Nereides by Anna Davern

Exhibition dates
16th May – 5th June, 2024

Opening night
Thursday 16th May | 5pm-7pm

e.g.etal presents Nereides: an exhibition of jewellery and objects by Anna Davern, inspired by the botanical forms of marine seagrasses.

A series of scarf pins in silver and gold are woven with brightly coloured precious and semi-precious gem beads, displayed to form a glittering seagrass meadow that reflects the vibrant hues of the organisms that live within. Seagrasses are considered to be ecosystem engineers: they create, modify and maintain habitats that support a diversity of marine life. Seagrass meadows also perform an important role as carbon sinks, accounting for more than 10% of the ocean’s total carbon storage. This exhibition draws attention to the ethics of protecting these valuable ecologies.

Each pin is named for one of the Nereides: sea nymphs or female water spirits of Greek mythology. The piece can be removed from the group and displayed as an autonomous object, or detached from its stand and worn pinned through a garment or scarf. By encouraging an awareness of our relationships with these objects, the artist draws attention to the diverse and complicated ecologies that exist within a seagrass meadow, and that also exist within our own lives.

This exhibition is presented as part of Melbourne Design Week 2024. Melbourne Design Week and Victorian Design Program are initiatives of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

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