I was first attracted to Lindsey Mann’s work for its sweet retro patterns, quirky mid-century shapes and toy-like details. I was born in the 60s after all, and this was my childhood, right there in jewellery form.
On further investigation though, I have discovered that the inspiration for her current collection of work comes from a deeper place – not only from collected memories, but also from a wish for the world to be a cheerier and more friendly place.
“My inventions include the Emergency Bubble-blowing Kit brooch which is intended for swift operation to calm opposing parties in the event of an altercation. The Hand-operated Fan brooch which will rapidly clear the air following an embarrassing faux pas, and you need never feel speechless again with the Tombola-necklace of conversation starters which will provide the perfect ice-breaker when making new friends.”
“From childhood I have had a fascination for old tools, the older they are and more mysterious the better.
“Not really understanding what a tool is for provides the perfect opportunity for a little imagination to come into play and a story to unravel.
“Taking inspiration from bizarre Victorian inventions and the Heath Robinson approach to fabrication I have created my own series of tools for coping with everyday scenarios and to help turn an awkward social situation on its head. The idea of spreading a little joy and happiness rather appeals, so drawing together these ideas I have created a series of wearable tools which will undoubtedly aid the wearer and help them to spread a little cheeriness too.”
Lindsey uses a combination of found treasures, drawings, memories and ideas as the starting point for each of her pieces, playing with the various elements until it begins to make sense. From there, she works with silver, anodised aluminium and other materials to bring the piece together.
I loved her work already, but it was when I discovered her considerable skill in anodising that I became a teeny bit awestruck. (You can read about how I used anodising in my own work a few years ago here.) For those of you who don’t know, anodising is an electro-chemical process which creates a porous surface on the metal, which can then be dyed. A single colour is relatively easy to achieve, but multiple colours and patterns are considerably trickier. Not only has Lindsey achieved beautiful patterns in her own work, she has also written a book which brought together over ten years of experience in experimentation and developments in colouring aluminium. That’s all kinds of awesome!
Lindsey creates one-off pieces for exhibitions, alongside a range of smaller, repeatable items, and also teaches, which she loves. She is also a mum, and consequently finds herself juggling her time like a mad thing. She told me that her total biggest challenge is “being creative on demand in the limited time I have. My brain just doesn’t click mode quick enough…I think the switch might be broken!” [No Lindsey, you’re not alone on that one – JG]
A maker of things ever since she was small, at one time Lindsey was told by the school careers advisor that “craft is not a career”. Luckily, her parents were not of the same opinion – they believed you should follow your true heart, and at age 14 her father took her to a jeweller friend of his for a day in the workshop. “It was a day in heaven being surrounded by tools and I made a silver leaf pendant which my parents still proudly have.”
Starting her business in 2003 after graduating, she was lucky enough to receive awards from both the Crafts Council and Arts Council UK which gave her the finances to set up her studio and the support needed to get the business off the ground.
Now she is thrilled that a collection of her work has been bought by the Tate Modern, AND she has published a book! Which just goes to prove, don’t believe everything your careers advisor tells you.
I asked her what was the best piece of advice she’d ever been given. An absolute maker to the core, she told me “Measure twice, cut once.”
You can find more of Lindsey’s work, and more about the artist herself on her website here – www.lindseymann.co.uk
I just came across your lovely blog via @CassieJeneLee. I’d never seen Lindsey’s work before… it’s exquisite, and divine! I love the way ‘funny’, ‘quirky’ and ‘pretty’ can co-mingle to be every day wearable art. Thanks so much for sharing these treasures with us! Now I’m off to surf around here at Tractor Girl and over at Lindsey Mann. Oops, there goes the rest of my afternoon!! 🙂