Student Number : 9406610A - MA(FA) dissertation - School of Fine Art - Faculty of Arts / This thesis is a study of the box constructions of New York artist Joseph Cornell from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, and the influence of his work on that of contemporary American jeweller Thomas Mann, as well as my own artistic production. The key areas of focus are the process of assemblage and the implications of the box format, with the following themes being explored: miniature space and time; preciousness; fetishism and voyeurism. These are followed through into the section on my own work, where the additional subjects of the history of collecting, automata and the stop-frame animation of filmmaker Jan Švankmajer are discussed. The conclusion that I reach is about the potential power residing in found objects, which form the basis of Cornell’s, Mann’s and my own work.

IDENTITY In search of identity construction through the narrative of the pearl necklace   Lina Pihl   Can one reach an understanding of identity through the narrative of the pearl necklace?   The pearl necklace plays the role of the main character as well as the attribute in portraying identity in this dissertation. By looking at the pearl necklace as an object through its social context, it is possible to open it up for an understanding of its relation and impact on the individual. The world is not constructed of entities, but on relations. Thus it makes no sense to try to understand it through the notion of a predefined entity.   Through the investigation of the pearl necklace as a signified, and myth in the modern Western society, its relation to and affect on the subject when worn and the creation of a new context within the performance – a system for how we can see and look upon identity takes form, in which they both, myth and signified, play a part in the construction of identities. The myth of the pearl necklace makes it into a strong, signified that is used to manifest social belonging: by wearing the pearl necklace one becomes a part of the myth and its signified, which creates a new form, where the subject-object is the signified in action, a performance that makes the myth present and an active, living part of a society.   This proves that by taking an everyday object such as the pearl necklace and understanding it in a social context and in relation to the body and individuals, we can reach a deep and complex understanding of what identity is, how it is constructed and what potentials it possesses.

During a major part of modernity the concept of identity was something that in many ways was predetermined for the individual. People in general remained in the same social spheres as the generations before, shared common religions and beliefs and where more or less bound to a geographic area. Identity and lifestyle was something that was adapted quite unreflected from habit and tradition. Though, during the cultural modernisation process that took place in the twentieth century, previous shared patterns of interpretation vanished and became individual.  Finding references, constructing an identity and establishing a self became individual. There was also a shift in the relationship to the objects that surround us. Instead of seeing the objects from a functionalistic view, objects and commercial goods also became representations of ourselves that sent out signals of who we wanted to be as individuals. The globalized media society that we have today gives an opportunity where we can pick up elements from different phenomena in society to create an eclectic blend of references as a way to construct our own lifestyle and unique identity. This essay deals with the question of how jewellery can function as a mark of identity. I have investigated three different jewellery practices to see what possibilities jewellery have as a potential communicator of identity. The jewellery practices that I investigated are Bling Bling jewellery within the Hip-Hop culture, jewellery in the Black Metal community and contemporary jewellery art in Sweden. What I found in common between these, at the surface very different cultural expressions, is that they mix different cultural references in a way similar to collage. By doing that they create new patterns of interpretation and codes that can be read by the ones initiated, which creates a sense of belonging and identity. Another aspect of jewellery within these practices is that the wearer or the maker charges the artefact with a meaning. To state either by making or wearing a piece of jewellery that this object stands for or talks about this and then communicate that to the surrounding. And if others accept these values it creates a common code of identity. / <p>Upphovsrättsskyddat bildmaterial har tagits bort från orginalet.</p>

This essay will deal with ideas for jewellery in the future. One approach to this issue is, to investigate the meaning of materials which might become rare or even deplete in the future. Along with science and science fiction it will focus on established scientific postulated laws of nature, although some elements might still be pure imaginative speculation. The paper will also explore about academic discourse on value with a focus on understanding jewellery material values connected to rarity as well as value of experience and the increasing need for it in society. It will draw a futuristic picture of change, meaning and development in the field of contemporary jewellery and society.

By questioning the feeling of uneasiness coming from seeing the real body, I aim to cast a light upon the relation between the body and the objects that are displayed on it. Starting with a doubt that the object would not only change the surface of human, I investigate how the body of human totally embodies its representational object to itself.

We live in a world constructed by predeterminations, divided by gender. It’s a masquerade that we’re all taking part in, men by their gaze and women by embodying it. I’ve investigated spaces where feminine attributes are interconnected to a female body, and aspects that shape the misleading mask. In my research I discovered that there are three areas where a woman and female attributes are merged: In media where the stereotype image of a woman is confirmed in glossy magazines and in reality shows. In the bathroom, a room that represents the starting point of the masquerade. And last in typical feminine rooms, beauty salons, where make-up and nail polish is applied to female bodies. By researching spaces I discovered that bodies are shaped by the exclusion of the other sex and by gender specific norms. Out from my own bodily perception I have investigated the feminine surface in the borderland between corpus and jewellery. In my process I shifted the perspective by creating wearable pieces that illustrate the undressing of femininity and by dressing traditionally masculine corpus in feminine materials. All together the objects make up a burlesque staging of a feminine scenography. It’s first when an object loses its initial function that we can create new reference points. It’s when lipstick is casted in the shape of soap and when a high heel is separated from the shoe that they become disconnected from the female body. / <p>The full thesis contains copyrighted material which has been removed in the published version.</p>

This essay is about the act of wearing contemporary jewellery has as a way of communication between human beings. I investigate the act of decorating the body as an important and basic human need.  This essay investigates the relationship between gender, feminine culture, and decoration within the Western world, thinking of jewellery as a socialisation method and not as a consequence of natural differences between sexes. This investigation presents a brief historical review of the role that jewellery has been playing in the relations between the genders and the changes it has undergone in terms of cultural process over the last centuries. I introduce to the reader the idea of performing jewellery with the aim of to highlight the relevance that decoration on the body has as a way to construct our identity.  The post-structuralist theories about gender and identity made by the feminist philosopher Judith Butler (Gender Trouble 1990, Undoing Gender 2004), and some philosophical perspectives on material culture, are used to support my investigation, to postulate that jewellery pieces can be viewed or understood  us as ‘queer apparatus’… As a way to explore and experience  jewellery as a ‘queer apparatus’, I have chosen few examples of contemporary jewellery.

Over the course of a day we meet countless materials and objects but rarely consider these surfaces of negotiation within the everyday environment. If we consider gestures as a language, then the actions we perform and the surfaces we encounter result in conversations with our surroundings. Where body meets details inside architecture, the commonplace ritual occurs. I will discuss the importance of touch in response to my finished work in Can you Handle this? but also during the making process.

This essay aims to gain a deeper understanding for the beliefs and identity of the sami people in Sápmi, northern Scandinavia through observation of their material culture. More specifically the object of interest is different types of jewellery made from materials like horn, silver and tin dat- ed to iron age 500 BC to 1300 AD. Metal deposits, or places of sacrifices used by sami are key interest to understand the usage of jewellery and the symbolism behind it, if there is any. The discussion is based on earlier research made by archaeologists and other scientists. The purpose being to understand and illuminate a culture with a long history that’s still alive. This will be conducted with an archaeological perspective.

This paper addresses a design exploration focusing on interactive jewellery and wearable computing that could affect sexual harassment in social contexts in everyday life. Drawing on a design inquiry study that lead to the creation of an interactive and digital necklace named Sunshine, which is a personal alarm connected to an emergency center, this paper focuses on how a piece of digital jewellery can contribute to women’s empowerment in relation to sexual harassment. The functionality of Sunshine is based on a device that will be activated when the user presses a button on the necklace and an alert with the location of the user will be sent to an alarm center. The users press the button when in danger or exposed to violence and/or abuse. This study so forth addresses a design exploration of a piece of jewellery that can be seen as a symbol for women’s safety, unity and equality. The combination of digital technology and fashion design demonstrate that people can be brought together and especially be empowering in social contexts where sexual harassment might be a part of women’s everyday life. / <p>Självständigt Examensarbete (Forskningsartikel)</p>