Photography: Alex Robson for Lyon & Turnbull““Object-making is a non-verbal attempt at balancing the intellect with the intuitive,””
More is More - The Magical World of Peter Chang was a fabulous exhibition at Lyon & Turnbull in London in September 2026.
These days I don’t often come out from under my rock to see other people’s work, but this was a rare chance, not to missed.
I first discovered Peter Chang when I was a student in Manchester and I was totally blown away. I mean, how can you not be!
My mother is a jeweller so I was very aware of the alternative nature of studio jewellery and its broad approach to materials, but this? This was something else. I was then and still am in awe of his off-the-scale imagination, his craftsmanship, and frankly, the sheer guts he had to make work soooo far removed from anything anyone has ever seen, or probably ever will see.
Peter saw himself first and foremost as a visual artist and while he’s best known for his radical jewellery, his portfolio also includes print making, sculpture, drawing and even furniture, some of which formed part of the exhibition. He’s a man after my own heart. He embraced a multitude of materials and processes, often repurposing day-to-day objects that most of us discard without a thought: old tooth brushes, razors, bike lights, broken rulers, pens and industrial scrap, anything plastic that he could use to achieve his vision. He wanted his choice of materials to reflect the age he lived in and he was a master of adding value to something instrinscally worthless, elevating it into a precious jewel. Even a small piece could take up to 400 hours to make.
I was fortunate to meet Peter once, at the private view of a solo exhibition he had at Manchester City Art Gallery. The blurb on the gallery wall said, in so many words, that he encouraged people not to try and intellectualise his work with language, but instead to enjoy it as you would a piece of classical music. This really resonated with me. His pieces are like visual symphonies. They speak or rather sing with a language of form, colour and texture universal and accessible to all. It’s how I think about my own work too. In the centre of the gallery space was a huge table (A TABLE!!!) made with his trade mark, brightly coloured plastics and resin. It reminded me of an oversized surfboard with a big eye and tentacles for legs, almost like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Sadly I don’t remember our conversation but if I could speak with him now I would have a gazillion questions.
He is a true visionary who received the call, found his voice and followed it, despite any noise from naysayers who may have surrounded him. In an interview with his wife she tells us that he wasn’t interested in taste and he just didn’t care if anyone liked his work. Isn’t that wonderful!! For someone like me who cares far too much what others think, this is very liberating to hear. Perhaps his route to jewellery making via sculpture and print making had bypassed any limitations that one might inadvertently pick up from a jewellery education. I like to think that he sailed through his practice completely free of self doubt. His potent work certainly suggests this was the case. It cuts a clear channel through any pre-existing idea of what jewellery should be.
When working with precious metals the colour of the metal is already decided for you. It’s a given. Unless it is enamelled, patinated or painted in some way, the jeweller’s only choice is to polish or leave matte. The weight of the metal further narrows the scope. It is a comfort zone that many jewellers inhabit and within which there is still infinite possibility. A painter might choose canvas, paper or board on which to apply colour, but they’re just different flat surfaces, the back of which doesn’t matter. Durablity isn’t an issue because it’s a thing to observe, not interact with. It’s about variables. The fewer the variables, the simpler the task and this is why I want acknowledge Peter Chang’s genius mind.
The plastics, resins, pâpier-maché, balsa wood etc the Peter Chang used opened up a world of possibilities far beyond the limitations of precious metals. The cost was low, sometimes even negligible, and they were lightweight, which granted him an enormous degree of freedom. It was endless. He could do anything…. Brilliant!! However, the freedom to do absolutely ANYTHING is a double edged sword. It can also be terrifying. If you asked a group of jewellers to make a piece in the style of Peter Chang then I bet the vast majority would find the task overwhelming, because it’s simply too ambitious. Too many variables. Too many decisions to make. Too many components. Too many colours to combine. Too many angles to consider. Some people struggle to make the first mark on a fresh sheet of paper, let alone construct a giant bangle with a balsa wood and pâpier-maché base encrusted with precision cut pieces of acrylic and resin with graduating colours inside and outside with 360 degree views that looks like some kind of alien creature that might just crawl away when you’re not looking [and breathe]. It’s an INSANE amount of work, to design, plan and then execute a piece THAT fantastical. It’s arguably crazy… but not if you have the vision, not if your desire and determination are strong - not for Peter Chang. That is why he’s a genius and one of my jewellery heroes.
I have some big, crazy ideas myself. Some I’ve already achieved, many still out of reach. Some feel so big and ambitious they scare me. Limiting beliefs loom in the background, feelings of doubt and lack poised to take hold. I crave the sense of freedom Peter embodied, but can I wield it? Can I be that vulnerable? Peter Chang and the work he so generously gifted to the world, tells me YES. He gives me, and all of us, permission to be ourselves, regardless of anyone else’s opinion. He reminds us that anything is possible. If you can dream it, you can make it happen.
Lyon & Turnbull
MORE IS MORE: The Magical World of Peter Chang
The Herald Scotland
Obituary - Peter Chang, artist and jewellery designer.
