Pagoda I
2020
Anodised aluminium, silicone, silver, steel.
Still life photography by John Moore. Model photography by Chris Bulezuik
A lifeline during lockdown, and a return to colour
Pagoda I was created in response to an invitation to exhibit in the landmark show What Colour is Metal?, curated by Sara Roberts and Dr Cóilín Ó’Dubhghaill. When the pandemic took hold in 2020, it was the only project I was involved in that was postponed rather than cancelled. That strange, uncertain time gave me the space to focus fully on the creation of an ambitious new piece — and it became a lifeline.
This necklace marked a return to my beloved anodised aluminium after a phase of making monochromatic pieces predominantly in silver. I re-embraced the freedom to work with colour on a large scale.
The piece is made from overlapping plates of metal, reminiscent of scales, feathers or petals — forms I’ve always found to be among the most spectacular displays of movement, shape and colour in the natural world. It became the first in a series of necklaces partly inspired by the sweeping curves of a pagoda parasol.
What Colour is Metal? opened at Dublin Castle in October 2021 before travelling to the National Design and Craft Gallery in Kilkenny, Ireland (April 2022) and finally to The Winchester Gallery (October–December 2022).
