THIS SMALL, jewel-like exhibition shows the work of Alumni from 1993 to 2015.  While they all work in metal, several also use other materials.

Blanche Tilden, (graduated 1995) who now works in Melbourne, has always used glass in her jewellery, and is showing a simple necklace of flame worked borosilicate glass discs threaded on 925 silver, with matching earrings sizes small, medium and large.  I find this work has a more feminine aesthetic, and is gentle and unassuming than some of her previous jewellery.

A more recent graduate, Halie Rubenis (2014), uses aluminium composite to create interactive, mechanical hand held devices which are intentionally designed to have no applied function.  Rubenis explores the intersection of play and interaction, and how they become a meaningful way of building relationships with objects.  We are surrounded by objects, both functional and decorative and our relationship with each is a fascinating area of exploration.  This artist heightens the relationship by using materials which are generally considered as waste.

Gilbert Riedelbauch (1993) teaches in Digital Art and Design at the ANU School of Art.  He is showing “Centre Square teal smooth”, a folded tray.  The work is a combination of digitally controlled and manual processes.  Riedelbauch has for many years used a combination of technological processes with hand techniques, to create elegant, practical and intriguing trays that are also practical.  The surface treatment of the aluminium composite used, softens the appearance of the vessel – it is smooth and silky. Grooves delineating sectors highlight the tray’s functional qualities.

A graduate from 2003, with a MPhil, Oliver Smith, makes functional objects such as spoons, servers and cheese knives.  He works on small production runs, working with semi-industrial processes and manufacturers.  Hand finishing gives these utensils a unique edge on similar commercially available objects.  They are both elegant and comfortable and a delight to use.

Harriet Lee Robinson (2015) is the most recent graduate.  She is showing “A Shark or a Bag” from 2014 and several rings from the Porthole Rings Series, which she has worked on since 2014.  The former is a sculptural work in nickel silver, enamel paint and 925 silver.  The work is ambiguous – undoubtedly deliberately so.  The rings, which date from 2014, and from oxidised sterling silver and gold plating, are playful works with a peephole protruding from the surface.

Titanium “Sake Set Number One” is a work by Larah Nott ( 2014) which has won international accolades.  The four piece set was a finalist in the 2014 Itami International Craft exhibition in Japan and the winner of the “Recent Graduate or Student Award for Hollowware, Flatware, or Sculpture” at the 2015 Contemporary Australian Silver and Metalwork Award.  The tri-cornered vessels are folded with a soft polished surface.

Phoebe Porter (2001) has for many years interpreted transit maps as seen on public transport systems around the world.  “Transit Necklace” from 2013 is in titanium, aluminium and stainless steel.  The transit stops, with loops, are graphically represented, with coloured discs at junctions and intersections.  She describes the graphic qualities of these ubiquitous maps into eminent wearable jewellery.

This tight exhibition shows the high standards set by the Gold and Silversmithing Workshop of the ANU School of Art, one of the few left in Australia tertiary institutions.

The ANU Gold and Silversmithing Student Society is raffling some of these pieces  as a means to raise the money that will support extra-curricular student initiatives in 2017. closes November 30, tickets at the exhibition.