benchmark exhibition opening

upcoming exhibitions

posted by JOD

We're always very happy to see Jewellery and Object Design graduates going on to amazing things. There are a few upcoming exhibtions, hope to see you at the openings...

2007 graduate Nikki Majajas has assembled a compact collection of crafty coconut handbags
inspired by her love of kitsch, bedazzling and home made ‘doo-dads’. Inspired by a 60’s Hawaiian souvenir she stumbled across in a thrift store, Nikki has taken the humble coconut and turned it into pop art pastiche.

Opening night is Tuesday 1st November from 6pm to 8pm, Petty Cash Café and Gallery 68 Victoria Road, Marrickville.

Curated by 2010 graduates Felix Gill and Danae Natsis, this group show brings together both emerging and established jewellery and object designers, inspired by science fiction cinema. "For us it provides the opportunity to bring into existence today objects that are prompted by imagining the possibilities of tomorrow: making ideas into reality — not just costume props, but pieces that can endure longer than the life of a movie set and accompany humans into daily life here and now."

Opening Thursday November 3rd, Gaffa Gallery, 281 Clarence St, Sydney CBD.

The intrepid Jasmine Matus, who graduated in 2008, has returned from an epic adventure and brought an amazing body of work with her. Jasmine has been driving through the lost back roads of rural New South Wales, meandering the Great Ocean costal road of rugged Victoria, travelling across South Australia’s lonely Nullarbor out to Eyre Peninsula. Fragments of an Expanse, a solo exhibition of jewellery and objects, references the experiences, places and people met whilst journeying across rural and outback Australia in a camper-van come mobile jewellery studio.

Celebration drinks Saturday, November 12th, 4pm - 6pm, Studio 2017, 6b/ 2 Danks St Waterloo.

Inspire - 2011 Fundraising Auction

The Jewellery and Object Design department of the Design Center Enmore TAFE is hosting Inspire: The Annual Contemporary Jewellery and Object Fundraising Auction.

This is a fundraising auction for the end of year student-run exhibition and it will be be held on

Tuesday 13th September 2011

ZanziBar in Newtown

(just one minute walk from Newtown station)

Viewing starts from 6.30pm and auction begins promptly at 7pm.
The auction is an exclusive opportunity for viewing and purchasing unique handmade pieces from talented national and international contemporary artists. We are fundraising for the annual end-of-year student exhibition, this year titled Benchmark.

Wax Carving

Post by Mia Ouzas, Crimson 2

Wax in progress

Presentations are complete and last terms' project is in. This term is flying by.
Stage 2 jewellery and object design students have been busy learning how to cut, file and shape carving wax into rings and small scaled objects.

This requires a lot of patience and concentration because wax is a completely different material to metal. The wax will then be cast into metal using different casting techniques. For our next project this term, we will also be learning how to use the lathe.

Scaling down an object for carving

Drop by the college to see our last project on display outside the workshop, D Building, level 1. The Wabi/Sabi/Suki rings, made by Stage One students, are also currently on display.

colouring titanium

Post by Luke Abbot, Indigo 1
In my latest project for Jewellery + Object Design I'm building a ring that involves 5 separate flat layers, and I required the middle layer to stand out from the rest. Because this layer is made of titanium it gave me the option of colouring the surface using an electrical current.

Having never tried the technique before I expected it to be complicated and difficult, taking far longer than the short time I had left to complete the piece. This turned out to be false and with the help of a more experienced student from stage two, Andrew Stinear, I was able to experiment with the technique and produce a result I am stoked with in only one day. I have found titanium slow to work with in general but when you can achieve such interesting colours that are also durable it makes the time well worth it.

Another interesting day in the JOD workshop.

Coloured titanium sample.

Post by Rachel Gazzard, Crimson 2

Alexandra using the Hydraulic Press

As the end of first semester is upon us, we've all been very busy getting ready to hand in finished projects and samples. We've been filling in our days with hydraulic pressing, welding, drill pressing, polishing, annealing, soldering and hammering to achieve the best results we can. It has been both a physically and conceptually exhausting two terms with incredible results that we are all very proud of. We now have raising and glass making to add to our always increasing technical knowledge and we're looking forward to adding photography to our repertoire next semester.

Claire annealing

(l-r) Vanessa on the linisher, and Mia drilling

Concept Realisation II - Cutlery

Post by Fairina Cheng, Indigo 2

Lisa Zhao

We spent most of term 1 slaving away over our cutlery projects – and it’s good to see all our hard work pay off.
On Friday, we spent the afternoon setting the works up in the exhibition space. It’s a wonder how different pieces look on a workbench (surrounded by scraps of emery paper and broken saw blades) compared to when they’re displayed on gleaming white plinths.

It was also the first time we had seen all our pieces as a collective, and as usual, there were a lot of comments, compliments and questions as we admired each other’s projects.

Our brief involved creating a set of cutlery (a knife, fork and spoon) using the techniques of hydraulic pressing and/or welding. It was a challenging assignment, but the exhibition definitely showcases a rewarding result!

clockwise from left, Sophie Lycakis, Alexandra Palacio-Barrera, Keiko Kimura