate because I was so looking forward to showing it of over the festive season. Having said that I love how delicate it looks and its definitely a summer brooch.
Thanks Raewyn.
- Mandie
Operation Brooch Down
ReplyDeleteA quick glance at the photos for the January swap will reveal open-kowhai-surgery being tackled by Raewyn upon the pod on top of a glass cabinet containing none other than Gillian Deery's exhibition pieces for 'Best in Show' Quite a surreal set of images.
The pod now has a strip of sticking plaster wrapped around it and I suspect the makers think that is ok and I should just wear it and it's history like a badge of honour for fallen in the Broach Club. No way - I don't mind a bit of wear and tear but not a wound as serious as this. The person who has a bit of sticking plaster holding the arm of their spectacles in place might go for it but not me - it is back in hospital with the maker. If she glues it back together will that be like a broken china cup that has had the handle stuck back on? Surely that would be a big no no in tea cup circles.
So, once again I start the month without a brooch. However, today I am wearing a brooch - of sorts. Vietnamese craftspeople have made a million of these brooches designed by a certain fashion designer who had a spot of bother with her naming rights last year. It is silk with an embroidered pohutukawa (just keeping the native tree theme going) dotted with a few red beads. I'm actually wearing it on a layer of clothing under my outer top.It was purchased well before The Broach Club began - gosh is it only 6 months ago - and my exposure to 'real' NZ jewellery so it is quite odd wearing this particular fashion item. I would actually feel a wee bit embarrassed if someone commented that it is a nice brooch, or recognised the designer, especially since some months I get no comments regarding brooches that are practically sending beacon signals out. A little bit of knowledge can create delusions of grandeur and I may be starting to get a bit snooty about broochs now. That sort of attitude will get me nowhere here in Gisborne and it wont be long before someone says 'it's just a bloody brooch, it wont put bread on the table' and all will be in it's proper place again. Still, I would like to see the gorgeous kowhai pod make a full recovery.
I see this month's wearer will settle for nothing but a brand new brooch? I thought the sticking plaster repair was endearing; honourable even. So Pene, your wish is my command, and I will head into the workshop to make another, one-off, for you.
ReplyDeleteThis has got me thinking about submitting a completeley different brooch. I sense this project is about the experience of wearing, the life of the thing beyond the maker and the making process. I like that, and I get it now when I see one someone wearing a Jewellery is Life badge. Forget the kowhai, I'm gonna get my badgemaker out...
Ok I am Raewyn's older sister. That is out of the way. My comments about Raewyn's brooch may be slightly biased or may be interpreted as soft and sisterly or possibly more critical than those for other brooches. You decide.
ReplyDeleteThis brooch is a flat piece of hammered silver that reflects the outer shape of a 3-dimensional from-life scan of a kowhai pod. The clear resin(I think) pod is suspended above the silver with silver posts at each end of the pod. The silver component not only reflects the shape of the pod, it literally reflects light through the resin counterpart. Under artifical light, especially at night, light catches and radiates out from the gap between the two pieces. The slender shape made it easy to wear and the neutral colour meant it could be worn with anything. I was a bit nervous about bending the finding as it is as long as the brooch and I kept trying to force it through fabrics tht may have been a bit heavy for the pin. Apparently the particular incarnation of the brooch I had was not as well finished as other versions but that was not something I particularly noticed. Previous versions had been sold off, snapped and mended and replaced entirely. The version in circulation now is not the version I wore.
Comments about the brooch were universally along the lines of 'that's really nice' and I may have curtailed any not so positive comments by proudly announcing "my sister made it" fairly early in conversations. I simply loved wearing this brooch. I liked the representational aspect of it and the fact that many people did not recognise it as a seed pod. I felt properly dressed up when I wore it but also it worked for the corporate look (although I'm not too good at that) and casual wear - I wore it during the weekend at the Farmer's market and bikeriding too. It is even 'pretty' which is probably something the makers won't want to hear.
Positioning brooches on clothing is sometimes problematic for me but this one sat well on a vertical angle up near the collar bone and also in the centre breastplate. This brooch was quite handy to hold down a wayward dress collar - ironing is not my forte and so now I've found this handy use of the brooches to disguise slack ironing techniques. I seem to have defaulted to wearing most of the brooches in the middle of the chest as a top button, even when there is no top button to be had. I've come to the conclusion this is the ideal position for those not making it to average height.
Entirely objectively, so far this has been my favourite brooch.
The Kowhai was beautifully made with a good finding on the back, but it needed to be worn on quite a thick garment, otherwise it would hang down on an angle towards the floor. I thought the effect of the light through the resin from the silver made it float, and made spectators enquire about what it was? I particularly liked the detail that only the wearer would see, as they put it on.
ReplyDeleteI was a little scared wearing this brooch, I kept on thinking that I would crack the pod- as it was only joined in two places.
Finn