Findings: Manon van Kouswijk book launch
Manon van Kouswijk,
August 8, 2015
We're excited to announce the publication of a new book by Manon van Kouswijk, to be launched on Saturday August 8th, 2-4pm.
“Findings” places some of my recent works in the context of a series of tracings that I have made for this book from a collection of photographs. They trace the typology of bead necklaces and brooch motifs, historical and contemporary examples of jewellery worn and on display and other situations where jewellery performs. In a series of short texts Benjamin Lignel responds to the ideas and methodologies that connect the works and the traced images.
Manon van Kouswijk
“It may be good to note that her slow annexation of the bead heritage is built on the quasi-visceral disgust that contemporary jewellers have for that glossy calcium slobber rolled up around a bit of pain, the pearl, and for the pearl necklace itself—despite (or because of) this portable asset’s prehistoric pedigree. And in fact, van Kouswijk’s versions of the pearl necklace are never perfect copies. She is just as feverish as Borges’s Menard, but her intentions are, in a way, less pure: she means to play with the “original,” and make it suffer a bit. Her numerous versions of it are really another way of saying that one simply can’t make a pearl necklace anymore”.
Quote from chapter “Precedent”
written by Benjamin Lignel
The book will be launched on Saturday 8 August at Gallery Funaki.
A selection of the tracings from the book will be available as limited edition prints.
“Findings”:
Book design by Yanni Florence & Manon van Kouswijk
Photography by Jeremy Dillon and Ross Coulter
Texts by Benjamin Lignel
Printing and binding: Australian Book Connection
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Quote from chapter “Precedent”
written by Benjamin Lignel
The book will be launched on Saturday 8 August at Gallery Funaki.
A selection of the tracings from the book will be available as limited edition prints.
“Findings”:
Book design by Yanni Florence & Manon van Kouswijk
Photography by Jeremy Dillon and Ross Coulter
Texts by Benjamin Lignel
Printing and binding: Australian Book Connection
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Findings, 2015, book, $55