Simon Cottrell completed a Fine Art degree with Honours from RMIT University, and went on to obtain a Masters in Fine Art Research in 2010. He has taught and lectured at universities around the world including RMIT Melbourne, Rhode Island School of Design Providence and the Australian National University in Canberra where he currently works in the Gold and Silversmithing workshop.  His work is held in public collections all over Australia, including the National Gallery  of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of South Australia, and in significant private collections internationally.

“When our senses are presented with something that is familiar and yet also ambiguous our curiosity is triggered and sensory engagement is extended. This is because our ability to be clear about what we are actually looking at becomes hard to resolve. If there is a potential line between these brooches being perceived as either one way or another, I will usually try to sit on that line. Where that line lies, however, depends very much on the priorities and attentiveness of the viewer. In essence the work doesn’t aim to tell a viewer anything specific; more simply I want to give the wearer a personal sensory experience, in an ongoing, unfolding, quiet but resonant manner. While there is no punch line to be found in this work, it is fundamental to human nature to attempt resolve our perceptions of our surroundings.” Simon Cottrell