Positions of Jewellery

Positions of Jewellery

In her paper, Jewellery as a Fine Art Practice, Jivan Astfalck writes about the relationship between an object and the human body in broader terms. Astfalck  sets aside three positions that jewellery may acquire in relation to the human body. Independent from the body is the first position that an object may take on. This does not speak about the actual position of the object but rather the role that it plays in the relationship with the body. Although objects in the first position may have been made through processes of design, they are worn as a separate entity to the body that serve purposes none other than decoration and aesthetics. The second position is occupied by objects that have been made to have concept or intention and that have been made with the body in mind is “appropriately termed Body Art”. The third position allows the object to become a message or dialogue that uses the body as a frame to showcase the message or metaphor that is being conveyed by the object.  “Such objects can be used as devices for the visible transmission of messages”. Visual signs and metaphors linked to the objects are used as a form of communication.