The sixth: A jeweller's participatory artistic exploration of extinction and biodiversity loss in New Zealand
Author: Michelle Wilkinson
The sixth: A jeweller’s participatory artistic exploration of extinction and biodiversity loss in New Zealand
Michelle Wilkinson
29 April 2019
Wilkinson, M. (2019). The sixth: A jeweller’s participatory artistic exploration of extinction and biodiversity loss in New Zealand. (A dissertation in partial fulfilment for the Master of Fine Arts degree at the Dunedin School of Art, Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin, New Zealand) [PDF 3.2MB]
Abstract
Contemporary jewellery can encourage people to learn more about our environment through the body, the jewellery object, and the conscious act of wearing and interacting with it. This calls for a move towards an approach based on social interaction.
The thesis examines how jewellery can act as a form of communication and an agent for change. It argues that the framework of contemporary jewellery has great potential to speak of issues within society and the environment.
Case studies demonstrate how a participatory approach may enable contemporary jewellery to disseminate, inform and question scientific research and discoveries.
In the exploration of these ideas, the thesis considers how jewellery can assist in communicating the latest scientific literature on the state of the environment in New Zealand. It places jewellery within the context of the history of art and science working together, in order to reveal the ability of contemporary jewellery to work as a teller of these stories.
Key words: Participatory; Contemporary jewellery; Art and science.
Michelle Wilkinson's primary supervisor was Andrew Last.
License
This abstract is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International. The thesis is not publicly available online. A bound hard copy is available to borrow for research purposes from the Robertson Library, University of Otago.
