Jewellery Photographed by Kiran Unes

I collaborated with photographer Kiran Unes to photograph my jewellery collection for the look book. I was aware that the images I was taking (people wearing the piece whilst doing an activity like making tea etc) may show a restricted view of the jewellery and I felt a clear one of each item was needed.

 

The look book featured a colour image taken by myself partnered with one of these black and white photographs and I believe they worked well together on the double page.

Hopefully the look book will be made viewable online soon...

 

 

 

Black and White Photography: Kiran Unes

Jewellery Design: Shona Coyne

Jewellery Project- The Extraordinary Ordinary

 I have been making a collection of jewellery (necklaces, bracelets, head dresses) using ordinary, typical, or even unused and forgotten materials. For example:

China plates,

Baking tins

Sweets

Plastic

Cardboard

Nails and screws

 (and even) tree branches - anything I could find!

 

 

An aim of my independent project was to produce a look book to showcase the jewellery collection. As I was using objects which juxtaposed mundane tasks and unusual objects to wear

I supported the images of the jewellery with a photographic story, with real people and settings, to demonstrate that who ever we are or whatever we do we are all still important.

It is a positive outlook on life. 

 

 

 

The ordinary tasks included frying dinner, sewing, de-icing the car of a morning, watching t.v, waiting for the bus...

The unusual, eye-catching, jewellery is to signify that we all have talents which may remain unknown etc yet they are quite extraordinary for someone to discover them.

 

Thank you to my family and friends for taking part in this project.

Photographs and jewellery by Shona Coyne

Beach Photo Shoot

A fashion photoshoot exploring the desolation of life and time proving to be a constant issue affecting humanity. I plan to photograph one styled outfit on a beach during a dull, grey, isolated day.

The theme of the shoot derived from reading about the sea as a metaphor for time because as humans we attempt to control everything. This is true except for the sea which is too big and powerful for us to move which is a similar outlook to time. As much as humanity may wish to go back and re-make a minute, a day or even a few years and change how it turned out we do not have the ability. Just like the sea waves time moves and takes us with it- forces us to another place. However it can easily go wrong and just like the seas ability to drown people- time can take you with it and you begin to sink. Life doesn't pause to give you five minutes to think- it will take you with it if your prepared or not.

 

My photo shoot looks at a broken-down human and questions what hopes do any of us really have. The isolated beach re-enforces the loneliness in peoples lives because at the end of the day- we all live separately. Within our separate minds and thoughts these are one of the only things that can remain secret forever and take you to a planet all of your own.
Life is extremely lonely.

 

I plan to create a video to aid the photographs and a photographer will assist me with this. The story of the video will be a 2 minute duration of my model, in the one outfit, sitting in the rain. The video will capture the rain falling on the model and the duration will show the strong impact of the brutal weather which will represent the brutality that everyday life can have upon people. The long hair will be blowing wildly over the models face as well as rain falling on her checks (representing tears) as and will also soaks in to her hair. I hope that the model, as best as she can, does not move the hair from her face; let it move as naturally as possible. The fact she lets the rain soak her without any realisation implies  her thoughts are somewhere else and that she has stated to give up; no longer cares what is happening to her. This is to portray the idea that when you have trouble in life - most of the time there is no one to save you but yourself - it will just be her left with the troubles in her mind. During the duration of the video the model will be sitting in the rain looking out to the sea (which will be behind the placement of the camera). A distant, lost, unsure look will be etched over her face. The end of the video will be the camera moving from the model at 180 degrees to a 10 second shot of the seas crashing waves.

 

For the entirety of the video the sound track will be the natural state of the sea waves and hurling wind as it rains. There will be no sounds from the model or the team. It will be an eerie silence on natures natural battle.  I was inspired to have by the sound of the sea waves in the video for 'To be Alone' by Ben Howard. The hurling wind enforced the cold icy water, isolation, being haunted by pure emotions, developed the sense of loneliness. it made me wonder what was it all leading up t in the video which is what I hope to make people to think in my fashion video on the beach.

New Year, New Projects

I have began the year setting out to make a photo diary.

I take hundreds of photos every now and then on various projects or at random moments. Yet I do believe I may not take a photo everyday.

So I have planned to document 2014 with 364 photographs.

It is only 7 days in and I can already see how tricky this may actually be.

Few issues- battery issues on my digital camera, as well as actually forgetting to take a photograph during the day and end up taking a silly photo in the dark of the kitchen.

But I have enjoyed the collection of 7 images I have so far. 

They have already been quite varied so I am happy I have started this interesting project.

Rules of Adornment

On the evening of Friday 29th, me and mum went to the event 'Rules of Adornment' at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Related to the Pearls exhibition, which explores the history of the natural pearl and their symbolism, currently on at the museum this event was to make us all question why we choose to wear what we do. Even though I make a lot of jewellery I have previously never thought of the role that my bracelets and necklaces have on a person accept for aesthetic value. So this enjoyable evening was quite thought provoking!

• Why do we adorn ourselves with jewellery, accessories, technology and tattoos?
• What is the role for adornment in popular culture?
• Is it about status or personal expression?
• What meanings are communicated and concealed through the language of body adornment across different cultural backgrounds.

Adornment= something that beautifies,  adorns or decorates; an ornament.

                               

Highlights:

• Skin Deep, Brothers of the Stripe
• Marks of Social Identity, Sharon Hung
• The Alternative Limb Project, Sophie de Oliveria Barata
• Pearls, Myths, Symbolism and fashions, Dr. Najia
• Beirut, I love you - In Conversation with Zena el Khalil

Whimsical Light Vibrant in the Sky

   Autumn image lit up by the winter glow. A lonely bench desperate for some one to sit and read a book! ;)

On our drive home we were met by a beautiful orange winter sunset. 

It was one of those moments/ memories you really want to capture so I took some (blurry) photos.

 There is such power in the strength of the setting sun. 

Such vivid colour, that it makes you forget all your worries of the present.

Rise up again tomorrow. 

Exhibition Visits By Shona Coyne

On a recent trip to London I stumbled across three very interesting galleries just by I making the decision to get off one tube stop earlier and walk the rest of the way.
Moral of the day=  take time to actually look and you will be surprised.

• Corinne Day: May The Circle Remain Unbroken
• Damien Hirst, Candy
• Johan Van Mullen, Origin

The collection of Corinne Day's earliest photographs, taken between 1987-96, are 'filled with humour and life where one can almost hear the laughter out of shot' is relevant to the work that I have been looking at involving friendship (the youth culture project).
Therefore I particularly enjoyed the set of short videos on show at the exhibition- with a punky sound track it showed the life of these young people relaxed, free, happy but with the same anxieties about life as everyone else. Overall the idea portrayed is that we all go through the same circle of life; even though we have individual journeys.

Corinne's grandmother on her 90th Birthday. Corinne's partner Mark Szaszy described this image so beautifully 'the thing about old age is the complete and total loss of all inhibitions.' - What an interesting outlook!!!

 I love the subdued light and thoughtful expression of this image.

So many sweets had people wondering- are we supposed to take one? But has this idea of the audience participating in the artwork become over used now...

Johan Van Mullem's very beautiful and fascinating exhibition entitled 'Origin' contained a collection of unclear, muddy images which at a distance formulated images of the human face. I loved how the painting technique was scratched and 'messy' as it enhanced the foggy, ghost-like quality in the  development of these images of the human face. 

This was my favourite painting from the collection as the colour palette of brown, blue, yellow and green gave a natural and earthly reflection on this painting of a developed face. For me it was a very fresh painting and the perfect representation of this exhibition 'Origin'.