Jennifer Baff

About the collection

The collection Sea Forest is influenced by various types of seaweed, movement and growth. My work is inspired by seaweed’s fluid forms and flexibility. The seaweeds I have observed are delicate and thin, which is why I chose to work with very thin metal. I also used the rolling mill to sketch out my designs to resemble the irregular and spindly qualities that seaweed has. Each piece has been cut out by hand. I wanted the handmade quality to help convey the idea of seaweed forms being unique. In this collection I wanted to capture the movement and likeness of seaweed in the water. I am interested in how seaweed expands and naturally flows in the sea, this idea has inspired some of the jewellery pieces. My designs are also inspired by washed up, dried bunches of seaweed I have found lying on the beach. Depending on the environment the seaweed is in, it appears differently. I have taken inspiration from both. Photography is a large part of my research and design process; I used my photographs of the seaweeds as a reference for how I manipulated the metal. Colour was important to me when creating this collection. I felt it was important for the designs to have colours that connected to the natural colours of seaweed, as I have been looking at red, black and white seaweeds. My intention for this collection is to encourage people to notice their surroundings more. Most people don’t notice that seaweed is full of interesting details and colours. I want to create artwork that draws attention to these qualities. This collection of work has been made using silver, copper and various patination methods. The layered earring pieces are interchangeable; parts can be removed or changed if desired. I have presented some of the jewellery pieces with the intention of being a mix and match, as I wanted some of the odd pairings to reflect the idea of seaweed being unique. I want the viewer to decide what earrings they would pair together.