The La Vigne Necklace is a necklace made from grapevine by Nicky Hepburn, created for e.g.etal’s exhibition Site Specific.
“My studio and the view of my garden from behind its glass doors is my special place and the grape vine which I look out on, frames my thoughts and processes. So, as my grape vine changed its seasonal shape into autumnal hues the idea for this piece developed. I had previously experimented with dehydrating flowers and plants but hadn’t found a binding compound I was happy with. As we pruned the vine, I collected interesting pieces of vine wood and started to dry out the autumnal crimson leaves. I then ground the leaves to a powder and eventually bound the powder with gum which dried hard. I made these into beads which I combined with the pieces of vine wood. I wanted to use as many parts of the grape vine as possible to reflect the concept of ‘Site Specific’, the sum of all the parts…it reminds me of a glass of vintage 2023, Maison Avoca, an extremely tasty drop… cheers.’”
Site Specific, presented as part of Radiant Pavilion Naarm/Melbourne Contemporary Jewellery and Object Biennial, is an exhibition that pays homage to the relationship between the interior and exterior of our being, and the inability to separate oneself from their environment.
Pieces from this collection will be shipped at the conclusion of the exhibition (from 3 October, 2024).
