Meet the Maker... Danielle Barrie
Shape Salad Servers designed by Danielle Barrie; Sage Platter and Footed Bowl in fawn; Bump Bowl (medium) in moss. Photo: Andy Nowell.
Jewellery and object designer Danielle Barrie’s work is embodied by contrasts in shapes, bold forms and beautiful structures. Designing the Shape Salad Servers for jam, we spend five minutes with Dani, getting to know the creative process behind her practice.
What drew you to working in jewellery and metal?
Coming from quite an academic family I never thought I would have an arts based career. I started a Bachelor of Economics and Humanities Arts degree, and aside from a few interesting Anthropology classes I was very disengaged and couldn’t see myself in a 4x4 office cubicle which is where all the prospects seemed to lead. After seeing a necklace in a magazine that I really wanted but couldn’t get shipped to Australia, I started making my own version (from plumbing tubing and sewing thread - hideous). I was making these instead of doing my uni assignments so I knew I needed a change.
I knew I wanted to be a jeweller but it didn’t really come naturally to me at all. At my first class I couldn’t cut remotely straight, I drilled through my finger, was bleeding all over my desk and I couldn’t believe that this career that I had made my stubborn mind up about was so difficult! I came to understand what I know now - in jewellery, metal and all craft disciplines you’re always learning and everything takes much longer than you think. As a reasonably impatient person this was what frustrated me first but now it is what I enjoy most - the next thing you make will always be better than your last as you’re always learning about the materials and processes. Some days everything will flow really well and you’ll get into a rhythm, and some days it will feel like that first class.
So what initially drew me into jewellery and metal was the inconvenience of international shipping but what has kept me going is the intimacy, representation and symbolism, the history and rich tradition of jewellery. While sometimes it can still fill me with deep frustration, ultimately I’m always won over by the necessity as a maker to respect the materials in a new way each day that you’re immersed in them.
“Australians are known for a real down-to-earth humble approach and I think that’s sort of evident in how we use materials – it’s honest, well-made, and reliable.”
Dani Barrie, smoothing the Squash Cheese Knives with an orbital sander. Photo: Andy Nowell.
Shape Salad Servers ready for sanding in the JamFactory Jewellery and Metal Studio. Photo: Andy Nowell.
You designed the Shape Salad Servers for the jam collection. Can you give us a little insight into your creative process? How do you approach the creation of a new object?
The approach is quite individual to the object and its purpose for me. Jewellery is normally very specific, especially when it comes to commissions where you are explaining and representing a relationship or commemorating an event which gives you obvious visual cues. I find objects are a bit different in a product setting as it needs mass usership and appeal.
For this design, the studio needed something that had processes that would help train new associates on machinery and involved multiple machining aspects. We wanted a simple design with a pared back look and most of what I design is asymmetrical which lends itself well to the function of a salad server where the parts are often complimentary but not identically matched.
Generally, with design I like to start with either a story or visual inspiration point, be it ocean tides or plant growth and formation, or with a primary concern about materiality where I will often explore and utilise a materials strengths and sometimes celebrate its weaknesses.
The Shape Salad Servers and Squash Cheese Knives are produced at JamFactory in collaboration with local manufacturers, can you walk us through the production process.
As with most metal manufacturing while relatively simple in overall design there are quite a few steps and machining processes that go into each product. Both the Shape Salad Servers and Squash Cheese Knives are laser cut by Unique Metals Laser here in Adelaide and then our jam logo is engraved onto the individual components by The Engraving Crew, another Adelaide-based company. Using a hand held sander and pump-up wheels we sand the edges in the JamFactory Metal Studio with various grades to remove any laser markings and to make the edges comfortable to hold. We then use an orbital sander with various grades of abrasives to buff out any imperfections and give both products a beautiful all-over matte shine. For the salad servers, using templates for accuracy we mark where the fold needs to be and then use our magna bender to fold it into shape. The knives are folded to the machine’s capacity and then taken over to the hydraulic press to get that final fold in the material. From here everything is washed and carefully packed and sent off to be sold in our stores and stockists.
The notion of an ‘Australian design aesthetic’ is varied and multifaceted. What does Australian design mean to you?
I think a few notions or clichés about the Australian spirit bleeds into its design aesthetic. Australians are known for a real down-to-earth humble approach and I think that’s sort of evident in how we use materials – it’s honest, well-made, and reliable – sort of batting away the bullshit and frills but still incorporating fun and fresh ideas into design thinking.
Squash Cheese Knives. Photo: JamFactory.
Danielle Barrie
Danielle Barrie is a jewellery and object designer and maker currently based in a shared studio at JamFactory, Adelaide South Australia. Danielle graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Visual Arts Specialisation (Jewellery & Metal) in 2015. In 2017 Danielle completed the two-year Associate training program in JamFactory's Jewellery and Metal Design studio, she is currently the Production Manager of the Metal Studio at JamFactory.
@daniellebarrie
www.daniellebarrie.com
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