The jewellery poet
- Zoe is a graduate of Central Saint Martins
- She makes her objects from a variety of materials
- She works in a workshop built by her father
British craftswoman Zoe Arnold is a poet of jewellery. Her stunning wearable sculptures are based on moments in time, quiet observations, and simple comments. Applying traditional and non-traditional materials, crafting everything by hand, and bringing the ideas to life by using different techniques like metalwork, goldsmithing, carving, and waxworking, she tells stories. Zoe works from the "Magic Shed", a studio her father built for her. The artisan describes her jewellery pieces as an amalgam of the “love of fine detail, the poetry of material, and the delicacy of voice”. Zoe's works can be found in many prestigious collections such as the Crafts Council and the V&A museum. The artisan also works on commissions and she provides jewellery mentoring and teaches at Morely College.
Interview
- How did you become a jewellery maker?
- After graduating it took me 3 years before I finally started my practice. I was encouraged by my friend at the time, Barbara Christie (a celebrated British jeweller) to just ‘get on with it!’ so I applied for Goldsmiths fair and was given a stand. It was an amazing and exciting start.
- What was the first object you made?
- This piece was for my foundation show. I made a small set of metal houses, sitting on a high shelf. Each house represented a different part of me, so it was a self-portrait. The houses had little locks and tiny keys. Someone asked to purchase the piece, but I refused. They still sit on a shelf in my family home.
- Where do you find inspiration?
- In the innate desire to collect, arrange in cabinets and draw the eye to detail. We trip the light fantastic, dance with our objects, fill our spaces with a certain order, and take joy from intense focus. I seek to elevate the humble and show the viewer the hidden beauty of the often overlooked.
- Is the jewellery making endangered today?
- My craft is not notably in danger. However, I do believe that traditional hand skills are being lost to the digital age. The careful crafting of material by hand can mean the difference between a product and a piece of art.
Zoe Arnold is a master artisan: she began her career in 2006 and she started teaching in 2013
Where
Zoe Arnold
