Beyond Silver: 25 Years of the ACJ

This conference celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery. In 2017 the ACJ celebrated its 20^th Anniversary by marking the past and the present through the exhibition 20:20 Visions and exploring the future through the conference of the same name. Now, five years on, the focus has shifted to the position of contemporary jewellery in a changed society.

We took inspiration from the translation of Marjan Unger’s doctoral dissertation, Jewellery in Context: A Multi-disciplinary frame-work for the study of jewellery. After her passing, Theo Smeets and a number of jewellery institutions, scholars and interested individuals came together to publish Unger’s work in her spirit, making it available in English over a decade after it was defended in 2010.
 
When we wear jewellery, we are communicating something about who we are and what is important to us. Contemporary jewellery doesn’t just engage with the history of jewellery and the body but also expands upon an array of associations and Jeweller in Context seemed like an excellent place to begin our reflection and help frame the conference topics.
 
The call for papers sought submissions that discussed the following themes: Jewellery as a social connector; Jewellery: meanings and messages; Democratising the field; and Jewellery as art. In addition we sought to provide a platform for those that were new to research and looking to discuss their ideas and work so far.
 
We are delighted to announce the conference programme and the live streaming sessions.

Tickets and Booking Information
The sessions are priced at £20 each or £70 for all four sessions.
To book the tickets and access the live streaming please visit the website.

Friday Afternoon
3.00 Welcome & Introduction Terry Hunt (ACJ Chair) joined by Charlotte Dew (The Goldsmiths’ Centre)
3.20 Dr Jivan Astfalck - Where do we go from Here?
4.10 break
4.40 Charlotte Dew (The Goldsmiths’ Centre) - What potential do NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and the metaverse hold for jewellery, beyond silver?
5.10 Meng He - Application of Additive Manufacturing in Jewellery
5.30 M.Kala - From African Symbols to Jewellery: how I became a jeweller
5.50 break
6.00 Stina Wen - Serendipity in Contemporary Jewelry
6.20 Bridie Lander (Birmingham School of Jewellery) - b1_3pa
6.30 Close

Saturday Morning
9.30 Dr Sian Hindle (Birmingham School of Jewellery) - Jewellery’s Circular Economy: materialising connections through the gifting and wearing of adornments
10.10 Anthony Wong - The Blue Funnel Line and a Ring in his Pocket
10.40 Seeun Kim - The Heritage Collection 100 Project
11.00 break                                                                        
11.20 Anna Börcök - The Fields of the Hungarian Narrative Jewellery
11.50 Jo McAllister - Jewel Narratives: Past, Present and Intertwined
12.10 Mark Cutler (Pressman Mastermelt) - Workshop Reclamation Seminar
12.45 Break
 
Saturday Afternoon - Access Programme for the Jewellery Enthusiast
2.00 Linda Lambert - welcome
2.20 Kelvin Birk - Thinking, Making, Wearing
3.20 break
3.45 Terry Hunt (ACJ Chair) discusses the ACJ touring exhibition Meanings and Messages 
4.15 break
4.45 Linda Lambert and Anthony Wong in conversation discussing commissioning that special piece
5.10 Emma Paragreen (Sheffield Assay Office) - Hallmarking: one of the earliest forms of consumer protection
5.40 Linda Lambert - Questions
6.00 close
 
Sunday Morning
9.30 Associate Professor Dr Supavee Sirinkraporn & Dr Khajornsak Nakpan (Silpakorn University) - Innovative synthesised bio melanin fibre from pre-historic soil to design ethnic contemporary body ornaments which reflect civilization and respect cultural diversity in Pang Ma Pa District, Mae Hong Sorn Province Thailand 
10.10 Break                                                                         
10.20 Bic Tieu (School of Art & Design - UNSW Sydney) - Connecting Intercultural Values and Making
10.50 Yinglong Li - Sustainability of Traditional Craft: rethinking the knowledge and value of making with the enamelling technique of plique-à-jour
11.10 break
11.30 Professor Theo Smeets (Hochschule Trier) - “Let There Be Rock!”
12.20 Professor Theo Smeets and Dr Jivan Astfalck - Plenary
12.40  Conference finishes                                                                                             
 

If you have any enquiries regarding this event please contact conference@acj.org.uk


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