jane - thinking about wings and things





I have been thinking for some time about the pods of trees that, though relatively heavy, are evolved to travel as far as possible on currents of air, and about leaves, and wings. All of this was started by wanting to make earrings that are light, but have planes that can move and form different profiles, almost in the way of shadow puppets.

An early result of this line of thought was a ring made just in time for our 56 rings exhibition.

My father has for years been photographing, amongst other things, insects in flight. These pictures are fascinating, revealing the aerobatics they perform and the way their wings flex. They are irresistible as an inspiration.

I also want to use translucent stone beads with colours that bring to mind the leaves of some of the different proteas that grow in the Cape.

I like the way the leaves are arranged, and the way they are attached to the stems.

 Then I was invited to design some jewellery that makes much of little, and it struck me that all the things I had been thinking about had evolved specially to do exactly that. In the case of the seeds and wings, a large  surface area of sufficient strength that weighs as little as possible is needed, whereas plants need a large area to collect light, while not using too much energy to grow.

These strands of thought have become irretrievably tangled as I ponder, but the result is a seemingly endless range of possibities - now I just need to start distilling my ideas and trying them out.