House Jewelry
I was once given a "shopkeeper"s bell on a leather strap to hang on my studio door handle. To me it was a sonic marker initiating private work time. The jingle upon entering and closing the door represents "a room of my own" separate from family labor and the overwhelming tasks of 21st century life. I have been making these little Door Bells and giving them to friends and artists so they can mark their space and time too.
House Jewelry pieces are giant bead and bell necklaces with individual clasps so they can adorn spaces as single strands or be connected at variable lengths. They can hang over a wall, door, bannister or completely surround a dwelling in a gesture of blessing or housewarming. Viewers are encouraged to touch the beads and ring the bells.
Installation View, Epistle, 2023. Steel cable, bells, wooden beads, two coded strands that say "Bless this house" & "Inside and out". Praise Shadows Gallery hall space, 2023. Bells hung at artist's hand height. Visitors encouraged to gently touch while passing underneath.
Photography Dan Watkins