Glasgow School of Design Silversmithing & Jewellery

Rachel Hetherington

 

Things that have holes in.

I am interested in holes as points of connection, as spaces where light passes through, as beginnings for conversation. There is a desire for connection between humans and objects; I like to make things which ask to be touched or held or worn or looked through. The empty spaces are of equal importance to the physical forms; holes which are both formative and functional.

My practice explores memory and the passage of time in materiality, heavily influenced by the process of writing my dissertation, Conversations with Haunted Objects. Objects find form through gesture and gravity and my hands, using time sensitive repetitive techniques. The process builds a cyclical narrative of forgetfulness and recollection; a physical mnemonic system.

Contact
rachelhethe@gmail.com
Works
Things that have holes in
Mnemonic
Necklace
Lethe, 24 Hours
Brooches, or engagement rings

Things that have holes in

Mnemonic

Jesmonite, bronze

A necklace created for the table; a set of twelve; a clock; a structure for memory.

Mnemonic is an interactive piece designed for the act of gathering as a group around a table. It tells a narrative of forgetfulness and remembrance; objects are cast repetitively in flour, the texture and clarity fades and returns in gradual sequence.

It is created with the intention to become an act of gift giving, the objects are separated as the people are, each going to a different owner. Just as the objects retain the memory the memory of their place in the sequence, the people hold the physical memory of that connection, becoming part of a set in the same way.

An invisible circle is drawn connecting each person.

Mnemonic

mnemonic1

The hole is the point of connection between the object and the body.

Individual components become wearable,

Necklace

Silver, linen thread

Lethe, 24 Hours

Jesmonite, silver

A necklace and a narrative object telling a story; something about forgetfulness and remembrance. The jesmonite components are all reiterations of a single object, cast repeatedly in flour which creates a gradual disintegration; a progression which is then reversed. I use flour casting as an attempt to capture something fleeting in physical form. The moulds my objects are cast from are fragile and unstable, they exist for only as long as it takes to create the next object and are then destroyed by that object’s removal.

The sequence “forgets” for twelve and then “remembers” for twelve, creating a continual cycle with no start or finish.

 

Brooches, or engagement rings

A ring is an object with a hole in it.

The holes are the points of connection. A ring or a flat sheet of rubber is pressed out from the inside of the wearer’s clothing, forming a seal. The connection comes from tension and engagement; the adornment is both the object and the engagement between the object and the fabric.