Precious Places - Bird, Body & Bone

Background: In 2019 UK based curator Lynne Speak invited Elizabeth Shaw to contribute work to the exhibition Precious Places based on Shaw’s Urban Origins collection created for the BAD 2019 at Museum of Brisbane. Precious Places was originally intended to be held at Athens Jewellery Week in May 2020. AJW20 was cancelled due to Covid and Precious Places was instead exhibited at Alliages Gallery in Lille France. Alliages is an independently run leading art jewellery gallery in France. The original premise for the exhibition written in 2019 took on new meaning with Covid. Shaw exhibited three works, Links - Bird, Links - Body and Links - Bone. Research Contribution: The exhibition was focussed on the role jewellery plays on connection to place and this was identified as key element in Shaw’s work. Originally conceived in 2019 the connection to place took on new meaning in 2020 when the exhibition was realised. Travel restrictions and border closers focussed attention on the importance and preciousness of place. Shaw created two new works Links - Bird, Links - Body to exhibit with one previously exhibited work Links – Bone. Research significance: This is the first time Lynne Speak has curated Elizabeth Shaw’s work. The exhibition included works from leading international jewellers including Rachael Colley Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University UK, with Shaw being the only Australian represented. Links - Bird, Links – Body continue Shaw’s investigation of materials reuse and narrative and her inclusion in this international exhibition demonstrates the currency of her research.