WOOD YOU WEAR? – LINDA VAN NIEKERK

WOOD YOU WEAR? – AN EXHIBITION OF TIMBER BASED WEARABLE ART & JEWELLERY BY LINDA VAN NIEKERK OPEN UNTIL APRIL 19 2012

Linda’s unconventional style has gained recognition. She has presented solo exhibitions, curated and participated in group shows. Linda has had work acquired for the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection and won the overall Tasmanian 2010 Design Award. She has been a finalist in Several prestigous local awards including the National Contemporary Jewellery Award, the Contemporary Wearables and the Hobart Art Prize.

FOREST PEARLS
Linda + Trevor Semmens - Huon Pine, silk + sterling silver
Short $720.00 Medium $940.00
linda van niekerk jewellery timber tasmania
HUON WAXING MOON
Linda + Patrick Senior - Huon Pine + sterling silver $240.00

Background:

I have incorporated a small amount Tasmanian timber in my work for a few years now and in 2010 the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection acquired sets of my rings. I was therefore delighted to be invited to develop an exhibition of contemporary jewellery using wood as the central theme. I love the idea of introducing the beauty of this wonderful material to a non-traditional market for fine Tasmanian timbers.

linda van niekerk jewellery timber tasmania
RIVER BEND ADRIFT
Linda + nature - Drift wood + sterling silver $980.00

Process:

In order to create works using wood, I partnered with several wood workers and turners. This process was both rewarding and at times, amusing. Some of the work uses ‘components’ made by my talented collaborators – often by adapting something they make for another purpose. Some work has been made, to their surprise, entirely by the wood worker.

For example, a small bowl has become an armband; a large bowl a dramatic neckpiece, and a discarded experimental turning a brooch.

The wood used in these works is predominantly off-cuts unsuitable for most other uses, or as noted above, work that might have been discarded. Recycled sterling silver is used in most of the works.

linda van niekerk jewellery timber tasmania TRIBAL SLATS COLLAR
Linda + Jon Grant - Huon Pine, Sassafras, nylon and sterling silver
Small $460.00 Large $940.00

Inspirations:

For this exhibition I have allowed the material to inspire the design. The ‘components’ provided by the wood workers suggested some forms of their own and I also explored using wood in its natural form, unturned and polished only by the forces of nature. I am delighted with these pieces as they prove (at least to me) the timeless beauty of the material.

I have been interested to find that the works developed for this exhibition seem to reflect an African aesthetic that is often evident in my work as well as the obvious influence of the pristine natural beauty of Tasmania.

As a jewellery designer one of the key questions I ask myself is “would I wear this?” Irrespective of the inspiration for a piece, I want my work to be simple, elegant and wearable. Naturally some works are easier to wear everyday and some require a small effort or a special occasion. But my desire is for the wearer to be bold, proud and walk tall.

linda van niekerk jewellery timber tasmania THIS WAY RINGS
Linda + Adrian Oliver Hunt - Huon Pine, Myrtle and Blackwood with burn finish + sterling silver $280.00 ea
BLACKHEART LONG NECKLACE
Linda + Trevor Semmens - Sassafras + sterling silver $980.00
TIGER, TIGER RING
Linda + Trevor Semmens + Patrick Senior - Tiger myrtle + sterling silver $380.00