Once
More, With Love was a not-for-profit travelling jewellery exhibition exploring
concepts of sustainability, recycling and ethical production. The
project involved over 30kg of unwanted jewellery items donated by the
Australian public which have been reworked ‘with love’ by a
diverse selection of twenty one contemporary jewellers. The works
created for Once
More, With Love
propose a potential new life cycle for materials, while creating
space for reflecting on their origins. The project is an opportunity
for people to experience what creative minds can do with recycled
materials in an everyday studio context. Each exhibition was also be accompanied by complimentary events, such as community workshops and conversation forums, which aimed to galvanise movement toward sustainability.
The
Once
More, With Love
project was started in 2010 by Suse Scholem. Suse was inspired by the activities
of the
American group
Ethical Metalsmiths, who have significantly increased
ethical/sustainability awareness in the American jewellery industry. Once More, With Love grew as the number
of jewellers involved increased, and Simon Cottrell,
took
on the role of co-curator.
The participating jewellers, all with a previous interest in ethical making and recycled materials, have each been given a 'mystery' bag of recycled goods and a challenge. The challenge was to use mostly these various bits, ranging from precious metals and stones to wood, plastic and costume, to create new contemporary jewellery pieces. Once More, With Love will showcase the unique pieces each jeweller has created, with
three host cities on the touring schedule. Once
More, With Love began its travels in Sydney, opening on 31 July 2012 at Studio
20/17,
then to Canberra at Gallery
Bilk
in October, and concluding at Northcity4 in Melbourne early 2013.
In
addition to the touring exhibition, the Once
More, With Love project involved events in each host city incorporating community workshops
and discussions; as well as resources development and awareness raising around ethical jewellery. Works created through the
project were available for viewing and sale through each host gallery, as well as online.
Many people
are unaware of the darker side of jewellery production – the
ethical issues, including the exploitation of workers, damage to the
environment, resource depletion, as well as health issues for
jewellers themselves.
The Once More, With Love project was conceived with the aim of bringing together a breadth of community to enter a dialogue around
sustainable and ethical practice.
Postscript: Since the Once More, With Love Forum in Melbourne, a new group has formed to carry on the momentum of the project. The Ethical Makers Movement is an evolving Australian network to mobilise craft-based ethical practice. You can join the EMM Google+ Community here, or 'like' the EMM page on facebook to keep updated of ongoing Ethical Makers Movement activities. If you'd like to get involved, please email Ethical Makers Movement here.
Once More, With Love : a travelling project using recycled jewellery to explore ethical and sustainable production