Lucy Ganley Winner of the JPLUS Graduate Award 2017

This is the third edition of the JPLUS Graduate Award.

View all the works, schools and teachers of the selected graduates of the 2017 edition

The winner of the JPLUS Graduate Award 2017 is Lucy Ganley. The prize consist in a professional jeweller profile at klimt02.net and an exhibition at Hannah Gallery to present her graduate project.

Lucy Ganley graduated with a BA Degree project Jewelry Art at Central Saint Martins, BA (Hons) Jewellery Design. London, where she has studied under Professor Caroline Broadhead.


Klimt02 team and Sara Malm unanimously decided to award Lucy's project for its unusual topic, the careful research shaped into a fragile aesthetic pieces and at the same time containing strong statements. The translation of such a tough life in prison become poetical by using a classical typography, embroiding the sentences and using the paper as an old fashioned medium to communicate messages.


Caroline Broadhead Professor and school state:
Lucy Ganley has pursued an unusual direction for jewellery and has done this imaginatively, thoughtfully and thoroughly. Her embroidered paper brooches tell of the divide between inside and outside, and of the conditions of prison life. The pieces draw attention to the conditions of prison life, the experiences and attitudes of prisoners, and in doing so, create a sense of empathy. This comes from the use of basic materials, the directness of the quotes and the care taken over the embroidery. Wearing one of these brooches will show solidarity with a prisoner. It is the narrative of social conscience, the context of both inspiration and eventual use and the emotional responses they invite that make these successful pieces of jewellery.


Lucy Ganley state:
This project started by me exploring not only how we value objects but also how we value people. During my initial research I decided to take a closer look at, and concentrate on the prison system, and its treatment of inmates. The gathering of evidence and facts started with a visit to Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia USA. The prison is ‘famed’ for introducing the practice of 24hr solitary confinement, and separately, the once unique architectural design of the prison subsequently influenced prison architecture throughout the world, including London's Pentonville prison.

After a fascinating tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary, I began to question the very nature of prison. I wanted to further explore the different aspects of a world I had no experience of, and could never really comprehend. I found reading the prisoners stories the most informative and honest - this is where my pieces take their main inspiration from.

Behaviour Modification is a technique used by the prison system to try and increase or decrease a particular type of behaviour. One of these modification techniques is to feed inmates ‘Nutra Loaf‘ - made from the blended ingredients of an entire meal which is then baked. What I found particularly interesting was how they served it, instead of a food tray you are given your meal in a brown paper bag.
This is considered by many to be a form of punishment and some states in the U.S have chosen to ban the practice in an attempt to ‘humanise' how they treat inmates.
 
The words stitched into the paper are quotes found on the cell walls of Reading prison, and also from letters I received from prisoners along with drawings. These powerful words reflect a viewpoint and voice we, the ‘onlookers’, would never usually hear.
 
The font of the texts is also significant, for example - a number of light switches in the prison, comically had ‘room service' written on them!
I wanted to juxtapose the two following experiences, one of being in prison and the other staying at a luxury hotel. The font was inspired by hotel branding.  

These brooches are made from brown paper and can be crushed easily to highlight the asymmetric fight of a prisoner verse the prison system. My volunteering in a prison sewing class, re-affirmed to me the projects importance of ‘communicating the prisoner’s words’.

Through the pieces I wanted to show the value in their point of view, they are the ones living each day in prison, they are experiencing it first hand. It was a collaboration with them. Through the wearing of the brooches, people show solidarity to inmates.


More works and contact:
Website: www.lucyganley.com
Email: contact@lucyganley.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucyganley


The exhibition will be on show at Hannah Gallery from 15th November to 1th December 2017.

We would like to thank all participating students, teachers and staff members for your collaboration and the high level of the presented works and encourage all of you to apply for the 2018 edition.

Very soon we will launch the 4th edition of the JPLUS Graduate Award 2018 with the guest jury, deadline and detailed conditions.