The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

bite jewellery Her Portraits jewellery collection began as an eight-minute dance solo performed as part of a full evening work for Two Quartets for Siobhan Davies Dance in 2007. She developed the movement for her solo using specific words and text which eventually became the rhythmic structure for the dance when it was performed. The Lying in Wait collection began as a dance and film collaboration with artist Idris Khan and Lucio Uncut was a single commission to make an 18-carat gold brooch with an uncut ruby. A designer who prefers to work at a steady pace, you can tell that Sarah takes great precision in her creations which enables her to make such intricate pieces. “A neckpiece can take me three or four weeks,” she explained. “A ring about ten days de- pending on how complex it is.” Having her own label, she usu- ally works on her own and therefore has the freedom to choose when to work or indulge in leisure time. “I also enjoy taking creative responsibility and any limitations or compromise are mine to impose or not.” In the ten years that Sarah has been a jewellery designer, she has accomplished some great achievements. “I was the first Jewel- ler in Residence at the British Library,” she revealed. “I had the privilege of having six months to use the archives there and talk to curators.” Using the time to study graphic music scores, the designer was able to use music and sound as a starting point for her work as well as movement. She also had the honour of becoming a QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) scholar. “This allowed me to travel to Tuscany and study a particular metal technique called Anticlastic Raising.” Sarah has exhibited her work at solo shows, fairs, and galleries over the years. These include being involved with the film Ly- ing in Wait, in collaboration with artist Iris Khan for a Victoria Miro/Siobhan Davies commission for Victoria Miro Gallery in London and Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. In 2011, she showed her jewellery at Origin in London and also a group show instal- lation of graphite drawing series called What Isn’t Here Hasn’t Happened in collaboration with artist Tracey Rowledge at the Bargehouse in London. In 2013, she had a busy year exhibiting her jewellery and draw- ings at the National Craft and Design Centre in Lincolnshire, during Scratch Scribble Scrawl in a group show at the Aspex Gallery in Portsmouth, and Goldsmith’s Fair in London. She also exhibited at the fair in 2014 and 2015. Her solo show enti- tled Cadence - The Anatomy of Rhythm was held at the Circus Gallery in Marylebone, London in 2016. These are just a few of the shows and residencies she has had the pleasure of being involved in.