Maria Hammond
BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft
Fragements With A Future
I am Maria Hammond, a mixed media contemporary jeweller, passionate about using materials as a tool for capturing memories, the passage of time, and the stories that are woven into our identity and our relationships with people and places. I have been influenced by Hermann Junger’s use of found materials, Taylor Fentz’s industrial jewellery, Suzanne Elstner’s charcoal pieces and Trinidad Contreras’ sculptural works.
This collection is inspired by an abandoned, derelict industrial building and its decayed materials, which I believe have a unique beauty and character that reflect local history and experiences of life. As it is reclaimed by nature, I am reminded of the cycle of life and death, and am filled with a sense of hope and possibility. To understand my attraction to the transformative process of time and the representation of memory in buildings and objects, my practise includes burning, patinating, oxidising, and carving. Through these techniques, I aim to create pieces that catch a snapshot of disappearing industrial sites and the beauty in the textures and patterns of their decaying materiality.
At the heart of my work is sustainability and a belief in the power of jewellery to make a positive impact on our relationship with the environment. By using materials that go unnoticed, or go to waste, I seek to create pieces that are both beautiful and responsible, which capture a sense of history and emotion in pieces that reflect the passage of time and the stories that are embedded within the materials themselves. My work carries a sense of narrative and emotional resonance, connecting wearers with their own personal histories and the wider stories of their environment, through the materials that surround them.
My current work will be on display at my graduate show on the 10th -21st June, at Manchester School of Art.
