Louise Payjack-Guillou
Statement:
‘I Cherish Even Her Shadow’ is a body of work exploring motifs of death, rebirth and collecting. Using Victorian jewellery as a reference, this series is a modern interpretation of mourning jewellery. Man-made fossils trap and preserve the texture of sea urchin shells which have been embellished or transformed into lockets and brooches, with the aim of evoking a sense of memory and loss. The absence of life and therefore of colour is a key element in this work. While this collection grieves for no one it alludes to sadness. The sea urchin has become a metaphor for the transience of life, the jewellery reminding us of what once was.
