Once More, With Love developed from the Radical Jewellery Makeovers, initiated by the Ethical Metalsmiths of America. These Radical Jewellery Makeovers were conceived as awareness raising and skill sharing workshops, teaching jewellery students about ethical production whilst recycling publicly donated materials and sustainable methods to create stunning works of jewellery. Our local project Once More, With Love seeks to instil these same awareness raising values, and simultaneously create avenues for local discussion around jewellery ethics, whilst allowing communities to witness Australian jewellers working with reclaimed materials. It was the instigation of a Melbourne based Radical Jewellery Makeover that led to the genesis of Once More, With Love. After the conclusion of this local RJM, held on a hot summer weekend at Loophole Community Centre in Thornbury , one issue remained: what to do now? This was solved by the decision to send the remaining donated materials as 'mystery bags' to contemporary jewellers around Australia, and challenge them to recreate these pieces, with love. After several more jewellers were enticed by this new dimension to the project, the ranks of artists doubled in numbers. Functioning similar to the RJM's, Once More, With Love uses donated public materials to recreate contemporary jewellery (which will be exhibited and available for sale) as a mode of raising awareness of ethical issues in jewellery production. The main distinction is that the Once More, With Love project challenges working contemporary jewellers with a pre set of materials, forcing re-evaluation of everyday studio practices in an exploration of 'sustainable production'.
The Ethical Metalsmiths of America are a not-for-profit group seeking to raise aawareness about the ethical impacts of modern jewellery production.
Ethical Metalsmiths is investigating the potential of what might be called the existing collectivity of informed jewelers to become good craftsmen of the environment. Our purpose is to channel information about mining issues and encourage jewelers to become informed advocates for social and environmental responsibility.
The founders of the Ethical Metalsmiths, Susan Kingsley and Christina Miller, began working together because of their dismay on learning how precious metals were sourced. Each had researched the social and environmental harm caused by gold mining and they shared a deep concern about the field of jewelry and metalsmithing.
Ethical Metalsmiths is renowned for creative projects that connect jewelry and metalsmithing with a range of important topics. They are continually pushing the idea of "material sourcing" to be less abstract, and more real.
Radical Jewelry Makeover is an ongoing community "mining" and recycling project in which volunteer jewelers transform donated jewelry into exciting new designs that are exhibited and sold to benefit Ethical Metalsmiths' mission.
Radical Jewellery Makeovers
Radical Jewellery Makeover (RJM) is an international community jewellery mining and recycling project. It brings together jewellers, working together to examine mining issues while making innovative jewellery from recycled sources.
Radical Jewellery Makeovers began as a mode of introducing ethical production and upcycling to jewellery students, as well as functioning as a awareness raising tool. The project is both performance and event, linking recycling, reuse and collaborative work sessions with the creation of unique, innovative, handmade jewelry, concluding with an exhibition and reception. It raises awareness of the connection between mining, metalsmithing, activism, collaboration and art. The RJM project was designed and developed by Christina Miller and Susie Ganch.