March 13, 2015 (Friday) – Aran Galligan

Prior to our busy Friday visiting the shared studio of another Australian jeweller, Laura Deakin and Japanese jeweller Mari Ishikawa, I met Aran Galligan during the early hours of the morning at the Euro Youth Hostel lounge. I found out that she was one of the exhibitors for this year’s Schmuck. I have to admit that her work was not one of the several pieces I took note of during our visit to the fair, probably because I was more drawn to particular elements of colour and texture but decided to have a closer look into her work.

Aran Galligan, Anti-pleura, Necklace, 2012. Copper, stainless steel, sterling silver, resin, gesso, pigment

(Photo Courtesy of Aran Galligan, http://www.arangalligan.com/#!systems/csd5)

Galligan, who is an American jeweller, explores the unconventional beauty through the creation of wearable jewellery. Most of her pieces seem to be greatly inspired by the human anatomy such as the lungs and the blood cells. From her Systems series, I find Anti-pleura – a necklace made in 2012 from copper, stainless steel, sterling silver, resin, gesso, and pigment – interesting since last year for the last semester, I made a neckpiece featuring 4 human body parts. Anti-pleura’s design is quite minimal but I like how one lung is sliced diagonally about halfway, revealing a hollow inside. I wonder why she decided to do this, and why diagonally? Is it simply a means of exploration of both man-made and within-the-body systems as she claimed or is there another meaning behind it?

Her work is featured in the Schmuck 2015 catalogue (page 48) and in books such as the 500 Enameled Objects. Check out her website at<www.arangalligan.com>.