CAMEO IS AN ONGOING SERIES FEATURING CANADIAN JEWELLERY ARTISTS. HERE, THEY SHARE THEIR LATEST THOUGHTS AND INSIGHTS, AND GIVE US A PEEK INTO THEIR PRACTICE.
Photo by Pat Ryder
Describe your current work/practice in one sentence.
I strive to balance technical excellence and compelling design, with an aim to create work that is refined yet eccentric.
What are three things/ideas that inspire you?
I am mainly inspired by avant-garde fashion, my dance background, and the very process of developing work through material exploration. And while it doesn't always carry a direct link to my creative work, I am greatly inspired by spending long stretches of time in nature.
Up until last year, I spent much of my spare time choreographing and dancing in the Toronto dance company Momentum, with a special fondness for modern & contemporary styles. I also enjoy multi-day canoe trips in the Canadian wilderness, which my partner and I usually go on 3-4 times per year. Other than that, I am slowly but surely learning to play the fiddle, and to speak Scottish Gaelic - these things connect me with my heritage.
What other things do you do besides your jewellery practice?
One of my favourites is the Circuit Neckwear piece that I created in my final year at George Brown College. That piece really synthesized everything I had learned up until that moment and felt true to my own developing style.
What is a favourite piece that you’ve made and why?
Lena Binnington
Circuit Neckwear (2019)
Sterling silver, nickel silver, 18k yellow gold plating
Image credit: Digital by Design
Lena Binnington
Radial Eyewear (2019)
Sterling silver (partially oxidized), black & colourless cubic zirconia
Image credit: Digital by Design
Hidden-gem... let's count it as one word :)
What word pops into your mind when you think of Canadian art jewellery?
Now that I am based in the studios at Harbourfront Centre, I am working to develop a new production line which will also include a few non-production art/feature pieces.
What is coming up next for you?
Published: 2021/01/11
