Jemma Slade
Graduating from Central St Martins in 2008, I worked for luxury jewellery brand Solange Azagury-Partridge for a number of years, before returning home to Wales to teach secondary Art & Design, start a family, and develop a bespoke jewellery business of my own. After working in traditional fine materials as a bespoke goldsmith for almost a decade, I desired an injection of new energy. Now, fuelled by a recent MA in Jewellery & Metal at the RCA, my practice is currently primarily focusing on the exploration and communication of my own personal Matrescence.
Horn is a collection that explores the life cycle and memory of materials, sustainability, and the deep connection between people and the land. Created by combining recycled gold, ethically sourced gemstones and sustainably sourced cow horn, these pieces were carved by hand, with each piece celebrating the natural patterns, colours, and intricacies held within this beautiful underestimated material. The horn in these pieces was sourced as a bi product of cows whose meat fed an entire community. Any remaining horn was ground and returned to the earth, to fertilise the land, continuing this ancient cycle of energy, renewal and life. Growing up in rural Wales, surrounded by communities of smallholders that constantly strive to understand and exist peacefully with the land has had a profound effect on my practice. Creating pieces that last, using materials that are thoughtfully sourced, with careful consideration to both people and the earth is central to my work. It is a constant open conversation and cycle of energy and trust that maintains the relationship between humans and the soil that nourishes and sustains us.
Project Gallery
