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Meet the Maker - Olivia Forrest

Posted on 16 Oct 06:30

This week we speak to Graduate artist Olivia Forrest, who's collection 'Underfoot' explores the textures and forms in her surroundings. Glasgow's urban landscape has been translated into silver and precious stones resulting in a coveted, wearable collection of silver brooches. We love the use of juxtaposing contemporary materials such as concrete with twinkling zircons.

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

When did you start creating jewellery?

I began creating wearable shapes and forms from paper and other materials while doing a foundation course at college in Glasgow. There was little access to the college while I was studying, so we had to work with what we had at home! That is when I begin designing from a jewellery perspective. It wasn’t something I had considered studying until I moved to Glasgow and found the jewellery and silversmithing course at Glasgow School of Art.

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

 Who inspires you the most? (No rules here, other jewellers, artists or even family & friends)

Mareike kanafani is a designer I enjoy the work of a lot! Kanafani’s jewellery is rough in texture, imperfectly designed and unexpected in shape, size and composition. It is brutalist concrete inspired and is very much up my street! Anna Wallis, Miki Asai and Anastasia Kandaraki are other designers who create texture-heavy pieces of jewellery. They were in the back of my mind when I imagined ideas of what my final degree collection would look like.

I am of course also hugely inspired by urban spaces and architecture!

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

What was the inspiration for the jewellery in the exhibition?

I am heavily inspired by textures and forms around me in Glasgow. Cracks in pavements, grids, old screws hanging out of walls, scuffs on the road. Anything that has undergone transformation through human interaction over time. Photography was an important aspect for gathering primary research for my degree collection. I photographed found objects, imprints and unexpected marks and shapes which then informed my material choice, colours and structure of my pieces.

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

If you weren’t a jeweller what would choose as a career? 

I would love to be an architect, or a collections curator for museums and exhibition spaces!

Please can you tell us a bit about your creative process?

When it comes to designing new pieces, I usually begin by collaging. I collect scrap material like cardboard, paper and plastic and use them to create compositional collages which combine different shapes, colours and textures. I use these to draw inspiration from to bring work into 3D wearable forms. All my sketchbooks are chunky and

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

What’s next for you?

I want to continue exhibiting in new places and work towards expanding my silversmithing skills specifically to work towards creating larger scale pieces of work. I would also really like to create a series of large-scale collage pieces alongside my jewellery work.

Which is your favourite piece?

My favourite piece in my collection is the ‘No. 4‘ brooch. I am happy that I found a way to combine concrete and gemstones into the design - it is something I haven’t seen before and relates strongly back to my initial research of concrete textures, traces and imprints. I like the contrast of the concrete against the oxidised silver and shine of the gemstones.

Olivia Forrest graduate artist for New Designers Exhibition at Diana Porter Jewellery Bristol

Finally, for fun, what would be your dream piece to make or person to make for?

A large sculptural piece inspired by my collages, using a variety of materials from precious metal and concrete to scrap plastic and paper. I would want the sculpture to be interactive – people can walk over it, stand on it, run over it. I would want to see how the continued human interaction would change the materials and the effect of the piece as a whole visually. It would be designed to change through human interaction.

 Olivia's Collection is available to shop as part of The New Designers Exhibition will be live in-store at Diana Porter Jewellery.

Featuring the talented Graduate collections of Angela Strachan, Imogen Moran, Militsa Milenkova, Olivia Forrest, Rachael Plassard & Tracy Caldah.

33 Park Street Bristol, BS1 5NH. Mon-Saturday 9.30-5.00