 Jennifer TraskJennifer Trask makes necklaces and bracelets by linking together gold or silver "pots" filled with vibrant colors. In the past the "pots" have contained pigments, seeds, and spices. In her newest and most brilliantly colored pieces to date, they are filled with gemstones, peacock feathers, and beetle wings.StatementTaxonomy's virtue forms the common human bond - so strong an urge to collect, to order, and to use, that we can only speak of a mania almost divine, a spark that may ignite any person in any walk of life at any time, and convert the quotidian to the sublime. From "Pride of Place - Crossing Over: where Art meets Science" By Stephen Jay Gould and Rosemond Purcell I collect and display materials I find to be visually seductive yet non-traditional in terms of jewelry by placing them "under glass" in a personal taxonomy of aesthetics. By isolating a characteristic and magnifying one's focus a new perception might emerge. For example, the way the insect wings when removed from their natural context become an ornamental pattern in Coleoptera Pendant. Stylistically, my work is influenced by the instrumentation of early sciences as well as the methodologies and aesthetics of collection and display; Entomology; Victorian Curios - the displays of odd exotic items in vitrines intended for the "salon" and meant to impress viewers with one's command of nature. Hand engraving on the back of many pieces refers to the scientific method of classification and documentation. Pigments are identified by chemical notation and the organic matter by Latin name. ImagesCollectionsMuseum of Art and Design, New York CityRenwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. |