Inspired by light, space and containment Jo McAllister uses ‘wild tools’, stones found in the landscape. Percussive techniques used on fine silver and high carat gold create intimately land-marked surfaces with undulating edges, hand burnished to glint and contrast with granite-like textures. Holes are drilled and punched; metal is finger-folded to imply softness; elements may be stitched with silk, tied with precious metal wire, soldered or riveted to larger forms.
The concept-led, self-directed and commissions-based strand of her practice developed further in 2022: Celestial Jewel Narratives – ongoing series of one of a kind, ready-to-wear jewels for Sky Gazers, Sun Worshippers and Moon Bathers.
By working with heirloom jewellery to exploit visual aide memoirs alongside autobiographical and biographical narrative themes McAllister developed a vernacular to incorporate gemstones and found objects, within the signature language of her making. Bespoke pieces present heirloom gemstones and personal objects in miniature tableaux, evoking those who once wore them, those who gifted them, or past aspects of the self.
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