Interview with Sarah Murphy
Sarah Murphy joins e.g.etal with a jewellery collection that references the experience of daily repetition: the simple act of walking or breathing; the gesture or movement of the human body, creating its own random yet syncopated pattern. We asked Sarah about the inspirations behind her work.
Q. How would you describe your aesthetic?
A. Industrial, yet delicate. My preferred metal is titanium and the surface finish I generally give to this metal is dull and grey. By adding delicate trails of bright and shiny laser marks or rich additions of shining silver and gold I am able to achieve a sense of the delicate.
Q. What led you to jewellery making as a career?
A. Before I decided to become a jewellery artist I worked with glass for some years. This resulted in making jewellery and stringing beads. It seemed like a natural progression to actually learn more about the making processes of jewellery making, so I enrolled at ANU to do a BA in gold and silversmithing.
Q. What influences you and inspires you?
A. I am predominantly influenced by the materials I use. I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what I can achieve with the tools I have to be able to work such an industrial metal such as titanium. Rhythm, repetition and movement are the fundamentals which are often the driving forces behind my work.
Q. What are your favourite materials to work with?
A. Titanium is definitely my favourite material to work with. Titanium cannot be soldered or fused like many other metals such as silver and gold. The methods for joining two pieces of titanium are either with rivets or links or by laser welding them. Titanium is one of the most satisfying metals to laser weld. It behaves like butter and results in joins that are stronger than soldered joins in other metals. I have been laser welding titanium for over 7 years now.
