Playing Tapes. Side B

What is it about our favourite songs?

They take us places.

They re awaken memories.

Making them into Jewellery might be a way to re connect with them as valuable reminders of how the transportation of sound and stories began, and atleast making reference to a piece of hardware of global proportions inwhich every human can relate.

First it was the grammaphone, then the LP record, which evolved into the tape which was replaced by the compact disc, which then evolved into the minidisc, and now the ipod which holds the mp3 unfathomably is the viral carrier of tunes globally.

In some of my past experiments ive looked at ways of using tapes to preserve their identites,altering the physical state to some extent. I hoped that the tape still remains identifiable, but altered to an extent to create my own aesthetic.

In one of my mixtape experiments i incorporated scale model people, which i felt could comparatively when placed together ask questions about about life cycles.

I liked the idea of my buckles being viewed, as sculptures separated from its functioning purpose which  would be percieved as a functional piece of art outside of its secondary purpose of being a buckle.

Their seems to be an inner battle that goes on in my mind arguing over art vs product.

I find that i choose materials which mash up contexts which i quite enjoy, but find i spend an excessive amount of time trying to alter the narrative.

In saying this, i dont want to churn out 1000 mindless belt buckles....But i think id like to attempt making more, quicker and faster, with a larger span of colour variations.

The aim is to produce a variation that is separated from an artistic context, that can reach a larger audience at one time.

That said i may consider making limited edition ranges....and see where it goes.

I found this website, which is really quite inspiring by an artist who uses the magnetic tape from cassettes to depict musical icons.

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/celebrity-art-made-with-cassette-tapes/

Once again their are examples of work ,Like the work of Haroshi (skateboard deck wood sculptor)  which speaks back into the context of the culture from which the materials origionate..

The images produced speak into a musical context depicting drawing like portraits of famous musicians.

Really inspiring stuff!