Ebony, terracotta beads, silver, platinum, pearl, painted steel safety pins, found object (vintage gold, enamel and pearl hat/lapel pin),
found objects (painted tin traffic cones).
 
This piece is based on the protective Minkisi figures made by people from the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa. They are carved in wood in the shape of the person, animal or object they are intended to protect and filled with powerful substances by a shaman – subsequently nails or other sharp objects are driven into the figures, thereby releasing the positive protective forces of the substances within. These are deeply spiritual and powerful statuettes, which should not be confused with the darker power of Voodoo dolls. My intention with this piece was to conjure up some kind of protective force for the field of contemporary jewellery itself: since it is very much a niche art form that often feels quite fragile I thought it would be good to give it some positivity. Importantly, although it was inspired by the Minkisi figures, it is also meant to be quite tongue-in-cheek – humour has always been an important aspect of my work.