Raw / Refined Earrings – Gold

Stainless steel, refined 18ct yellow gold cylinder and Victorian gold nugget

Made from refined yellow gold and a Victoria gold nugget, this piece was created for the exhibition Everything is Dual. The earrings juxtapose native elements (that is a metal as it is found in its pure form in nature) against a component made from a refined version of the same metal, meticulously cut and shaped by hand.

The work explores the relationship between nature (material) and culture (idea, technique, and form). It interrogates the western notion that we as humans are separate from the natural world, rather than an integral part of it as believed by many indigenous cultures.