Adele Brereton

INTERVIEW

Adele Brereton
Treasure Hunter (jeweller)

How would you describe your jewellery?
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I explore a human narrative, reinterpreting eroded and redundant found objects from my urban environment into tactile and understated precious pieces, combining subtle textures and ambiguous materials with simplicity of form.

How did you adopt the silversmithing technique of hand raising and why is the technique so fitting to your way of working and your finished product?
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I spent a lot of time as a child playing with clay in my mum’s pottery studio in the basement of our house. It seemed quite intuitive to me to somehow imitate the process of making clay pinch pots through metalwork.

When I was studying at Edinburgh College of Art, I wanted to make irregular and tactile hollow forms inspired by the softened sherds of Victorian smoking pipe bowls I had found years ago. The only technique I found that gave me the desired shape was hand raising. I use hammers to ‘raise’ a flat sheet of metal into a hollow object. Hand raising allows me to work intuitively and adapt the shape as I go. They appear to look organic, but that is not the intention, it is an inherent quality to the way in which I work. When doing museum research, I am drawn to the more everyday objects and jewellery from ancient civilisations rather than exquisite and ornate pieces. There is something fascinating about seeing the human interaction in the making process with finger prints and patterns pressed into pots and hammer marks in the metal.

What is your design process?
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I jump between materials because my ideas are sparked by working with my hands, rather than designing on paper. When I think of something, I just go for it. I develop my own methods of working with unfamiliar materials.

I’m a practical person and I love exploring new techniques, so I keep experimenting until I find a way that works. I collate all the elements I’ve made, grouping different variations to create small sculptures. I spend a long time figuring out ways of joining these together, making links and catches that are integral to the piece – visually and in terms of wearable function.

What is it about coming across found objects that fuels your creativity?
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I like that I never know what I’m going to find, the objects find me. When I’m out and about, I’m always noticing details that aren’t necessarily meant to be there. The objects I collect are usually carried around in my pocket and they become part of the narrative for that day. They already possess a human history and go onto trigger a memory about the place or the moment in which I found them. When looking at my work, the source of inspiration isn’t obvious, but it can lead to some really fascinating conversations about what people collect and stories about their treasured finds.

What have been your greatest mudlarking finds?
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My favourite finds are not precious or valuable. I have a box of textured pieces of glass and pottery that look like nothing much, but they are intriguing and individual and have their own story to tell. I’m always happy to find Victorian clay pipes, with their eroded and broken edges and organic patina that has developed from being submerged in an urban environment. My favourite piece of pipe is tiny and worn, but it is possible to make out that it was designed in the form of a tree trunk. That single piece inspired many of my brooch designs over the past 10 years.

Recently, I have been collecting discarded industrial materials, such as rusty metal washers and eroded steel shipping cables. The subtle colours, textures and simple forms are compatible with my aesthetic and make me think about ways of paring back my designs, hammering or forging a single piece of metal to create a finished piece.
adelebrereton.com; @adele.brereton

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