Engineered jewellery
- Alan makes wearable art
- His pieces come alive when worn
- He balances whimsy and function in his concepts
Alan Ardiff creates imaginative and heart-warming jewellery from a combination of gold, silver and precious stones. From his early days playing with Lego, to training as an engineer and then finding his talent in metal, he has always had an interest in construction, shape and colour. Alan often incorporates kinetic elements in his pieces which shift into gear with the movement of the body. He describes this as "exploiting our basic human programming, our hunter instinct which is alert to movement." When a piece goes from still to suddenly moving it catches the eye and draws our attention. Using his personal language of symbols, shapes and characters, Alan creates a world that bridges order and chaos, stillness and movement, jewellery and engineering.
INTERVIEW
When I went to art college, I really wanted to learn something from first principles, to hone a skill. Metals very much answered this for me and offered more control than glass or ceramics, where pieces are offered up to the uncertainty of the kiln!
Jewellery is really the first art form, talismanic and always telling a story. It is about communication. I am also drawn to the scale, being able to put a work of art in your pocket or under your pillow. To live with these pieces is very special.
I am a craftsperson so I value skill but not above ideas. They exist in parallel. The finish and quality are important to me but the narratives are just as important. So maybe I am not traditional in that sense.
I love the moment when you have completed a work and you can see something more than yourself in the piece. Thinking to yourself "did I do that?". Making brings me close to something ineffable and I feel I am channelling a part of the universe, making it tangible.
