Rationed by Jo Pond in Paris

Artist list

Jo Pond

Stirred by a collection of diaries, bequeathed alongside hand-me-down stories, words and trinkets from a generation before, Jo Pond draws on evocative World War 2 artifacts to craft her own heirlooms. Almost in spite of itself, each static and inanimate object comes to embody the thoughts and energy of the artist, and draws the viewer in recognition may bring about physical, emotional or intellectual engagement. The interpretation of this story, however, will be determined by the viewer, and Jo Pond embraces the potential for the items created to elicit a broad range of responses, from visitors of all generations.
 
Domestic bakeware, biscuit and medicine tins serve as visual references for the feminine domestic role of the wartime wife and mother. Leather from old wallets and worn bone tokens reference ‘worth’ in the pre-decimal sense. Materials which no longer hold value beyond their collectability are re-framed to provide the narrative: they become objects with which to tell the stories of wartime women.
 
Descended from generations of habitual collectors, Jo Pond embraces her legacy, working with misplaced memories to create jewellery and objects which pass on something indefinable, as the women before her passing on genes, mannerisms and traits. The writings of Lily Pond née Liberty, and the materials associated with the period around the Second World War are incorporated and recreated to continue the line, sharing the essence of stories of the wartime domestic, stories which can no longer be shared by word of mouth.


About Jo Pond:
As an internationally renowned jewellery artist, her work has been exhibited at prestigious galleries highlights include  Schmuck in Munich, the V&A Museum London, Price Tower Arts Centre Oklahoma, Galerie Rob Koudijs Amsterdam, Velvet da Vinci San Francisco and Contemporary Applied Arts in London. Alongside her practice, she is currently employed as a part-time lecturer at the world-renowned School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of Contemporary Applied Arts in London.
 
Jo Pond reflects I come from a family of "Ponds" who appears to have a genetic necessity for hoarding; digging up metal detector finds was the foundation of a passion for objects which others might not quite appreciate. This fashioned the beginnings of a lifetime of habitual collecting. Utilising this drive to accumulate the unconventional and unwanted, coupled with an aesthetic appreciation of the details of decomposition and change, I choose to incorporate items potentially paradoxical within jewellery, to create beautifully and on occasion, confusing objects. Employing symbolic references of form, material and technique, I dabble in the potential for wearable items to become vehicles for communication; whether through sense, nostalgia, or knowledge.