www.susannaheron.com
Jewellery

ARTISTS INFORMATION ON DONNA SCHNEIER GOLDBERG COLLECTION
22/07/01 revised 17/10/08

My jewellery was always inspired by the activity of wearing.

JUBILEE NECKPIECE 1977
There were three Jubilee Neckpieces. and all are in Public Collections: the Donna Schneier Collection at MAD New York, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Crafts Council, London.

I made these in 1977 for a V&A Museum Jubilee exhibition. They were based on my discovery at art school that a rigid circle can sit quite flat from the back of the neck, between the collar bone and shoulder, to the chest. I had already made minimal, bright resin and silver circular neckpieces - the V&A show gave me an opportunity to see how wide I could make a flat circle without it becoming unwearable. The bright resin lines are intended to unbalance the pieces visually. [Susanna Heron: Body Work exhibition catalogue. Crafts Council 1980 see pages 11 and 12 illus]

NYLON COLLAR 1982
These works were a simple layering of transparent colour. They were made from three flat nylon gossamer discs with slits to enable the head to pass through making a collar. They were light and easy to wear. They could be crumpled up and put in the pocket like a conjurers silk scarf. They were amongst the last group of works I made to wear.

WEARABLES 1981-1982
I created the term Wearable as a title to a group of my works made between 1981 and 1982 . They had a multiple role where the activity of wearing was both subject, source and use. This lead to a shift from functionality to autonomous object and as a consequence I abandoned jewellery altogether to start on the new basis of sculpture in 1983.

[See Wearables section for further details and printable texts]

PHOTOGRAPHY
The artist David Ward was often commissioned by Ralph Turner, formerly Exhibitions Officer at the Crafts Council, or the jewellers themselves to photograph their work and these photographs helped to form the identity of the work of that period. A substantial number of these photographs were reproduced in Ralph Turners second book 'The New Jewellery' [Dormer/Turner]. Susanna Heron was married to David Ward from 1974-1989 and they often worked closely together.

EXHIBITION INSTRUCTION
The two large Wearables were hung on the wall in accordance with the instruction and alongside the appropriate photographs.

© Susanna Heron 2008

List of Images

01 Armpiece: 1970. Silver and translucent/transparent polyester resins. Photo Ray Carpenter. Collection Crafts Council

02 Hair ornament and necklace 1971. Silver and translucent/transparent polyester resins photographed by Barry Lategan. Hair by Leonard. Published in The Times february 22 1972. see the text for details.

03 'The Perspex Multiples'. Armpieces made in Acrylic.1976. Photo David Ward.

04 - 06 The Jubilee Neckpieces.1977. Acrylic with polyester resin inlay. First exhibited at the V&A during the Queens silver Jubilee.

04 - Donna Schneier Collection MAD New York Photo David Ward.

05 - Crafts Council Collection. photo David ward
05a - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Photo David Ward - not shown

06 'Neck-Curve' translucent white acrylic with painted outer edges. colour appears diffused. Collection Stedelijk Museum. Photo David Ward

07 'Cardboard Spiral' 1978. Photographic print 16x20 inches. Photo David Ward. collection Crafts Council and others

08 'Light Projection'1979 . Photographic print 16x20 inches. collaboration between David Ward and Susanna Heron. Collections include Crafts Council/Van reekummuseum/Leeds City Art Galleries. Photo David Ward