20:20 Visions Conference. Call for Papers

Together both conference and exhibition celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery. It is appropriate, therefore, that at this time, we commend the Association’s position in nurturing British contemporary jewellery through its past achievements, by recognising its present performance and imagining future possibilities for the ACJ within the discipline in Britain and beyond. 
 
This conference seeks to provide a framework for a discussion on and around British Contemporary Jewellery by examining its past, celebrating its present achievements and looking forward to exploring what the future might hold. In this new post-Brexit, highly individualistic, neo-liberal, some would say postcapitalistic society that has seen the rise of the super-rich alongside a rise in austerity for vast swathes of the population, how is luxury being redefined both from the bottom as well as from the top? And where jewellery once had a strong political voice through the use of political pins and badges, how is it - or how might it - manifest in this new climate? While contemporary jewellery in Britain has evolved much over the last 20 years, how will jewellery develop over the next 20?  We invite proposals from scholars, artists and research students and welcome in a range of modes and formats, from academic papers, artist talks, performative interventions etc. 


About the Exhibition:
The 20:20 Visions exhibition shows the best of the new jewellery and conveys progression in design and techniques over the last twenty years. The exhibition is in two parts: 
 
20:20 Twenty of our most prominent and innovative members have been invited to show work from 1997 alongside a new piece. The twenty invited guests are: Jane Adam, Holly Belsher, Stephen Bottomley, Caroline Broadhead, Norman Cherry, Jack Cunningham, Susan Cross, Joel Degen, Maria Hanson, Jan Hinchliffe-McCutcheon, Dorothy Hogg, Terry Hunt, Daphne Krinos, Jacqueline Mina, Adam Paxon, David Poston, Ann Marie Shillito, Jessica Turrell, Christoph Zellweger, and Frances Julie Whitelaw.
 
Visions The second part of the exhibition shows a selection of the best work from current members, juried by respected professionals from our panel of advisors. This part of the exhibition will show the full breadth of materials and techniques being used in cutting edge jewellery. ACJ currently numbers some 500 members. Here will be a selection of the best of their current work with materials ranging from paper, plastics and mixed media to gold, silver, copper, brass, titanium, aluminium, found objects and electronics. New technologies and techniques sit with traditional methods of construction. All of the pieces are wearable, however, the scale covers the miniscule to the majestic. Conceptual work contrasts with the purely decorative, and all the pieces are made to the highest standards. 

Proposal submissions might include (but are not limited to) the following themes:

- Old Technologies - New Materials / New Technologies - Old Materials.- British Contemporary Jewellery in Context.
- The Past / Present / Future British Contemporary Jewellery.
How is a global world shaping the practice of UK jewellers? What futures could be in store?
- Conserving new jewellery for future generations.  
- Jewellery and mixing disciplines - when jewellers work with others.
- Jewellery, luxury and a climate of austerity. The framing of jewellery within current socio-economic environments.

Successful applications will be notified by the beginning of February 2017.