The British Council will open a jewellery exhibition in Abu Dhabi that pushes the boundaries of contemporary design by exploring the relationship between material, value, scale and adornment.

The exhibition – ‘Alchemy’ - is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach) in collaboration with the British Council. It comprises the work of and participation by, some of the leading UK jewellery designers.

The opening event in Abu Dhabi will take place in the presence of Ambassador to the UAE, Edward Oakden followed by a discussion - with UAE designer Azza Al Qubaisi; Izadora Papadrakakis, Arts and Cultural Department, Adach; Jennifer Theokary, an Assistant Professor of Art and Design at the College of Arts and Science at Zayed University; and Yara Moualla, Arts Project Manager, British Council UAE - on the theme of identity, materials and value in jewellery. The exhibition will continue until December 21. Azza Al Qubaisi will also run a workshop for 10 students from Zayed University, on December 13.

The touring exhibition presents a range of eight UK jewellers’ individual perspectives of contemporary jewellery practice. The exhibiting jewellers are Solange Azagury-Partridge, Naomi Filmer, Tanvi Kant, Andrew Lamb, Shaun Leane, Lina Peterson, Laura Potter and Scott Wilson. The Alchemy exhibition has been specially curated for the Middle East by Alison Moloney and Dana Andrew of the British Council.

Alison Moloney comments: “The work exhibited by these jewellers challenges the conventional parameters of jewellery design through the use of materials, questioning notions of value and identity, scale and adornment. Displayed alongside the work of each jeweller will be accompanying documentation (sketches, photographs and materials) which will uncover the methods and processes behind the finished pieces as well as the ethos behind each jeweller’s practise.”

Dana Andrew adds: “The jewellery designers exhibiting at ‘Alchemy’ are critically acclaimed by the commercial world. In a world of mass production, their work highlights the desirability and value of the hand-made. As well as creating an exciting spectacle, one of the aims of ‘Alchemy’ is to make a powerful case for jewellery as one of the ‘creative industries’ with strong potential for cultural expression and commercial growth.”

Yara Moualla, Arts Project Manager for the British Council in the UAE, explains: “Alchemy is more than just a jewellery exhibition and serves as a platform for creative collaboration and exchanges between artists from the UAE and UK, as well as with Emirati and British design students in the UAE. We aim to explore the whole idea of questioning materials and value when making jewellery, especially amongst the students, and look at the relationship between the Arts and handcrafts.”—TradeArabia News Service