THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Research School of Humanities and the Arts

SCHOOL OF ART

VISUAL ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

ANDREW IAN WELCH

EXEGESISPRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 2010

C O N T E M PO R A R Y P R O C E S S E S AND H ISTO R IC A L P R E C E D E N T S FO R H A N D M A D E C R A FT S PR A C TIC E IN THE CONTEXT O F TEC H N O LO G IC A L CH A N G E.

ABSTRACT

This research explores the notions and values attached to the idea of the handmade object. Taking the form of an exhibition of jewellery exhibited at the ANU School of Art Gallery from June 24 to 30, 2010, the study comprises the outcome of the Studio Practice component, together with an Exegesis outlining the results of exploration into the creative potential of combining digital technologies with hand-making, and the Dissertation, which comprises 33% of the Thesis, examining the influence of particular values associated with the handmade object and how this influence has led to a continuous reevaluation of what it means to make something by hand.

Declaration of Originality

I hereby declare that the thesis here presented is the outcome of the research project undertaken during my candidacy, that I am the sole author unless otherwise indicated, and that I have fully documented the source of ideas, references,^potations and paraphrases attributable to other authors.

Andrew Ian Welcnjune 2010

X ^ uiTf,^ XL LIBRARY v)

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

My studio research has proceeded only with the invaluable

support of the staff and students in the Gold and Silver Workshop at the A N U School of Art. In particular I would like to thank Johannes Kuhnen, Cinnamon Lee, Roger Hutchinson

and Gilbert Riedelbauch. Danyka van Buuren deserves a special

mention for her assistance with the layout of my exegesis.

CONTENTSi

1.1 OBJECTIVE

1.2 CONTEXT

1.3 THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.3.1 PHASE ONE

1.3.2 PHASE TWO

1

1

1

2

4

6

2 CREATIVE POTENTIAL 7

2.1 DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 7

2.1.1 MULTIPLES 9

2.2 COMPLEXITY 11

2.2.1 GEOMETRY 11

2.2.2 MODULARITY 12

2.3 ARTISTS 12

2.3.1 DAVID WATKINS 12

2.3.2 FRIEDRICH BECKER 15

2.3.3 SUSAN COHN 16

3 INITIAL EXPLORATION 18

3.1 FOLDED STAINLESS STEEL 19

3.2 EDM PANCAKE DIE 19

V

3.3 TITANIUM CUBE SHAPES 22

3.4 PONOKO 23

3.5 ALUMINIUM ARMBANDS 24

3.6 CNC ROUTER ARMBAND 25

3.7 MULTIPLE UNIT FINGER RINGS 25

3.8 INTERLOCKING FINGER RINGS 26

4 PROJECT FIELD TRIP 27

4.1 FIELD TRIP TO GERMANY 27

5 EXHIBITION WORKS 29

5.1 LASER CUT ARMBANDS 29

5.2 TUBE-RING SERIES 3D

5.3 ALUMINIUM PENDANTS 32

6 PRODUCTION METHODOLOGY 34

6.1 MODULAR COMPONENT DESIGN 34

6.2 ANODISING 36

6.3 BATCH PRODUCTION SYSTEM 37

6.4 ANODISING JIGS 38

6.5 TOOLS. JIGS AND TEMPLATES 41

7 CONCLUSION 42

7.1 TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE 42

7.2 HYBRID PRACTICE 42

7.3 FURTHER RESEARCH 44

8 APPENDICES 44

8.1 FIELD TRIP ITINERARY 46

8.2 ORIGINAL PROPOSAL 56

8.3 CURRICULUM VITAE 63

9 BIBLIOGRAPHY 67

LIST OF PLATESFigure i

Figure 2

Figure^

Figure 4

Figure^

Figure 6

Figure j

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure is

Figure 14

Figure 75

Figure 16

Figure i j

R8 Armband, Adobe Illustrator drawing.

Leaf Pattern Repeat, bonzai3d drawing.

David Watkins, Gyro Armband, Aluminium, 1975.1

Friedrich Becker, Bracelet (kinetic), stainless steel,

synthetic blue spinel rod, 1982.2

Susan Cohn, Bracelets, aluminium, 1984.3

Stainless steel folded forms.

ED M pancake die.

Titanium color samples.

Titanium cube ring.

Titanium and silver cube ring.

Ponoko Armband, laser cut plywood.

Ponoko Armband, laser cut plywood laser engraving

detail.

Armband, handmade prototype, anodised

aluminium.

Armband, CNC routed, aluminium &c polyethylene

composite.

Infinity ring, rapid prototyped & lost-wax cast.

Interlocking ring, rapid prototyped &Tost-wax cast.

Herbert and students at METAV.

1 Wendy Ramshaw, Wendy Ramshaw, David Watkins: Schmuck = Jewellery (Pforzheim: Schmuckmuseum, 1987). p 41.

2 Fritz Falk, Schmuck Der Moderne 1960-1998 = Modern Jewellery 1960-1998 (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1999). p 72.

3 Susan Cohn, Cohn (Melbourne: S. Cohn, 1989). p 14.

via

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 23

Figure 26

Figure 2 j

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

Figure 33

Museum Brandhorst under construction.

Drop forge dies.

R7 Armband, laser cut aluminium, anodised.

Metal masters, rapid prototyped &c lost-wax cast.

RTV silicon moulds.

Tube ring, lost-wax cast, waxes from RTV moulds.

Drilling holes using the indexing head on the mill.

Aluminium pendant, aluminium anodised 8c silver

rapid prototyped 8c lost-wax cast.

Axle/bearing/lug, stainless steel and aluminium.

Handmade prototype detail.

Color tests, aluminium anodised.

Master swatches, aluminium anodised.

Custom jig, titanium, laser welded.

Jig with holes, titanium, laser welded.

Universal jig, titanium, laser welded.

Octopus and Baby Octopus jigs, titanium, laser

welded.

Figure 34 Drill jigs, steel.

1 I NTRODUCTI ON

1.1 O B J E C T I V EThe studio practice component of my PhD research examines

the creative potential of combining digital technologies with

hand-making techniques typical of studio scale manufacture

with a focus on production of multiples. This report outlines the

results of my technical and design exploration including details

of the studio work and working methods. Artists who have

influenced my approach to serial production are examined in

short case studies of three jewellers, David Watkins, Friedrich

Becker and Susan Cohn.

1 . 2 C O N T E X TIn this research I describe the technology used in the studio as

traditional, transitional and new.

Traditional serial production processes (blanking, pressing,

lathe and mill) are typically expensive, or in other words often

beyond the means of the studio jeweller.

W hat I call transitional serial production processes, hydraulic

die-forming and pancake dies (also called RT Blanking), are

adaptations of old technologies, perhaps initiated by discoveries

of new materials or access to new processes, that in the jeweller’s

studio are typically clever approaches to tooling cost.

New technologies for the studio jeweller include such

processes as rapid prototyping, rapid tooling and computer

numeric control (CNC) technologies like profile cutting, wire

cutting, laser and water-jet cutting. This research project focuses

on new technologies.

Conventional wisdom for production in industry is to use new

technologies to shortcut the traditional approach to production.

However, a creative approach to new technology might be to

i

utilise it to create forms previously impossible to make with

hand making or to make the production of multiples of complex

forms viable.

The technological age is presenting the crafts with its biggest

challenge since the industrial revolution created the idea of the

handmade object as an artefact in its own right. New processes,

in particular digital technologies, present opportunities for

the studio jeweller to explore the creative potential that these

technologies offer. The challenge for the studio jeweller is to

consider how the traditional notions and assumptions about

handmaking might inform making with digital technologies.

The dissertation accompanying this exegesis examines the

context in more depth, focussing on the ways that meanings and

values attributed to the handmade object by the Arts and Crafts

Movement have been adapted and reworked by craftspeople to

suit the times.

1 . 3 THE R E S E A R C H Q U E S T I O N SThe studio research was undertaken in two phases. The initial

phase investigated a variety of processes and materials that might

have potential for creative outcomes. The research question

for this phase was: rather than using technology to shortcut

the traditional approach to making objects, can we utilize the

potential for new methods of producing objects as a tool for

creative exploration? O r put simply, what new technologies are

available for the studio craftsperson to use in a creative way?

This question is based on two assumptions. Firstly that there

is such a thing as new technologies and that they are available

to the studio craftsperson. Secondly because it is the nature of

technological advances that they are usually used to replicate old

tasks faster and more accurately, this should be challenged by the

studio craftsperson.

The second phase of the research project was to identify

the most viable technologies in terms of potential for use in

combination with hand-making in the studio and apply them to

the batch production of objects in a way that takes advantage of

this creative potential. This phase might be best summed up by

the research question, what can the technology do for me?

In both phases of the research it was recognised that digital

technologies need digital instructions to drive them. I realised

early on that if I were to engage with these technologies directly

I would need skills in drawing using two dimensional (2D)

computer software, and three dimensional (3D) computer

software. I was already familiar with 2D drawing software using

Adobe Illustrator software and I was able to sit in on Gilbert

Riedelbauch’s undergraduate classes in the 3D software form'Z.

After gaining some proficiency with form'Z, I discovered that

the creators of form 'Z were releasing a software called bonza^d

which became my choice of software for 3D.

Figure 1 - R8 Armband, Adobe

Illustrator drawing.

Figure 2 - Leaf Pattern Repeat, bonzai1J

drawing.

The computer software has enabled me to do a number of

things. Adobe Illustrator produces 2D computer drawings that

can be exported in file formats suitable for processes that cut

shapes from sheet material. Figure 1 is the Adobe Illustrator

drawing sent to the laser-cutter to have parts cut.

The software form 'Z and bonza^d draws in 3D, producing

drawings that can be exported in formats suitable for processes

that build or sculpt objects in 3D. Figure 2 shows an example

of a bonza^d drawing as it appears rendered on the computer

screen.

Both kinds of drawing are powerful tools for developing

and communicating ideas in conjunction with sketching and

sculpting ideas by hand.

3

1 . 3 . 1 P H A S E ONEW hat new technologies are available for the studio

craftsperson to use in a creative way?

Some of these processes required that I find a supplier in

industry able and willing to take on small jobs. I was also

fortunate to have access to laser-welding, wax printer and high

temperature lost-wax casting equipment in the ANU Gold and

Silver Workshop. In the initial phase the following processes

were investigated:

Online laser-cutting service using Ponoko, a New

Zealand-based company providing an all-in-one

solution to having a design cut from a variety of materials.

Online 3D rapid prototyping using Shapeways, a

service based in the Netherlands (3D printing).

Laser-cutting of aluminium using the services of

Lasermade Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW.

CNC (computer numeric control) routing using the

services of Plastic Creations, Fyshwick, ACT and

M lakar Signs, Mitchell, ACT.

3D printing using the Solidscape t66 wax printer in

the ANU Gold and Silver Workshop.

Water-jet cutting using the services of Serafin 8c Co

Glass and Auqua Jet Extreme cutting is based in

Queanbeyan, NSW.

Laser-welding for joining titanium and stainless steel

using a laser-welder in the ANU Gold and Silver

Workshop.

High temperature lost-wax casting for stainless steel in

the ANU Gold and Silver Workshop.

4

W ire Electrical Discharge Machining (W EDM )

using the services of toolmaker Jeff Wells Sydney,

NSW.

The outcome of these initial explorations is recorded later

in the section, Initial exploration, and set the focus for the next

phase of the research.

5

1 . 3 . 2 P H A S E TWOW hat can the technology do for me?

It soon became clear that the best creative value could be

achieved by focussing on laser-cutting using the services of an

industry partner and examining the potential of the wax printer

in the studio.

6

2 C R E A T I V E P O T E N T I A L

2.1 DI G I T A L T E C H N O L O G Y

The problem for the small studio maker was that until

recently industry was tied to the production run, making it

difficult to access industry based technology for the production

of one-off works or small batch production runs.

However advances in digital technology have enabled ways for

industry to cater for the one-off and small production run. One

way this has happened is through electronic communication and

the establishment of common file formats that make it possible

for the small producer and industry to discover each other and

communicate using a common computer language regardless of

physical location.

The cost of technology has also reduced and some processes

have been scaled down to the size and cost appropriate for

the small producer. Laser-welding and rapid prototyping, for

example are becoming more common in the goldsmith’s studio.

Creative opportunities that digital technology might offer

serial production were identified and included;

Faster production.

Changeability, or in other words being able to adapt

or customise parts in order to create a series of objects

that are similar yet each different.

The potential to make works in the studio that would

simply not be able to be made entirely by hand.

The challenge for the small studio maker is to work out at

which point in the making process it would be useful to utilise

industrial processes to augment the studio production process.

All making — textiles, ceramics, metal — has at least three

main making steps that provide moments for design decisions to

be made. Add to this the possibilities for different treatments for

the finished object and a sequence of stages can be examined for

points where technology can introduce creative potential. These

steps are summarised as;

Separation — cutting, punching, etching.

Deformation — pressing, folding, hammering.

Putting back together — welding, soldering, gluing,

riveting, screwing.

Surface treatments — etching, painting, anodising.

The second phase of this research project had identified

two processes to focus on in the studio. These two were,

laser-cutting using the services of industry to cut shapes from

aluminium, and rapid-prototyping using the wax printer. The

first of these, laser-cutting was used to cut out multiple parts

which could be assembled.

One way of looking at this approach was that I was simply

substituting one method of cutting-out, the piercing saw, with

another, the laser beam. However, the potential to manufacture

multiples of the same unit much faster than by hand sawing, and

to cut out complex shapes with the accuracy required (for parts

to be interchangeable) offers a creative potential.

Consideration of surface treatments that could be used to

introduce variety suggested the potential for aluminium as a

suitable material because of its ability to be coloured.

The challenge of joining the parts without welding was an

opportunity to explore the aesthetic of stacking by arranging

common elements and exploring design treatment of the

connecting points. The creative potential of working this way

was identified as,

Layering and the development of shapes that can be

used as multiple units and the possibility of forms

developed from interchangeable parts.

Surface embellishment to customise parts, not limited

to texturing or polishing, drilling, milling, stamping,

etching, and colour.

Works created to explore this potential include the laser-cut

armband series and the pendant series. The armband series used

the laser-cutting process to manufacture units that can be altered

to provide a variety of solutions based on the one archetype. In

this case, the focus became the use of colour to create multiple

originals from common components.

The other process identified for exploration in the studio,

rapid prototyping using a wax printer to produce models for the

lost-wax casting process offered similar creative potential, that is,

Computer drawn objects lend themselves to repetition

with the potential to explore pattern and forms created

from multiple units such as tessellations and pattern

repeats found in textile design.

Complex forms can be printed in wax that would be

difficult or impossible to make by hand.

Having access to a wax printer in the studio might

mean faster turn around between virtual concept and

actual object.

2.1.1 MULTIPLES

Creating objects in multiples can be an opportunity to explore

variations on a theme. In this case the multiples are also a

vehicle to explore process of using new technologies informed

by my hand-making experience, and to examine the ways in

which hand-making might be extended by new technologies.

Ultimately the result of this project could be a system of using

the technology for other makers.

2 . 2 C O M P L E X I T Y

3D drawing software is a powerful way to generate ideas

and unexpected outcomes often emerge during the drawing.

It can be a method to push ideas further without the cost of

materials or waste. Working in 3D can enable parts that move

or interlock to be tested. 2D and 3D software has the potential

for exploration of complexity, using the softwares capability to

create geometrically accurate forms and to distort these forms.

These virtual objects can be scaled, rotated, resized, skewed,

arrayed and repeated.

This way of working with objects is not unfamiliar to

the goldsmith. For example 3D computer operations called

Booleans, which are complex computer algorithms that build

up or remove (virtual) material from the object drawn in 3D,

are analogous with fabrication, cutting, drilling and filing

techniques used in the jewellery studio.

2 . 2 . 1 G E O M E T R YVector line drawing software (Adobe Illustrator for example)

allows the designer to generate shapes based on geometric forms

with accuracy beyond traditional drawing methods and to

accurately repeat, array and scale, skew and distort the drawing.

The creative outcomes from working with these operations

include the ability to draw units that can interlock and there is

the potential that unexpected forms might be generated.

Vector line art drawn in Adobe Illustrator can be exported

from the software in different formats, for example dxf

(Drawing Interchange Format, or Drawing Exchange Format)

in order to interface with software commonly used in industry

such as AutoCAD, used to drive such processes as CNC routers

and EDM wire-cutting.

a

Using the computer file to cut out shapes drawn with vector

line drawing software means that parts can be reproduced

accurately and common elements between parts i.e. holes that

need to be accurately aligned. For example, the individual plates

for each of the handmade armband prototypes were made in

pairs with each part individually numbered in order that the

holes lined up as each set of parts generally only fitted together

in one way. In contrast the same parts laser-cut are effectively

identical, meaning that all the parts are interchangeable.

2 . 2 . 2 M O D U L A R I T Y

Working with multiples of the same form and systems

of modular design introduces its own complexity based on

the number of parts and the variations of these parts. This

has implications for processing these parts in batches that is

examined later in this paper.

2 . 3 A R T I S T SThree artists who have addressed the issues of technology

and serial production are examined below. These artists have

influenced me because of their approach to making. They

are studio-based artists who have an interest in technology

and while they forge connections with industry their practice

remains firmly grounded in studio production. At the same

time jewellery and objects for the body remain the focus of their

practice.

2 . 3 . 1 DAVID W A T K I N SWatkins might be best known for his sculptural approach

to body adornment. He did after all begin his jewellery-

making career by adapting scaled down forms and motifs of

his sculpture from the 1960s.1 From the beginning Watkins

1 Anna Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, David Watkins: Artist in Jewellery(Stuttgart: Woodbridge :: Arnoldsche ; Antique Collectors’ Club, 2000). p 26.

12

established an approach to design typified by reduced ornament

and simplification of technical elements, for example deliberate

omission of fastening in his constructions, or concealed

mechanisms that give the impression that this is so, and interest

in contemporary materials such as the frosted acrylic elements

that are typical of his early work.2 3 The traditional methods

and materials of the goldsmith underpinned this modernist

approach. Linear elements with cylindrical links and systems

of lathe shapes along with an ambitious approach to scale in

relation to the body typify Watkins work at this time.

In his early search for a new aesthetic language and purist

expressions in jewellery, Watkins devised new forms, explored

synthetic materials and developed imaginative techniques.

He broke with the convention that jewellery should be simply

wearable ornament, as in his opinion it should complement the

wearer’s body.2

The Gyro Armband made in 1975 was Watkins first multiple.

The aluminium armband that Chadour-Sampson describes

as ‘playful and elegant sculpture for the wrist’ was based on

earlier versions in acrylic, gold and aluminium.4 Up to this point

Watkins’ work had been about creating unique pieces, however

it is not surprising that he might develop multiples. His unique

pieces themselves are examples of constructing elementary forms

from serial repetition applied in mathematical order.

It is also not surprising that in his search for a personal

aesthetic language, and with his interest in engineering

techniques, Watkins might be attracted to the possibilities of

computer aided design for jewellery. Chadour-Sampson points

out that it is clear Watkins found learning new skills challenging

and enjoyable and that technical process took priority in his

Mki

Figure 3 - D avid Watkins, Gyro

Armband, Aluminium, 1975.

Wendy Ramshaw, Wendy Ramshaw,

David Watkins : Schmuck = Jewellery

(Pforzheim: Schmuckmuseum, 1987).

p 41.

2 Ibid, p 28.3 Ibid, p 29.4 Ibid, p 44.

*3

research at this time . 5 W hat is not self evident says Chadour-

Sampson, is the amount of time and effort Watkins invests in

the search for the perfect resolution of his concept. 6

In the late 1980s, Watkins, in a natural transition from

his earlier use of lathe and milling machine, returned to

the potential of computers to explore computer controlled

production using CNC milling and laser-cutting. Chadour-

Sampson says the technology and precision inspired new ideas

and new forms while at the same time Watkins remained

committed to his formal concept of simplicity and geometry.7

Watkins could see that the value of computers was not just

in its ability to drive the CNC mill or laser cutter. For Watkins

computer power could be harnessed at the design stage to

generate different versions of a concept. Overall what was

important for Watkins was to understand how these modern

technologies might interact with traditional craft processes,

and in particular, to identify the point at which the hand of the

maker might intervene. 8

The most recent of Watkins’ work, for example the Torus 300

series of 2003 — 2005, sees the introduction of figurative and

narrative elements to the complexity of his 2D forms made 3D.

Like his earlier work the power of the computer is harnessed

to explore the complexity of repeated and arrayed elements but

there is a renewed interest in the potential of two dimensions to

produce flat surfaces of pattern and ornamentation that might

later become complex interactions as layered surfaces. The works

use chemical milling (photo etching) CNC profile cutting and

water-jet cutting .9 Watkins’ work is about design not process, the

process lets him work in this way.

5 Ibid, p 40.6 Ibid, p 42.7 Ibid, p 106.8 Ibid, p 108.9 Ibid, p 144.

2 . 3 . 2 F R I E D R I C H B E C K E R

I look for aesthetics in pure form and construction. Aesthetics, function and economy of form are the most important criteria in my work .10

German goldsmith Friedrich Becker introduced a new

and modern aesthetic to the design of wearable objects with

an approach to design that valued innovation and technical

excellence. Characteristic of Becker’s objects is a highly refined

interplay of geometric forms. Becker developed innovative

settings for gemstones that made the settings effectively

invisible or that integrated gemstone and metal into one unified

design. Becker introduced new combinations of materials to

the jewellery world. Thanks to his treatment of stainless steel

and synthetic stones these materials would become the precious

metals and gems of the twentieth century.

Among the first ideas of Becker’s to challenge conventional

notions about jewellery was the concept of variable jewellery,

with elements that can be rearranged by the wearer. Becker’s

two-way ring was the precursor of this variable jewellery, a ring

with two crossing shanks that enabled the ring to be worn with

the stone along or across the finger. * 11 Equally revolutionary

were Becker’s spring-clip rings that incorporated the ring shank

and setting into one form that could hold specially cut stones,

spheres and other shapes specified by Becker, allowing the

wearer to swap the gemstones and change the colour of the

piece.

The next step conceptually was to do away with direct

intervention on the part of the wearer and link the variability

to the movement of the human body. This is of course the work

that Becker as goldsmith and artist is best known for, his kinetic

10 Beate Christiane Arnold, “Kinetic Jewellery,” in Friedrich Becker: Schmuck, Kinetik, Objekte, ed. Hildegard Becker (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1997). p 60.

11 Ibid, p 60.

Figure 4 - Friedrich Becker, Bracelet

(kinetic), stainless steel, synthetic blue

spinel rod, 1982.

F ritz Falk, Schmuck Der Moderne

1960-1998 = Modernjewellery 1960-

1998 (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1999).p 72.

jewellery. Becker’s aesthetic required that the body of the wearer

drive the movement of his kinetic pieces. 12

To do this Becker drew on his engineering background and

devised horizontal and vertical bearings, counterbalances and

rack and pinion systems to control the actions of the moving

elements. Becker’s response to the worldwide phenomenon of

kinetic art has had an influence on the jewellery canon that has

lasted well past the kinetic art movements use-by-date in the art

world.

2.3.3 SUSAN COHN

W hile ideas are central to Susan Cohn’s work, serial

production is the mode of operation that facilitates her technical

and conceptual exploration. As Cohn says, ‘My ideas have

always explored the borderline between object and mass

production’ 12

Like her compatriot, metalsmith Robert Foster, Cohn uses

redundant technology of the factory, which in the case of her

doughnut armbands is the fly-press, however her production is

not factory production. Cohn’s best-known work is perhaps the

doughnut armbands and Cohn has produced these in series over

the last twenty-five plus years. 14 They have become somewhat

of a rite of passage with Cohn saying she takes care to produce a

new version every year. 15

Two halves of the doughnuts are pressed in the studio using a

lathe-turned press tool in a hand-operated fly-press, and almost

all are made in one of Cohn’s favourite materials, aluminium.

1 2 -------- , “On the Path to Kinetics,” in Friedrich Becker: Schmuck, Kinetik,Objekte, ed. Hildegard Becker (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1997). p 89.

13 Australian Silver: Contemporary Australian Silversmithing Exhibition Organised by R m it University and the Victoria & Albert Museum , (Melbourne :: Dept, of Fine Art RMIT, 2000). p 7.

14 Jackie Cooper, “Jewellery: A Typology Examined,” in Techno C raft:The Work o f Susan Cohn 1980 to 2000, ed. Jackie 8c James Cooper, Bruce (Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 1999).

15 Mark. McAuliffe, Freestyle [Videorecording]: New Australian Design fo r Living. (Video Education Australasia, 2006).

16

While each doughnut pressing is the same, the potential for

serial production is realized by using different ways to join the

halves and by applying different surface treatments.

As Cooper explains, the doughnut armband invokes Moholy-

Nagy’s idea of multiple originals, or, ‘the artefact created by the

techniques of mass production yet hand-finished or otherwise

made unique’. 16 Cohn is careful to make a distinction between

mass production and serial production in her own studio work.

As Cohn puts it, ‘the first is machine manufacture, the other

handwork by a craftsperson’. 17

Figure 5 - Susan Cohn, Bracelets,

alum inium , 1984.

Susan Cohn, Cohn (M elbourne: S. Cohn,

1989).p 14.

16 Cooper, “Jewellery: A Typology Examined.”17 Susan Cohn, “The Crafts: On Their Own Terms,” in The Nature of the

Beast: Writings on Craft, ed. Peter Timms (Fitzroy, Vic: Craft Victoria, 1993). p 24.

77

3 I NI T I AL E X P L O R A T I O NThe first phase of the research focussed on experimenting

with forms and materials that might have potential for limited

production with a view to using technologies such as laser-

cutting and laser-welding. At the same time I was encouraged

to look widely for different processes, both traditional and new

technologies, and to consider a variety of materials.

Many of the initial ideas were discarded, however the

exploration was important in focussing in on a methodology

that could achieve a result that I would find both aesthetically

pleasing and technically viable. My interest in working with

metal and the potential for batch production using some kind

of digitally driven technology informed the direction of the

research early in the beginning of the project. The direction

of the research was also assisted by the acquisition of both a

wax printer and a laser welder by the ANU Gold and Silver

Workshop.

In this phase of the research I examined,

Forms that could be folded from thin stainless steel sheet

with the possibility that these shapes might be laser cut

or micro-etched for batch production and constructed

using a tab and slot method in conjunction with laser-

welding.

EDM wire cutting to make pancake dies as a way of

making accurate tooling to assist hand making.

Cube shapes constructed from thick titanium sheet for

laser-welding.

Laser-cutting using an on-line service, in this case

Ponoko, to create parts that could be assembled using the

tab and slot method.

18

Aluminium armband based on layers cut from sheet with

the potential for production using CNC machining.

Cutting the same armband design in an aluminium/

plastic composite for production using CNC routing.

Rings that are made of multiples of units to create the

form, for manufacture using the wax printer.

Rings that interlock for manufacture using the wax

printer.

3 .1 F O L D E D S T A I N L E S S S T E E L

The exploration of the possibilities for box forms were done

with the aim of cutting the plan shapes using laser-cutting

or using an etching process known as micro-etching. Micro-

etching can precisely etch lines and spaces on all types of metal

including stainless steel.

The potential to create shapes and etch lines to assist the

folding process is ideal for a tab and slot construction method.

As there are no mechanical forces applied to the metal, the final

etched product is burr and stress free.

Part of the challenge of designing with thin stainless steel

is to circumvent using soldering in the construction to avoid

distorting and discolouring the metal. The laser welder is a

useful tool to solve this particular problem.

Several solutions for brooch findings integral to the cut out

sheet were examined. See figure 6.

3 . 2 EDM P A N C A K E DIE

I have been using the blanking die process, also known as

‘Pancake Dies’ since 2002 when Lee Marshall of Bonneydoon

Engineering visited Australia to demonstrate his jewellers

scale Hydraulic press. As outlined in Susan Kingsley’s book

Hydraulic Hie Forming for Jewellers & Metalsmiths, the design

Figure 6 - Stainless steelfoldedforms.

J9

of the pancake die with its integral hinge ensures alignment of

the punch with the die and allows 2D shapes to be blanked out

using a hydraulic press or a fly press.18

Conventionally a pancake die is made by hand. This is done

by sawing the shape to be blanked into a piece of high carbon

steel, in its annealed state, using an angled bench pin, either

freehand or with a specially adapted saw frame. However,

while this way of making pancake dies is perfectly suited to the

scale of the studio jewellers’ workshop, I became interested in

investigating the potential for taking the production of pancake

dies further.

W ith this in mind I designed a die to be made using the

Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) process, sometimes

referred to as spark machining or spark eroding, and in this case

using wire electrical discharge machining (W EDM ), or wire-

cut EDM , where a thin single-strand metal wire is fed through

the work. The die was designed to cut out an oval shape — see

figure 7.

To the best of my knowledge the ED M wire-cutting process

has not been used by other jewellers in Australia to produce

pancake dies, however this process is used by Phoebe Porter to

cut out titanium shapes that are later folded to create earrings

as part of her production range of jewellery, and by Johannes

Kuhnen to produce his titanium spectacle frames.19 20

W ire-cut EDM has several advantages for pancake die

production. Firstly the wire cutting is guided by C A D /CA M

software allowing for accuracy and detail not possible by hand.

Secondly the wire-cut EDM process has no cutting forces, it’s

18 Susan Kingsley, Hydraulic Die FormingforJewellers andMetalsmiths, 1st ed. ed. (Carmel, Calif: 20-Ton Press, 1993).

19 Merryn. Gates, “Studio Hacienda,” in Smart Works : Design and the Handmade, ed. Grace Cochrane (Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing, 2007).

20 Johannes Kuhnen, Johannes Kuhnen : A Survey o f Innovation (Canberra: The Australian National University, 2009). p 114.

2 0

the spark that’s doing the ‘work’, so to speak, and therefore the

material to be cut can be heat treated prior to cutting. This

means that there is little possibility for the material to distort in

the way that happens when the die is heat-treated post cutting.

The downside for the studio jeweller is that it is a relatively

expensive process and it is difficult to find a toolmaker willing

to take on a small-scale project typical of the studio maker. The

maker will also need computer skills or assistance to convert

their idea into a suitable file for wire cutting.

3 . 3 T I T A N I U M C U B E S H A P E SThe laser welder was delivered to the ANU Gold and Silver

Workshop in late August 2008 and with the introduction

of the laser welder to the studio the potential for fabricating

objects from titanium — and other metals not usually able to be

soldered in the jeweller’s workshop — became a possibility.

Experimenting with different metals using the laser welder

proved interesting. Trade jewellers looking for a tool that will let

them re-tip ring settings without removing the stone, fabricate

complicated mounts in gold and repair porosity in castings will

not be disappointed with what the laser welder can do.

The laser works well with stainless steel, titanium, gold and

monel. My test pieces in titanium anodized with little difference

in the colour of the material at the weld and I experimented

with creating cube forms that took advantage of the mitre join as

a method of construction.

However, laser-welding is not so straightforward for studio

jewellers looking for solutions for the problems associated with

traditional sterling silver, for example fire-scale and annealing

(softening) caused by soldering (brazing). Sterling silver reflects

the laser and its characteristic as a good heat conductor also

hinders laser-welding the material.

Aluminium has proved a difficult material to laser weld

successfully. In my experimentation it was difficult to create a

strong weld without using a filler rod of a different material,

making it impractical for objects that would be anodised and

where the weld would be visible. The addition of other materials,

gold, titanium or stainless as a filler, however, will create a

sufficiently strong weld for jewellery applications.

Dissimilar metals can be successfully welded, for example

stainless steel and titanium or stainless steel and sterling silver.

W hile it is difficult to successfully laser weld sterling silver

without the addition of easy solder filler rod the laser has

potential for tacking parts together prior to soldering that might

otherwise require binding wire or multiple soldering to get

complicated parts together.

In this section I have referred to silver as ‘traditional sterling

silver’. This is because new alloys of silver using the addition of

germanium, such as Argentium Sterling Silver, look promising

for laser-welding.21

W hile the experiments with laser-welding the titanium

cubes yielded promising results, for the purposes of the

project titanium proved a difficult material to work with using

traditional studio tools and equipment. Much time was spent

using the slitting saw in the mill to produce mitred squares

to construct the cubes, however these machined squares still

required extensive handwork and the size of the squares was

limited by the slitting/milling constraints.

Figure 8 shows titanium test pieces anodised at diferent

voltages in order to generate different colours. Figures 9 and 10

illustrate two prototype ideas using titanuim and laser-welding.

3 .4 P 0 N 0 K 0

Figure 8 - Titanium colour samples.

Figure 9 - Titanium cube ring.

Figure 10 - Titanium and silver cube

ring.

Ponoko is an online laser-cutting service that solves some of

the problems for the small producer including perhaps the most

difficult hurdle facing the small studio maker, that of finding

and establishing a relationship with a supplier.

A one-stop-shop approach to laser-cutting and laser etching,

Ponoko provides a limited selection of materials and extensive

guidelines for creating a succesful laser cut design. Ponoko

users can also upload designs and finished works for sale, or

use the uploaded designs (free or otherwise) to have Ponoko

manufacture parts that they can assemble.

21 For more on Argentium see http://www.argentiumsilver.com/ and http:// www.cynthiaeid.com/

Figure 11 - Ponoko Armband, laser cut

plywood.

Figure 12 - Ponoko Armband, laser cut

plywood laser engraving detail.

Figure 13 - Armband, handmade

prototype, anodised aluminium.

Established initially in New Zealand and serving a global

market, Ponoko has recently worked toward starting up hubs

around the world in order to reduce the distance required to

transport the product. The Ponoko business model has much

in common with the online rapid prototyping service called

Shapeways which in a similar manner provides a one-stop-shop

approach to designing, making and selling.

I used Ponoko to experiment with the tab and slot method of

construction to produce armbands and finger rings in plywood

and felt. Figure n illustrates an armband laser cut from plywood

and assembled using tab and slot construction. Figure 12 shows a

detail of laser etching.

I designed the Ponoko finger ring to utilise the unused

material when the armbands were laser cut, however it is worth

noting that laser-cutting firms charge by the linear centimetre

and the plywood that the armband parts are cut from is

relatively cheap, meaning that there is no real cost saving in this

approach.

3.5 ALUMINIUM ARMBANDS

The prototype armbands were drawn in Adobe Illustrator and

the designs printed out and stuck to the metal to be hand cut

and filed to shape. So while the forms have a machine aesthetic

they are almost entirely handmade, taking into account that the

joining lugs are milled or lathed. They were designed with batch

production in mind using either lasercutting, CNC machining,

water-jet or EDM wire cutting. They also proved a useful tool

to learn about aluminium anodising. The design focus was on

joining, or stacking the plates cut from sheet, and evolved into

the lasercut armbands. See figure 13.

2 4

3 . 6 C N C R O U T E R A R M B A N D

I was encouraged to try different materials and processes

and the CNC router armband is one result. The piece is made

from aluminium composite usually used for signage or cladding

buildings, made from a sandwich of aluminium and re-cycled

polyethylene.

W hile CNC router process and the aluminium composite are

relatively inexpensive, the process however, has some drawbacks.

As the cutting is done with a high-speed router bit the shape to

be cut cannot have sharp (inside) corners or slots finer than the

radius of the router bit. The aluminium composite also tends to

cut with a texture and the polyethylene exposed on the edge is

difficult to sand to a satisfactory finish.

The composite comes with a painted surface and is available

in many different colours but care must be taken during

manufacture not to damage the surface. The CNC routed

armband is shown in figure 14.

3 . 7 M U L T I P L E U N I T F I N G E R R I N G SMy first experiments with the wax printer were rings where

the form is made up of repeated units. Figure 15 is a lost-wax cast

ring made this way.

It is easy to print forms with the wax printer that challenge

the lost-wax casting process. For example, thick elements

joined by thin webs make it very difficult for the metal to flow

to all parts of the casting. The experience gained from these

experiments with regard to the thickness of units and how they

are joined together was applied to the tessellations and pattern

repeat designs used later in the aluminium pendant series.

Figure 1 4 -Armband, CNC routed,

aluminium Ö 1 polyethylene composite.

■ %

Figure 15 — Infinity ring, rapid

prototyped lost-wax cast.

-5

Figure 16 - Interlocking ring, rapid

prototyped & lost-wax cast.

3.8 INTERLOCKING FINGER RINGS

3D software makes it possible to draw forms that interlock

accurately, quickly and simply. Interlocking forms are created

in bonza^d by drawing two forms and using the software to

subtract one form from the other where they intersect. This

simple technique can be used to create complex interlocking

forms that would be time consuming to make by hand. Figure

16 illustrates a pair of rings that fit together in this way, shown

the printed wax stage, prior to lost-wax casting.

4 PROJECT FIELD TRIPEarly in my candidature the ANU Gold and Silver Workshop

hosted a visit by Silversmith Herbert Schulze, a lecturer at the

Fachhochschule (University of Applied Sciences) Düsseldorf.

Not long after this I had the opportunity to travel to Germany

and visit the Fachhochschule and meet staff and students.

During my visit to Düsseldorf I was able to view the rapid

prototyping facilities in the engineering department of the

Fachhochschule, I attended a trade fair with Herbert Schulze

and his students (see figure 17) and I was able to meet with Prof.

Herman Hermsen the Dutch contemporary jeweller who teaches

at the Fachhochschule with Herbert Schulze and Prof. Elisabeth

Holder.

My trip to Germany introduced me to inspirational

approaches to the use of colour including the juxtaposition of old

and new buildings linked by choice of colour detail, for example

see figure 18.

4 . 1 F I E L D T R I P TO G E R M A N YIn Germany I also visited a number of important museums,

galleries and small jewellery workshops. A comprehensive

itinerary is included in the appendix. The most influential of

these include:

Pinakothek Der Moderne where I viewed an exhibition

of the work of the students at the Academy of Fine Arts in

Munich celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Academy.

The exhibition featured the works of past and current students

of Head of the Department of jewellery and hollow-ware the

Munich A rt Academy, Swiss goldsmith Professor O tto Künzli.

Künzli became Head of Department in 1991 taking over from

Figure 17 - Herbert and students at

METAV.

Figure 18 - Museum Brandhorst under

construction.

The Museum Brandhorst is situated

in the north-eastern corner of the

Kiinstareal that includes the Alte and

Neue Pinakothek museums as well as the

Pinakothek der Moderne

http://www.museum-brandhorst.de/en/

building/architecture, html

27

Figure 19 - Drop forge dies.

Hermann Jünger (1928-2005) who held the chair from 1972 to

1990.22

Industriemuseum on the site of a factory established 1886

which was important in the industrialisation of the cutlery

trade. The Museum is located in Solingen an area of the

Ruhr recognised as the birthplace of the Labour Movement in

Germany. The museum still operates a drop forge and trimming

tools as used in the factory to produce scissors, knives and

keys. Figure 19 shows an example of drop forge tooling used to

produce keys.

The Historisches Grünes Gewölbe. Elector of Saxony,

Augustus the Strong is perhaps best remembered as a patron

of the arts and architecture. He established the Saxon capital

of Dresden as a major cultural centre, attracting artists and

musicians from across Europe to his court. Dating back to

1723 this collection of over three thousand objects housed in

the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault) in

the West W ing of the Dresden Royal Palace is Augustus the

Strong’s expression of wealth and power.

22 Maribel Königer, Des Wahnsinns Fette Beute = the Fat Booty of Madness (Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers / Staatliches Museum Für Angewandte Kunst, Munich, 2008).

2 8

5 E X H I B I T I O N W O R K SThe final body of work for exhibition represents the second

phase of the research. There are three ideas explored in this

work. The first idea is about using laser cut parts for batch

production using a modular component system to join the parts.

The result of this is the anodised aluminium armband series.

The second concept is an exploration of rapid prototyping

using both the wax printer and the traditional rubber moulding

process. This concept explores variations on a ring form based

on a deformed tube shape. The third concept brings together

my experience working with batch production of aluminium-

anodised components and the potential for creating three-

dimensional patterns using the wax printer. This exploration

resulted in the aluminium pendants with rapid prototyped

centres.

Figure 20 - R7Armband, laser-cut

aluminium, anodised.

5 .1 L A S E R CUT A R M B A N D SThe laser-cut armbands evolved from the hand-made

prototypes with one important innovation. Rather than a closed

armband this new design is hinged and incorporates the catch

into the cut-out shape of the bangle. Laser-cutting proved a

successful substitute to saw-piercing multiples of the complex

form by hand in the studio, with the benefit of achieving the

kind of precision, in the location of the bearing holes and

the shaping of the spring for example, that would be time

consuming to achieve otherwise. See figure 20.

The second breakthrough moment with this project was the

revision of the method of joining the layers of aluminium plates

that make up the armband. By using a bearing/axle/retaining-

lug system to join the parts, individual variation in the thickness

of the aluminium plate, due to hand finishing, is absorbed by

the system. Using this system made from common components

has proved useful for batch production and I have applied this

method to construction of the aluminium pendants.

29

5.2 TUBE-RING SERIES

This project explored the potential for a hybrid practice of

working back and forth between hand prototyping/m )del

making and 3D software on the computer. Working cirectly in

the wax models that were made by injecting wax into moulds

made from the rapid prototyped and cast metal masters offered

direct tactile and visual feedback to the maker.

W hen I first began using the wax printer I viewed t as a

way of producing a master pattern that could then be cast and

treated like a traditional metal master for reproduction using the

rubber mould/wax injection process. This attitude influenced

my approach to this project in the early stages and I set out to

reproduce the tube-ring design using the wax printer ind the

rubber-moulding system, a kind of hybrid practice.

It is useful to understand the wax printing process n order to

understand the limitations of the process. In contrast to laser/

polymer rapid prototyping where the form is built in 1 bath of

UV-curable photopolymer using a UV laser, the wax printer

builds up a wax object layer-by-layer. This layer-by-l2yer method

relies on using both build-wax, which becomes the fiiished

part, and support-wax, which as the name suggests, supports the

build-wax as the printer lays it down. This means tint the final

print must be washed out with a solvent to remove the support-

wax and reveal the finished wax model.

One of the limitations of the wax printer is that it s possible

to print objects with enclosed spaces, like for exampb the

tube-ring, but it requires careful handling when removing the

support-wax to avoid splitting the wax printed mode as the

support-wax expands faster than the build-wax wher it is heated

in the solvent bath. Obviously a fully enclosed form vould be

impossible to wash out.

jo

The first attempt to build the tube-ring on the wax printer

resulted in the finished part splitting in half as the support-

wax was washed out in the solvent bath. W hile subsequent

printings have been successfully created by carefully removing as

much support-wax from the model as possible by hand prior to

washing out, I decided at the time to redraw the model as three

parts, two halves of the tube form and a separate shank which

allowed me to make rubber moulds from the wax printed parts

after they had been lost-wax cast. See figures 21 and 22.

Using wax parts from these rubber moulds I reconstructed the

tube-ring form and then worked each by hand. Having a separate

shank also allowed me to reposition the shank on different

positions on the ring.

This approach has several creative benefits. Currently wax

models for lost-wax casting can be produced faster using the

traditional wax injection/rubber-mould method. This is because

the layer-by-layer method is a relatively slow process. For

example a wax printed version of the tube-ring can take over 36

hours to build. Any customization of the rubber-moulded wax

can be done by hand working on a real object, rather than on a

computer screen in virtual space, a technique that may appeal to

hands-on makers.

However it is difficult to work the wax accurately in a way

that is possible with the wax printer. For example the tube-rings

made from wax injected halves were very difficult to join without

a seam on the inside of the form.

I now like to conceptualize the wax printer as a kind of

infinitely variable rubber-moulding system (a kind of rapid-

tooling) and I believe that as the technology improves making

the process faster, and the cost is reduced, the traditional rubber-

moulding process may become redundant.

Figure 21 - Metal masters, rapid

prototyped & lost-wax cast.

Figure 22 -RTVsilicon moulds.

31

Figure 23 - Tube ring, lost-wax cast,

waxes from R TV moulds.

Subsequent tube-rings were built directly with the wax printer

taking extra care with support wax removal.

The insides of the tube-ring series are painted, visually

linking these works with the anodised pieces that make up the

final body of work. See figure 23.

5.3 ALUMINIUM PENDANTS

I was originally going to have the aluminium discs used for

these pendants water-jet cut prior to machining them to size

on the lathe. However cutting them out with a hole saw proved

to be a more pragmatic approach taking into consideration the

number of parts that I needed. Cutting them out this way would

enable me to make extra parts without the set up cost of water-

jet cutting, if extra parts were required. It should be noted that

for some materials, titanium for example, having blanks cut by

water-jet will save considerable time and effort.

Each aluminium disc needed a series of machining operations

to create the final shape and these were done one operation

at a time, working with a batch of hole-saw cut blanks. This

approach confirms that there is still a place for traditional

machining manufacturing techniques when dealing with small

production runs and that the small studio maker can achieve the

required precision on a hand operated lathe, in contrast to the

expense of having these parts CNC machined. The production

techniques for this batch of pendant blanks involves setting limit

stops for the lathe cross slide and top slide for reproducing cuts

and is outlined in Sparey’s text in the chapter titled Production

methods in small lathes P

W hen the aluminium discs had been machined to size on

the lathe, holes for the pins that hold the parts together and the

holes for the retaining grub screws were drilled on the mill using

23 Lawrence H. Sparey, The Amateurs Lathe (Herts, England: Argus Books, 1994). p 199 -200.

3 2

the indexing head. In order that all the parts have the holes in

the same place all blanks were drilled in one batch i.e. to retain

the precise placement of the holes it would not be possible to

dismount and reset the indexing head. See figure 24.

It should also be noted that the use of the pins and grub screw

retaining mechanism is a variation of the system of parts used to

join the armbands and uses common components. See figure 25.

The centrepiece of these pendants is cast in sterling silver

from wax masters printed with the wax printer. The designs for

these cast parts are derived from tessellations, in this case 3D

shapes that when repeated create a pattern, and simple pattern

repeats as found in textile designs.

A good understanding of the lost-wax casting process is

required in the design of these patterns. W hen the printed wax

is cast the design must be such that metal can flow throughout

the whole design. It should be noted while this was taken into

account some designs are on the limit of what can be achieved

by the casting process and involves some trial and error in

choosing the thickness of the parts of the pattern in order that

the metal would flow to all parts of the wax model and that fine

detail can be retained.

Some limitations of the lost-wax casting process when

used with the wax printer are self-evident. For example it is

possible to draw and print a form where individual parts are not

connected, meaning that unless the orphaned part can be sprued

separately, it will not cast. It is also possible to print forms that

would be robust when made in metal, but that will not survive

the process of washing out the support wax. One solution to this

is to build in extra material to the wax model and remove this

after the model has been lost-wax cast.

Figure 2 4 - Drilling holes using the

indexing head on the mill.

Figure 25 - Aluminium pendant,

aluminium anodised & silver rapid

prototyped & lost-wax cast.

33

6 P R O D U C T I O N M E T H O D O L O G Y

Figure 26 - Axle/bearing/lug, stainless

steel and aluminium.

W ith the project’s focus on production of multiples, the design

and manufacture of jigs and tools to assist batch production

became important. A systematic approach to production also

evolved and has become central to the workshop methodology

for this project.

6.1 M O D U L A R C O M P O N E N T D E S I G N

Figure 27 - Handmade prototype detail.

The bearing/axle/retaining-lug system is an example of

modular component design. See figure 26.

The benefit of such a system applied to my project is twofold.

Firstly for the laser-cut armband series this system is a big

improvement over the initial prototypes based on an axle with

retaining screws. These original prototypes with retaining

screws required small adjustments to the axle length in order

to take into account the variations in the finished thickness of

the aluminium plates that make the armband. The difference

between being too loose and binding up was fractions of a

millimetre and one version would also either bind up or unscrew

itself. Figure 27 shows an early prototype uses screws rather than

the bearing/axle/retaining-lug system.

The second benefit of the system is that the parts are derived

from commonly available sizes of material. For lathe production

the basic parts do not need to be machined to thickness prior

to cutting to length or drilling. The sizes of material also work

with the tolerances required for the running fit and interference

fit of the bearing/axle/retaining-lug system.

One of the discoveries of this project was the realisation that

while the small studio can produce bespoke objects that function

extremely well it is difficult to match the precision of industry

for multiple object production.

34

Two strategies were devised to deal with this problem. Firstly,

the use of components that allow for variation in thickness (the

bearing/axle/retaining-lug system), and secondly, to use the

services of industry when precision is required (laser-cutting).

To manufacture the bearing/axle/retaining-lug system I used

the services of a retired engineer with a home workshop who

produced a batch of one hundred parts, which I subsequently

machined to tolerance. For larger production runs CNC

production processes of industry could be used. This would

however require runs of over a thousand parts to be produced

to be viable. The flexibility of the bearing/axle/retaining-lug

system is such that the parts could be used with a wide range of

batch-produced works.

CNC is typically expensive to set up and usually only cost

effective for runs of a thousand parts. It can be contrasted

with other industrial processes that are flexible enough to

accommodate small runs for the studio jeweller. Laser-cutting,

for example, can be cost effective for individual and small

batches as there is minimal setup fee, proving it useful for

prototyping and small batch production. As many craftspeople

use Adobe illustrator and this is a common laser-cutting format

this kind of process is easy for the small studio to access.

The handmade prototypes were stamped to identify when

they were made and follow the evolution of each idea. The

final production works are not numbered. Different artists have

approached this in different ways. Johannes Kuhnen reports

that many of German goldsmith Freidrich Becker’s designs

were reproduced in response to demand and the numbers of

reproductions were not specifically recorded. Kuhnen contrasts

this with the approach of Australian glass artist Klaus Moje who

numbers each piece he makes during the calendar year, starting

anew each year.

35

6 . 2 A N O D I S I N G

Figure 28 - Colour tests, aluminium

anodised.

Notwithstanding that colour influences perception of the

form and is subject to personal taste and emotional response, the

importance of colour as a method for creating different versions

of the same object is self-evident.

In this project the number of unique objects derived from the

same components is a function of the number of components

that make up the object, multiplied the number of different

colour combinations. This does not necessarily mean that each

different colour combination will make sense aesthetically or in

terms of design.

Building on my experience of the making of the armband

prototypes where the colour selection was arbitrary — and

part of the process of learning about the anodising process

— and recognising that colour is a useful way of making

multiple originals from the same archetype, I set out to devise

a systematic approach to colour by selecting a palette of

sympathetic colours.

The aim of this approach is to achieve in the batch production

continuity as a family of objects. Selecting several colour

combinations of paint colour chips and attempting to recreate

these with the existing aluminium dyes used in the ANU Gold

and Silver Workshop was my starting point. See figure 28.

Eventually my colour experimentation led me to firstly

abandon the initial colour choices for a selection of less

conventional colours (in my view) and in order to achieve this, to

mix my own colours.

The process of mixing custom colours from the base colour

powders requires consideration of both the potential to achieve

colour by dilution and by colour mixing. Due to the makeup

of the original colour dye some dyes can be diluted to achieve

different colours and shades of a colour, for example diluted

36

black 2LW yields various shades of blue. The effect of both

colour dilution and colour mixing needs to be taken into account

when creating dyes by mixing, however as with mixing paint

secondary colours can be obtained from primary colours, for

example mixing red and yellow results in orange. These colours

can be further manipulated by adjusting the amount of time the

anodised part is submerged in the dye to achieve different shades

of that colour. Colours can also be achieved by dying one colour

over another.

Figure 29 — Master swatches, aluminium

anodised.

For my project five colours were chosen and master colour

swatches were produced as a reference for colour matching

during anodising. It should be noted that it was also decided to

anodise some parts and not colour them, giving the effective

choice of six colours. See figure 29.

6 . 3 B AT C H P R O D U C T I O N S Y S T E MMaintaining the chemistry and temperature of the

electrochemical process is more difficult for the small-scale

maker who does anodising occasionally in contrast to the

everyday production of the factory.

For the studio jeweller working with a small anodising set up

the physical size of the anodising bath, dye pots and containers

used to seal the anodised parts by boiling imposes limitations

on the numbers of parts that can be dealt with in one batch.

A system or methodology evolved from working with the

handmade prototype armbands and evolved into the system used

for the final design. This approach to limited production is best

described as batch production.

The anodising rack in the ANU Gold and Silver Workshop

will hold up to 10 jigs, limited of course by the size of the

parts. W ith small parts such as the retaining lugs used on the

armbands, it proved useful to anodise each group of 4 lugs at

the same time using a single jig that holds four parts. This helps

37

achieve a consistent colour during dying and makes for easy

handling of multiple parts. In this way all twenty retaining lugs

for the series of five armbands could be anodised in one batch.

Jigs that hold individual parts were used for the pendants and

large parts of the armbands. The pendants were anodised in

batches of five, and the armbands, anodised in batches of six.

Batches of five pendants could be sealed in one boiling pot and

the six parts of each armband batch split across 2 boiling pots

per batch.

6 . 4 A N O D I S I N G J I G SThe primary function of anodising jigs is to provide both a

good electrical contact and accurate positioning of the work in

the anodising bath, dye pot and boiling pot. There are stages

in the anodising process that naturally lend themselves to

improvisation for batch production. In particular the way parts

are held, or ‘jigged’, in order to present them for the different

stages of the anodising process have potential for improvement

to assist workflow.

Usual practice in the small studio is to use aluminium wire

fitted and bent to shape as needed. In order to reuse this wire it

must be stripped to remove the anodised surface, as an anodised

surface is not a good conductor. Constant bending and stripping

means that these jigs have a limited lifespan.

Parts to be anodised are jigged by forcing aluminium wire

into a suitable hole. This method however has its drawbacks. If

the part is not sufficiently well connected or if it moves during

the anodising process the part may be only partially anodised

resulting in an insufficient depth of anodising for successful

dying. The softness of aluminium also makes it difficult to

create a good conductive connection using a shape that relies on

the spring in the material to maintain contact.

My laser welded titanium jigs evolved over a period of time

working with the prototype anodised aluminium armbands. The

jigs for these initial experiments were custom made for each part

(see figure 30) and I quickly realised that this custom approach

was not suitable for batch production.

Taking my cues from observing Johannes Kuhnens approach

to anodising I revised the jig design. Key to the Kuhnen

approach to jigging aluminium parts is the manipulation of

aluminium wire, typically recycled knitting needles, in such a

way that the part hangs horizontally and at the correct depth,

positioned roughly central to the point from which it hangs.

Figure 30 - Custom jig, titanium, laser

welded.

It should be noted that the design of anodising jigs presents

a particular challenge to the batch producer. In particular

anodising jigs must be made of a material that will withstand

the acidic and caustic environment they will be used in, provide

a good electrical contact and must not react in a negative way

with the chemistry used in the anodising process. It follows that

aluminium itself is an appropriate material to use for jigging

parts to be anodised, however titanium can also be used due to

its property of remaining inert during the anodising processes.

The problem for the studio jeweller is that for one-off

anodising, making up jigs from titanium is more expensive

and relative to aluminium its hardness and propensity to work-

harden makes it more difficult to work with. Titanium is

difficult to weld, it must be done in an inert atmosphere, and

titanium cannot be brazed (soldered). Likewise, aluminium

can be difficult to weld and requires special solders to join by

brazing.

The instillation of the laser welder to the ANU Gold and

Silver Workshop introduced the potential for manufacture of

sophisticated aluminium anodising jigs made from titanium.

The laser welder overcomes the problem of welding titanium.

39

The laser makes excellent strong and smooth welds in

titanium. W ith practice, filler material combines well in the

welding process where extra material is needed for strength

or appearance. W hile the look of the weld is not an issue in

creating anodising jigs, in many cases finished welds need

little or no cleaning up. Titanium can be work hardened toFigure 31 - Jig with holes, titanium,, , , , provide a spring that maintains good electrical contact. Unlikelaser welded, r r o o

aluminium, titanium does not dissolve in the caustic bath during

the cleaning process prior to anodising. This means that the

titanium jigs can be reused indefinitely. This is a significant

advantage for batch production.

I set out to produce a jig made of titanium that was flexible in

design to accommodate different sized parts. This idea evolved

alongside the bearing/axle/retaining-lug system used for the

armband series and proved suitable for the majority of parts that

have 2.5-3.omm holes. A slightly modified version was used for

the parts with 6.0mm holes.

W ith this in mind my jigs are cranked, that is they have a

zigzag hend that helps keep the hanging point above the middle

of the part to be anodised. The length of the jig is kept the same

for all jigs in order to optimise placement in the anodising bath,

dye bath and boiling pot. This length is slightly too long when

dying in smaller dye pots, however, ingenious use of rubber rings

allows for height adjustment when dying. Integral to the jig

design is the bend in the wire at the top of the jig, which allows

for a positive electrical connection to the anodising rack while at

the same time allowing for fast attachment and detachment.

Earlier versions were made from titanium sheet with holes

for attaching the jig to the anodising rack as shown in figure

31. This earlier system allowed for variation in height, however

it meant that the nuts holding the jig on the rack had to be

completely removed in order to attach/remove the jig adding

4 0

time and complexity to the process. The final revision is shown

in figure 32.

The benefits of titanium, that it is reusable, and requires no

stripping between batches, offers much potential for the batch

production process. For example the armband series requires

four retaining lugs for each armband, and I made five jigs that

took four lugs. Each batch of four on a jig are coloured at the

same time and enough parts for five armbands can be processed

in one round of anodising. Working this way enables a consistent

colour to be achieved and convenient handling of multiple small

parts. It turned out that I could fit the jigs for the three plates

of each armband plus one jig with the four lugs in one batch

meaning in the future armbands could be produced as a batch of

one complete armband.

6 .5 TOOLS J I G S AND TEMPLATESI used a number of jigs and templates in addition to the

anodising jigs in my batch production to save time and achieve

a consistent result. Tools help with processes that need to be

accurately done and repeated. Along with the anodising jigs (the

octopus and baby octopus, see figure 33) I made a titanium hook

that holds two parts for stripping in the caustic bath, a small

press tool for use with the fly-press to press fit the bearings into

the laser-cut armbands, a drilling jig for the buttons used on the

pendants, and various Delrin holders for milling and lathing

operations. Figure 34 shows two such drilling jigs.

Figure 32 — Universaljig, titanium, laser

welded.

Figure 33 - Octopus and Baby Octopus

jigs, titanium, laser welded.

Figure 34 - Drilljigs, steel.

41

7 C O N C L U S I O N

7.1 T E C H N O L O G I C A L C H A N G E

The focus of this project is on the creative potential of new

technology and multiple object production, in particular the

potential of new technologies to assist the small studio maker

to produce multiple originals through batch production. Digital

technologies however, advance at what seems an ever-increasing

rate. Inevitably new technologies become faster and more

affordable.

For example early in the development of typesetting using

personal computers, graphic designers would take their layout

to a bureau to produce a bromide, a high quality print of the

text and artwork, which the graphic designer would physically

cut and paste to create their ‘finished art’. Today of course the

graphic designer can paste up the artwork in desktop publishing

software, print out the finished design on a laser printer for

proofing and email the final design directly to the printer.

Likewise new technologies such as laser-cutting, laser-

welding and rapid prototyping, now better described as additive

fabrication, are becoming within the reach of the small studio as

the technology becomes physically smaller and cheaper. During

the period of my research a number of TA FE and University

workshops have purchased wax printers and it is common for

jewellers to use the services of laser cutters, water-jet cutters and

rapid prototyping bureaus.

7 . 2 H Y B R I D P R A C T I C E

In the digital age new materials and processes have become

available to the studio crafts person. Many of these processes can

be used to replace hands-on making or hand operated machine

processes and simply replicate what was previously done by

hand, perhaps more accurately or faster. At the same time when

42

traditional crafts practitioners add these new technologies to

their practice the result challenges the idea of just what it means

to be handmade.

It follows that the value of these new materials and processes

is not just to replace traditional ways of making but in the

creative potential of digital technologies to explore new forms

and ways of working for the creation of objects that previously

may have been too tedious or simply impossible to make by

hand.

Like many adaptations of new technology the truly exciting

developments will not be the predicted results but the

unexpected outcomes and the ways in which new technologies

will be used that were never the intention of its inventors.

Artists and craftspeople are already experimenting with these

new ways of working. Cinnamon Lee’s rapid prototyped rings

generated from computer drawn morphed units, are an example

of objects that would be impossible to make by hand but are

nonetheless grounded in hand making. This kind ot approach to

the traditional practice of goldsmithing might be described as a

hybrid practice and strikes me as the emerging new approach to

small studio manufacture.

My own personal journey researching these issues has

challenged me to develop new skills, for example to draw using

3D computer software, operate the rapid prototype machine and

to laser weld, however the most interesting outcome has been to

deeply engage with what it means to apply these to making in

the studio.

One of the outcomes of this engagement, the system of using

common components, possibly with the assistance of industry,

strikes me as having much potential for further investigation.

This system might be applied as an approach to other personal

projects and has potential for collaboration with other makers as

a kind of open source standard for others to use creatively.

43

7.3 FURTHER RESEARCH

It is not possible for a research project of this kind to fully

explore every aspect of making with new technology and the

issues that arise from this exploration. Several avenues for

explorations arose but were outside the direct focus of the

project. These would be useful starting points for further

research. There is potential for further manipulation of the laser-

cut shapes by bending, folding, pressing, texturing or otherwise

distorting the original flat shape. This includes investigation

into the emerging technology of laser bending.

Advances in CNC technology also present the studio jeweller

with creative opportunities. These advances are currently being

exploited by industry with, for example the Apple computer

company using CNC technology to mass produce its most

recent version of their laptop computer. 24 This “unibody” laptop

is CNC machined from one block of aluminium, providing a

stronger, lighter chassis and reducing size and complexity of

components. As Apple points out, building their computer in

one piece, rather than assembling it from multiple parts, and

repeating the process many times over, requires the kind of

precision that CNC machining can offer. This is also a more

flexible approach to manufacturing that enables better use of

materials when the material that is cut away is collected and

reused.

Research into the environmental impact of batch production

is a worthy topic for examination. Aluminium is readily recycled

and requires less energy to do so than is used in the initial

manufacturing process, however the anodising process, even

in the small studio, uses relatively large amounts of water.

W hat are the environmental and energy issues of working with

aluminium? W hat are the ethical issues associated with using

24 Apple, “Redesigned. Reengineered. Re-Everythinged.,” Apple, http://www. apple.com/macbookpro/design.html. accessed Monday, 24 May 2010.

44

new technologies? Conversely, can using processes such as

laser-cutting and laser-welding reduce the small studio jeweller’s

exposure to dust and chemicals that are part of traditional

cutting and joining processes?

The creative potential of new technologies to assist batch

production inevitably leads to the question of cost and pricing.

How should the small producer amortise the cost of expensive

new technologies or pass on the cost of subcontracting work

to industry? If laser-cutting saves considerable time over saw-

piercing a jewellery work, should this make the final piece less

expensive than an entirely ‘handmade’ work? How might makers

and consumers value works that incorporate new technologies

alongside traditional ways of working?

The studio jeweller needs to balance the convenience of

traditional ways of doing batch production using processes

such as die-forming which can be achieved in the studio with

less setup cost, with the potential of new technologies such as

laser-cutting and rapid prototyping that can be achieved by

subcontracting to industry. The individual practitioner will need

to weigh up the creative benefit to their practice against the cost

of new technology both in subcontracting work to industry or

purchasing the equipment, and the opportunity cost of learning

how to use it.

45

8 APPENDICES

8.1 FIELD TRIP ITINERARYMarch/April/May 2008

Frankfurt — Monday 24 March

Sachsenhausen Museum precinct includes the Stadel fine art

museum, the D AM or Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Deutsches

Filmmuseum and Museum der Weltkulturen featuring an

exhibition of carvings from the Sepik district of PNG, among

others.

Museum fur Angewandte Kunst (MAK) — Museum of

applied art modernist building by Architect Richard Meier,

diverse range of work from Biedermeier metalwork to ancient

metal, ceramics and icons, collection of 20th century design

icons including a large representation of furniture. http://www.

khi.uni-heidelberg.de/projekte/neueabt/museumsfuehrer/mak.

htm

Musueum fu r Moderne Kunst (MMK) — designed by the

Viennese architect Hans Hollein.

Frankfurt — Tuesday 25 March

Schirn Kunsthalle — an exhibition hall, ie it doesn’t have

a collection as such, designed for blockbuster type shows.

Exhibition A ll Inclusive’, Tracy Moffett etc.

Portikus — Exhibition hall for contemporary art on an island

in the River Main. It is reached by the bridge over the river and

is the surviving portico of the public library that was destroyed

in WW2.

Feinform — M et with Rena Jarosewitsch owner of jewellery

gallery. She spent 12 years in New Zealand and comes from a

glass and jewellery background.

46

Deutches Arkitektur Museum (DAM) — current exhibition,

an Architectural model-making display. Detailed dioramas

illustrating architectural archetypes from prehistory to modern

times, the industrial revolution in Europe featured heavily.

Manga, anamie and Japanese pop culture figures are featured in

many of the exhibitions of the Frankfurt galleries. The DAM

had manga books and cartoons as well as anamie inspired

architectural models looking at imaginings of the architecture of

the future, http://www.dam-online.de

Museum fur Kommunikation [http://www.mfk-frankfurt.de/]

Collection of objects related to communication. Also vehicles

to do with postal delivery.

Schern — Bookshop has an extensive collection of art books.

Frankfurt/Oberursel — Wednesday 26 March

Oberursel — Zimmer £sf Rohde (ZR) German Textile Manufacturer. Visited the showroom for international textile

buyers. Met with the International Marketing Manager,

Manfred Rusche.

Linnich/Düsseldorf— Thursday 27 March

Visited the original Workshop Bilk in Düsseldorf

Linnich — Herbert and Ursula Schulze who live in an

old farmhouse which was partially destroyed in WW2, in a

small village 50km out of Düsseldorf. The home has a cobble

stoned central courtyard surrounded by high walls, horse

stables, storage, jewellery studio, painting studio and guest

accommodation.

Linnich/Düsseldorf— Friday 28 March

Gallery Detail 3 — Met Heike Schirmer and Doro Eicker,

two of the three partners in Detail 3.

47

Barbara Schulte-Hengesbach Schmuck Gallery — M et Barbara

who studied under Friedrich Becker. As well as selling her own

work the gallery stocks high-end artists e.g. Angela Hubei, Carl

Dau and Niessing.

Reinmetall Schmuk und object— is a play on rein (pure) and

Rhine (the river).

Düsseldorf and Aachen return — Saturday 29 March

Aachen — historic town not far from Belgium and the

Netherlands.

Gothic Town Hall. The heart of the Cathedral is

Charlemagne’s Palace Chapel. The octagon forms the centre.

In the ancient world the octagon was the sign of perfection —

something in between a circle and a square. The circle without

beginning or end symbolized the eternity of heaven and the

four corners of the square the earth with its four cardinal points.

Beautiful mosaics, leadlight, metalwork and iron doors.

Düsseldorf— Sunday 30 March

K20 — dedicated to art of the 20th century, eg Pollock,

Magritte, and Rothko. On display the only black and white

Pollock created and a significant collection of the famous

Düsseldorf artist, Joseph Beuys’ work.

Kunsthalle — Dedicated to showing the work of young

emerging artists and the artists featured were those who had

received scholarships from the Karl Schmidt-Rottluff stipend

between 2004 and 2006. The work was diverse from bronze

sculpture to fine pen and ink drawings.

Düsseldorf— Monday 31 March

Fachhochschule Düsseldorf— I was able to sit in on Herbert

Schulze’s fabrication class. The class will be doing a teapot

project in tandem with Cinnamon Lee’s class at the ANU,

Canberra and at some stage Herbert will show the class the

48

progress of ANU class. Several students will be coming to ANU

on an exchange and I met Anka Kruze who will be doing a

residency at Workshop Bilk, NSW, for three months starting

in July 2008. Viewing of the rapid-prototyping workshop in

Engineering department where there is a similar but smaller

machine to the one at ANU. I was also shown a new material

used for rapid-prototyping that is gypsum based, that Herbert

Schulze believes has possibilities for making moulds for

porcelain production.

Düsseldorf and Essen — Tuesday 1 April

Frank Gehry apartment buildings. One is red brick and

repeats the harbour building shapes, the white building

correspond to the houses on the Rhine riverside and the third is

sheathed in stainless steel, which is slightly bent to distort the

reflections. This area was a disused port and the redevelopment

houses TV stations, advertising, printing, computer offices,

restaurants and some residential apartments.

K21 Museum — dedicated to contemporary art with a

spectacular glass roof and a collection with a focus on video art.

Orfevre jewellery gallery, run by Marie and Peter Hassenflug,

famous in the 60s Scyo’s for contemporary jewellery.

Norbert Ferkinghoff Studio.

Galerie Cebra Schmuck Objekte.

Essen

Visit to Zollverein with Herbert Schulze. The former

Zollverein colliery now converted to a large arts precinct with a

variety of disciplines and used for exhibitions, movies, festivals

and concerts. Designed by architects Fritz Schupp and M artin

Kremmer early last century, new architects Ford Norman Foster,

Rem Koolhaas, Christoper Mackler and Japanese architectural

office SANNA. The most impressive spaces are buildings with

49

huge boilers, wheels 6m in diameter and an interactive site

conversion of a building with a direct escalator 5 levels high.

Schmuckprodukt is a jewellery workshop and a gallery. Met

Julia Stotz, a graduate of the Fachhochschule (University of

Applied Sciences) Düsseldorf shares a group studio and gallery

with Nicola Brand and Annette Wackermann.

Zollverein Industrial environment hosts the red dot Design

Museum [http://www.red-dot.de/]

Attended a lecture on hydraulic die-forming. The lecture

was located within an area housing a large student architecture

project for modular housing.

Düsseldorf to Solingen and return — Wednesday 2 April

Deutsches Kilngenmuseum — a knife <$c scissor museum

displaying antiquity collections to present day, encompassing

swords, cutlery, medical instruments and scissors. Displays that

cover a number of interesting manufacturing processes including

one for making brass plaques that Herbert Schulze described as

‘a kind of rapid-prototyping process’.

Industriemuseum, the site of a drop forge established in 1886

that was important in the industrialisation of the cutlery trade.

Located in the Ruhr, it is recognised as the birthplace of the

Labour movement in Germany. The museum still operates a

drop forge and trimming tools as used in the factory to produce

scissors, knives and keys.

Düsseldorf— Thursday 3 April

METAV a trade fair for tube and pipe. There were numerous

halls filled with products from companies all over the world and

demonstrations of equipment. CNC wire bending machines

making springs and wire parts in all scales and even a wire

bender making an outline of a rabbit in 4 mm stainless steel.

Viewed a new innovation in water-jet cutting in action that is

5 0

able to cut draft angles. The parts from this water-jet had a very

smooth finish, apparently the sand used comes from Australia.

Linnich — Friday 4 April

Linnich Glass Museum

Linnich to Chemnitz — Saturday 5 April

Travelled with Herbert Schulze to Chemnitz to attend an

opening of an exhibition of Herbert’s students. On route to

Chemnitz we passed towns with an interesting design history

in this area. Weimar, home of the Bauhaus. Gera, famous for

glass making and home of Karl Zeiss of the optical famt.Jena, an introduction to the former East Germany — high-rise public

housing.

Chemnitz — Sunday 6 April

Klaffenbach Castle [http://www.wasserschloss-klaffenbach.

de/]

Exhibition 2008: 0.0203929 Tons of Steel -featuring works

by German, Belgian and Dutch artists. Students of the Fachhochschule Düsseldorf participated. It will also travel to the Deutsches Klingenmuseum in Solingen and the Deutsches

Goldschmiedehaus in Hanau. Met with the director of the foundation that sponsors the project and Dr Ruprecht Vondran

who opened the exhibition.

Dresden — Monday 7 April

The Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (The Historic Green

Vault). Elector of Saxony, August the Strong was a patron of

the arts and architecture. He established the Saxon capital

of Dresden as a major cultural centre, attracting artists and

musicians from across Europe to his court. Dating back to

1723 this collection of over three thousand objects housed in

the Dresden Royal Palace West Wing is August the Strong’s

51

expression of wealth and absolutist power. The pieces are

displayed in a succession of ornate chambers.

New Green Vault — also an impressive selection of examples

of the goldsmith’s art. The ‘new’ section features objects

from the time of August the Strong but displayed in simpler

surroundings.

Catholic Hofikirche Church — build by Augustus the Strong.

Franuenkirche Church — reconstructed after 1945, old

sandstone fragments retrieved from rubble and used to rebuild

the church, which were not cleaned and this exposes the vast

devastation to the original building.

Dresden — Tuesday 8 April

Visit to the VW Factory, a futuristic building where only one

type of car is manufactured, the luxury Phaeton saloon. The

Building is situated on the edge of the Grober Garten Park.

Pfimd’s Dairy, built in 1892, entire interior covered in Villeroy

and Boch hand painted tiles.

Yendize — built in 1907 in the style of a Mosque. Origionally

a cigarette factory but now houses a restaurant.

Zwinger — originally planned as an orangerie, artworks

were later housed in pavilions and galleries. Zwinger Porcelain

Collection and Old Masters Picture Gallery.

Semper Opera House, Theaterplaz.

Travel to Hameln via Berlin — Wednesday 9 April

Hosted by Horst and lisa Ebert who started the jewellery

manufacturer Manu. Ilsa Ebert still makes and designs jewellery

for Manu, [http://www.manuschmuck.de/]

J2

Hameln — Thursday io April

Visited Pica jewellery packaging business run by Susanna

Weege. Pica supplies innovative paper and timber packaging to

jewellers and gift shops. They distribute all over Europe.

Visited Castles in the Hameln’s foothills, Schloss Muchenberg

and Schloss Hämelschenburg.

Hameln — Friday ii April

Visit to Manu, met with Director Johannes Weege. The

workshop and office is housed on the third floor above Pica

and the family home. The on site workshop makes up new

designs — patterns, prototyping and makes up special orders.

A firm in Pforzheim does the casting while much of the hand

making is done in Poland (Gerlitz). They have over 250 designs

in their collection and create (and delete) 70 new designs every 6

months.

Hameln — Saturday 12 April

Huspelmathturm gallery — Pulverturm/Glashütte gallery.

“Old Westfalia” — Medieval framework style and Baroque

buildings. Typical are lavish gable decorations, masks, gargoyle-

type reliefs, borders, coats of arms and inscriptions.

Hameln to Düsseldorf— Sunday 13 April

Linnich/Düsseldorf— Monday 14 April

Fachhochschule (University o f Applied Sciences) Diisseldorf-

Interviewed Herman Hermsen about his approach to serial

production. Herman lives in Anheim, Nederlands and travels

weekly to the Fachhochschule. His work has a typical Dutch irony

and often challenges the conventions of modern jewellery.

Fachhochschule library — research.

S3

Linnich/Düsseldorf/M unich via the Rhine — Tuesday 15

April

Munich — Monday 21 April

Pinakothek Der Moderne — Exhibition of the work of

students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich celebrating the

200th Anniversary of the Academy. The exhibition featured the

works of past and current students of Head of the Department

of Jewellery and Hollow-ware the Munich A rt Academy, Swiss

goldsmith Professor Otto Kunzil.

Niessing- Famous for its modernist approach typified by the

tension ring, which was developed for Niessing by the artist

Walter W ittek from Vreden in 1979.

Bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein, Galerie für Angewadte

Kunst. Tea and coffee-ware exhibition that included Australian

ceramic artist Bruce Nuske.

Galerie Isabella Hund — Frauenplatz 13 Eingang

Schafflerstrasse 80331 Munich.

Munich visit included a day trip to Innsbruck to see the

Nordpark Cable Railway designed by Architect Zaha Hadid.

M unich/Berlin transit — Tuesday 22 April

Berlin — Wednesday 23 April

Major buildings — sight seeing by tour bus

Jewellery gallery Treykorn — Savignyplatz 13, Passage

[http://www.treykorn.de]

Philos — Goldsmith Nilolaos Tsavdaridis [http://philos-

berlin.de/]

54

Berlin — Thursday 24 April

Stilwerky retail centre for architecture and design. Stilwerk

brings together renowned brands and top-class design products

under one roof. Highlights from leading manufacturers

presenting latest designs, fixtures and fittings and architecture.

Berlin — Friday 25 April

Visited M artina Dempf at Atelier Martina Dempf. Jewellery

Designer and Social Anthropologist [http://www.martina-

dempf.de]

Berlin/Frankfurt — Saturday 26 April

Return to Australia via Kuala Lumpur

55

8.2 ORIGINAL PROPOSAL

1 Thesis title

Contemporary processes and historical precedents for hand

made crafts practice in the context of technological change.

2 O utline o f thesis

The condition of the technological age, new processes,

new materials, globalization and its subsequent effects, mass

consumption, consumerism and the rapid increase in demand for

raw materials for emerging manufacturing nations, is presenting

the ever-adaptable crafts with its biggest ethical challenge since

the introduction of the Jacquard loom.

Does the hand made approach, rooted in the tension between

the machine age and crafts that is the legacy of the Arts and

Crafts Movement and later recast as a counterculture movement

in the 60s 8c 70s, need to take a different philosophical approach

to making in order for designers and makers to work ethically?

Can the contemporary crafts participate in a global economy

with consideration for the use of resources and how what they

produce contributes to consumption and consumer culture?

As makers, can we explore the potential for new methods

of producing objects by creating a new aesthetic language

rather than simply using technology to shortcut the traditional

approach to making objects?

The studio practice component will examine the potential

of new technologies, for example rapid prototyping and rapid

tooling in the context of traditional studio practice in order to

examine the potential for creating new forms and explore new

ideas in jewellery.

The Dissertation will examine the context for this kind of

approach to contemporary craft practice in the technological age.

56

3 Studio Practice

Component (66%) Investigating industrial processes in the

studio: what can the technology do for hand-making in the

jewellery studio?

3.1 Context

New technologies, and old technologies viewed from a new

(technology) perspective, perhaps offer the studio jeweller

opportunities to extend their serial production. These sorts of

opportunities include:

Faster production.

Changeability, or in other words being able to adapt or

customize parts in order to create a series of objects that are

similar yet each different.

The potential to make works in the studio that would simply

not be able to be made entirely by hand.

3.2 Issues

In this research I describe the technology used in the studio as

Traditional, Transitional and New.

Traditional serial production processes (Blanking, Pressing,

Lathe and Mill) are typically expensive, or in other words

beyond the means of the studio jeweller.

W hat I call transitional serial production processes, Hydraulic

Die-forming and Pancake Dies (also called RT Blanking), are

adaptations of old technologies, perhaps initiated by discoveries

of new materials or access to new processes, that in the jewellers

studio are typically clever approaches to tooling cost.

New technology for the studio jeweller includes such processes

as Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Tooling and CNC W ire cutting.

Artists exploring new technology typically use these processes to

57

create forms and ideas previously impossible with hand making

and old technologies.

Conventional wisdom for serial production in industry is

to use new technologies to shortcut the production process of

traditional approaches to making objects.

The overarching research question is then, how can the studio

jeweller explore the potential for new methods of producing

objects that are appropriate to these new ways of working?

M ethods and outcomes

The studio research aims to explore the potential of both

old and new technologies that make it possible to exploit rapid

prototyping and rapid tooling in the studio jeweller’s workshop

in order to provide creative outcomes and improved ways of working.

The project will examine these ideas by looking at the

following processes and potential outcomes in conjunction with

hand-making;

W ire cutting (EDM) for rapid tooling

Steriolithography to make masters for tooling

FormZ (CAD) for communication and idea generation

Laser-welding assembly

Press tools

High temperature lost-wax casting for stainless steel

and titanium.

These processes naturally lend themselves to serial production

and the studio research will explore the creative possibilities for

working in series. This naturally prompts the studio jeweller to

ask the following questions:

How do these new methods and materials enable the studio

jeweller to work in new ways?

W hat is the design potential of working in series?

How do I go about exploring the design potential of working

in series for making jewellery and objects?

The research question for my studio practice is then, is it

possible for me to work in new ways with this approach and does

this approach have properties that might lead to innovation in

studio jewellery?

Planned Outcomes for the research are a body of work for

exhibition in the Examination Exhibition and a Studio Report.

The Studio Report will give details of the studio work and

working methods. The concepts and contexts for the work will

be explored through case studies of makers examining how

other studio jewellers/object makers have approached the idea

of serial production and the methods of their time. Potential

case studies include Friedrich Becker, Johannes Kuhnen

(Artifact study Signet ring tool) (old), Robert Foster & F!NK

(transitional), Studio Hacienda (General Assembly, wire cutting

and anodising), Cinnamon Lee (rapid prototyping) (new).

4 Dissertation (33%)

Is “Craftism” (craft activism) and a resurgence in DIY (do it

yourself) the contemporary context for craft production in the

post-industrial age?

4.1 Topic development

Studio crafts practice is evolving as makers take advantage of

new and emerging technologies that force us to re-examine just

what it is to be hand-made and at the same time the internet is

allowing makers to connect with markets in new ways.

These factors offer consumers who are concerned with the

social and economic impact of a global change in the production

of consumer goods the opportunity to make choices about what

they purchase, or to not purchase.

59

Peter Day25, key note speaker at the recent Smart Works

symposium spoke of issues that are influencing a global

economy typified by the emergence of the rapidly developing

BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and by

opportunities for small scale specialized producers to reach an

ever more discerning market through the Internet.

Day warns that the effect of the BRIC economies is to provide

cheap well-made products to Western markets at the cost of the

export of unskilled jobs from Western economies, fuelling a

huge increase in demand for raw materials to support increased

production in these countries and the associated issues of human

rights, environmental standards and impact on traditional

cultures.

4.2 Context

Socialist and a founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement

William Morris had similar concerns about the effect of the

industrial revolution on factory labor, advocating for a return to

meaningful work. Morris also believed that crafted objects had a

kind of virtue, and that living amongst them made you a better

person.

In the context of the effects of globalization contemporary

craftspeople are perhaps uniquely placed to consider their

making in terms of the impact that manufacturing has on the

environment and how the use of overseas labor might provide

opportunity or exploitation.

4.3 Issues

In this context three important issues are raised. Firstly

craftspeople continue a tradition where hands-on skill and

understanding of materials is important. W hat does this mean

25 Day, Peter. Design in the Global Economy. Sydney: Radio National (ABC), 2007. Podcast.

6 0

for production in the post-industrial age when it is possible for

technology to produce objects that could not be made by hand

or to produce objects entirely by machine that look like objects

made by hand?

Secondly, the creative potential of collaboration with industry,

both locally and overseas is leading to innovative and creative

outcomes for artists and industry.

Thirdly, participating in the global economy means that

contemporary studio practice faces a new set of ethical issues

and has the opportunity to address these issues in a way that has

never been offered before.

4.4 M ethods and outcomes

Handmade and the ethical approach, what are the

implications of working this way?

By examining the historical context of contemporary craft

practice and through case studies of contemporary designers and

makers whose practice actively seeks to address the crisis that

globalization has presented craft, the dissertation will explore

if it is possible for designers and makers to work ethically, that

is, with consideration for use of resources and how what they

produce contributes to consumption and consumer culture.

5 Bibliography of key works

Benvenuto Cellini, Saliera (Salt cellar)

http://www.khm.at/system2E.html?/staticE/page842.html

The F!NK Jug designed by Robert Foster

http://www.finkdesign.com/products/productEhtml

Work by Friedrich Becker credited as the inventor of kinetic

jewellery

6/

Gijs Bakker, Porsche bracelet, bracelet, 2003 stereolithography

http://wwvv. g i j sh a k ke r. co m /

http://www.crattscotland.org/gijs bakker interview

Ted Noten Lady-K-Bag,

http://www.tednoten.com/work/portfolio/ladykbag/

6 2

8 . 3 C U R R I C U L U M VITAE

A N D R E W WE LC HBorn 1962 Goroka, Papua New Guinea.

EDUCATION2008 Currently a Phd Candidate, Gold and Silversmithing,

Canberra School of Art, Australian National University.

2003 Master of Design Research Masters Degree, University

of South Australia.

2002 Graduate Certificate in Teaching (Higher Education),

Queensland University of Technology.

1995 Graduate Diploma in Management, University of

South Australia.

1984 Bachelor of Design [Metalsmithing Sc Jewellery],

South Australian College of Advanced Education.

P R O F E S S I O N A L HISTORY2006-2001 Studio Head of Jewellery and Metal, Bachelor

of Visual Arts at the South Australian School of Art, University

of South Australia.

2003 Joined Zu design Jewellery + Objects as an access

tennant.

2000-1998 Course coordinator Jewellery core courses and

electives Bachelor of Applied Art.

1991-199J Part time lecturer in Design Studies at the

School of Design UniSA and private jewellery commissions and

designs for corporate gifts. Corporate clients included Western

M ining Corporation, Peter Rumball Wines Pty Ltd, ETSA

Advertising and Creative Services, EOI Foods, Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation, St James Anglican Church, The Royal Australian

Institute of Architects and The Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

63

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2004 Salacious — a solo exhibition of recent work as an

Access Tenant at Zu design Jewellery + Objects. SALA (South

Australian Living Artists).

2003 Pod Neckpiece, Lucy Neckpiece and Diabolo

Neckpiece — at the Tasmanian School of A rt Hobart in

conjunction with ACUADS Annual Conference.

2002 Z itto!— Exhibition of Jewellery and Artefacts at Zu

design Jewellery + Objects. Catalogue essay by Wendy Walker.

1998 ‘Work In Progress' — Masters exhibition, The

Chancellery, University of South Australia.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2oo# Hooked — SALA Group exhibition at Zu design

Jewellery + Objects.

2007 Contemporary Wearables 07 — exhibition and touring

exhibition.

2007 Dine exhibition — DIA Xperiment Design

Symposium South Australian Museum [xjpresso fork and spoon

(in collaboration with Jane Bowden — spoon).

2007 Bright Shiny Things — Zu design Jewellery + Objects

Christmas exhibition.

2007 Catch-On-2 — Contemporary Australian Jewellery

exhibition in Korea.

2006 Wish List 2006 — Craftsouth Members Exhibition,

Pepper Street Arts Centre, part of SALA Festival (sacred heart series).

2006 Catch On — Zu design Jewellery + Objects SALA

Festival group exhibition (enamelled donut series).

2006 Survey — Postgraduate Coursework students and staff

exhibition, SASA Gallery UniSA City West Campus.

2005 Full Circle — 2005 SALA (South Australian Living

Artists) Festival at Zu design Jewellery + Objects.

2005 Time Exhibition — South Australian Museum, part

of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Xperiment Design

Symposium.

2005 Zuest — Zu design Jewellery + Objects Christmas

Show.

2004 Christmas Show — Group exhibition at Zu design

Jewellery + Objects.

2005 Christmas @Zu — Group exhibition at Zu design

Jewellery + Objects.

2002 Gwiadzka — Christmas group exhibition at Zu design

Jewellery + Objects.

2000 Hammer! — Wildanvils 6th Group Show — 2000

Festival Fringe Exhibition Zu design Jewellery + Objects.

2000 Sight Specific — Eyewear by Artists — Craft

Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

1999 Contemporary Wearables 99 — exhibition and touring

exhibition.

1998 Annual Ring Show — group exhibition Zu design

Jewellery + Objects.

S EL E C T E D C O M M I S S I O N S2007 D.R. Stranks Medal — the Royal Australian Chemical

Institute (RACI SA).

2007 RAIA James Irwin Presidents Medal — awarded

for exemplary service to architecture in SA, which has been

conferred each year since 1992 for the Royal Australian Institute

of Architects.

2006 State Gift to celebrate the Shandong and South

Australia 20th Sister-State Anniversary.

65

2002 Anodised aluminum ‘wearable spoons’ — produced in

a limited edition of 5 0 . The 2 0 0 2 spoon: utensils by artisans’ for the

Twelfth Symposium of Australian Gastronomy: The Edible City

— Ideas for Urban Gastronomy. Adelaide, 1 0 -1 3 March 2 0 0 2 .

A W A R D S2005 University of South Australia Supported Teacher Award.

200/ One of six finalists in the Georg Jensen Jewellery

Design Competition, as featured in the January 2 0 0 1 edition of

Australian Style’.

S E L E C T E D PUBLIC ATI ONS1 9 8 8 Anderson, Patricia. Contemporary Jewellery: The

Australian Experience 1977-1987’, Millennium Books,

Newtown NSW. P 1 7 7 -1 7 9 .

66

9 B I B L I O G R A P H YApple. “Redesigned. Reengineered. Re-Everythinged.” Apple,

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/design.html.

Australian Silver: Contemporary Australian Silver smithing

Exhibition Organised by Rm it University and the Victoria &

Albert Museum. Melbourne: Dept, of Fine Art RM IT, 2000.

Chadour-Sampson, Anna Beatriz. D avid Watkins: Artist

in Jewellery. S tu ttgart: Woodbridge: Arnoldsche ; Antique

Collectors’ Club, 2000.

Christiane Arnold, Beate. “Kinetic Jewellery.” In Friedrich

Becker: Schmuck, Kinetik, Objekte, edited by Hildegard Becker,

88-113. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1997.

---------- . “On the Path to Kinetics.” In Friedrich Becker:

Schmuck, Kinetik, Objekte, edited by Hildegard Becker, 58-67.

Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1997.

Cohn, Susan. Cohn. Melbourne: S. Cohn, 1989.

Cohn, Susan. “The Crafts: On Their Own Terms.” In The

Nature of the B east: Writings on Craft, edited by Peter Timms,

22 — 24. Fitzroy, Vic: Craft Victoria, 1993.

Cooper, Jackie. “Jewellery: A Typology Examined.” In Techno

Craft: The Work of Susan Cohn 1980 to 20 00, edited by Jackie &c

James Cooper, Bruce. Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 1999.

Falk, Fritz. Schmuck Der Moderne 1960-1998 = Modern

Jewellery 1960-1998. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche, 1999.

Gates, Merryn. “Studio Hacienda.” In Smart Works: Design

and the Handmade, edited by Grace Cochrane, 56-59. Sydney:

Powerhouse Publishing, 2007.

Kingsley, Susan. Hydraulic Die Forming for Jewellers and

Metalsmiths. ist ed. ed. Carmel, Calif: 20-Ton Press, 1993.

67

Königer, Maribel. Des Wahnsinns Fette Beute = the Fat Booty

of Madness. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers / Staatliches

Museum Für Angewandte Kunst, Munich, 2008.

Kuhnen, Johannes. Johannes Kuhnen :A Survey of Innovation.

Canberra: The Australian National University, 2009.

Legge, Margaret. Three Centuries of Wedgwood: Art,

Industry & Design. Melbourne: National Gallery of Victoria, 1995.

McAuliffe, Mark. Freestyle [Videorecording]: Nevo Australian

Design for Living.-. Video Education Australasia, 2006.

Ramshaw, Wendy. Wendy Ramshavo, D avid Watkins:

Schmuck = Jevoellery. Pforzheim: Schmuckmuseum, 1987.

Sparey, Lawrence H. The Amateur s Lathe. Herts, England:

Argus Books, 1994.

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