Tuesday 23 February 2016

My interview with Loukia Richards - Co-founder & Curator of Myths - Test Drive

Joanne Haywood is a jewellery artist, teacher and writer. Her participation in “Myths 2015 – Test Drive” gave the project an extraordinary “twist”. I am not surprised with her initiative to take the concept of trust behind “Test Drive” even further. If Joanne were not a jewellery artist, she would have been a writer of crime novels! This is the first in a series of introducing the artists we launch ahead of Munich Jewellery Week. Enjoy the interview and discover the person behind the maker!

"Blue Death"

What is the purpose behind your work or why do you make this kind of jewellery?

I want to communicate a story and capture a *feeling* in my work. Like most artists it’s a preoccupation with having to create work to make sense of the world around me and process/capture my thoughts in a physical form. I also like to share these works with others, they are made to be enjoyed and worn. I like the human interaction they have after they leave my studio.

If you had a magic stick, what would you like to change in the jewellery world/market?

More funding and opportunities for education, to give students from less privileged backgrounds the chance to study at the higher levels and become artists/designers in the jewellery industry. Over the last 20 years it has become too expensive, leaving many with real talent and drive looking for alternative routes or not having a chance at all. Traditional apprentiships are great but it does not address the gap for students who want to become designers and independent makers or just have the chance to study creative subjects, whatever route they choose after study.

What would you like visitors in Munich to tell about your work?

Most importantly I would like them to enjoy the work. To get something from it, that could be from the narrative in them, the materials and processes used, or just to be intrigued and want to know more. They are very tactile pieces which I would love people to pick up and handle.

How do you envision yourself in one year after Munich Jewellery Week 2016?

On a new adventure!

Who are the artists you admire? (all disciplines)

Tone Vigeland, Joseph Cornell, Kate Bush, Barbara Hepworth, Frida Kahlo, Patti Smith, Bruce Lee, Virginia Woolf, Siouxsie Sioux & Hermann Junger.

Your source of inspiration?

I am inspired by everything in the world around me. Many things filter into my thinking and working, including the properties of materials, museum artifacts, folklore, archaeological finds, flora and fauna, fossils, folk art, old textiles and costumes, female pioneers and trailblazers. I am also inspired by non visual sources such as stories & music.

If you were not a jewellery artist, what would you have liked to be?

A musician, writer of crime novels or stunt woman!

Η Βρετανίδα δημιουργός Τζόαν Χαίηγουντ έχει μία τεράστια διδακτική εμπειρία σε κάποια από τα πιο φημισμένα πανεπιστήμια του Λονδίνου και είναι γνωστή συγγραφέας βιβλίων για το σύγχρονο κόσμημα. Συμμετέχει στους Μύθους 2016 – Τεστ Ντράιβ με μία πρωτότυπη ιδέα κοσμήματος και δράσης που πήγε το κόνσεπτ Εμπιστοσύνη πίσω από πρότζεκτ μας πολλά βήματα παραπέρα.Εχει μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον η συνέντευξη της, ειδικά για το ελληνικό κοινό, επειδή αναφέρεται ρητά σε αξίες που ξανά και ξανά τονίζω στα εργαστήρια μου, όπως π.χ. την έλλειψη στεγανών κι επιρροών ανάμεσα στις τέχνες, αλλά και τον προβληματισμό και το ενδιαφέρον μας για τον κόσμο έξω από τον εαυτούλη μας.

Αισιόδοξη, ευαίσθητη, προσγειωμένη, σεμνή — η Τζόαν είναι ένας από τους καλλιτέχνες που αποκαλώ *φίλους*.

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