Preciousness, Concrete + Metal: Early Work

THIS PAGE shows my earlier jewellery and functional work which connects to or deals with ideas about preciousness and/or concrete, in roughly chronological order. For current work see the gallery page.

Pendant - words
It's Difficult:
Acrylic, plastic lamination, silver, photocopy on acetate, monofilament, 1984. ©Andrew Goss
This piece is about preciousness and what we value. The words read: "It's difficult to leave beauty behind in the search for pure idea." The handwritten line reads: "snap off on line," the idea being that you break off the silver part and throw it away. Monofilament would still hold the two pieces together, making it difficult to separate them further.

Opal Ring:
Sterling silver, opals, portland cement, 1996. ©Andrew Goss
This ring was made for an exhibition titled Precious Intentions. Opals are buried (hidden) in the portland cement, which has been poured into a sterling silver bezel. No one knows for certain the opals are there except myself; the purchaser has to trust me. For me the concept and the design (form) are what give a piece value, not the arbitrary value of a material. Would someone be willing to buy this ring knowing they could never show the opals to anyone? If there were two rings in a display case like this, and one had opals and one did not, should they be the same price?

Diamond Pendant:
Sterling silver, five diamonds, portland cement, 1996. ©Andrew Goss
This pendant was made for the same show. Five small diamonds were buried in the cement. Again, only myself and the purchaser know the diamonds are there. Reactions: "Why?" --- "What a waste!" --- "Right!" --- "How much were the diamonds worth?"

Half a Pound of Amethysts:
Concrete, half pound of amethysts, bronze, patina, gold leaf, 1996. 8.5" X 4" X 4". ©Andrew Goss
Amethysts were used as the aggregate in this box with lid. In one or two places the stones can be seen at the surface, but most of the "preciousness" is hidden. This was made for the Precious Intentions show.

Slot Box 1 8k jpg
Slot Box 1:
Concrete, copper, patina, gold leaf, 1996. 9 in (23 cm) high. ©Andrew Goss
I made two box-like forms for an exhibition called Box at Du Verre Gallery in Toronto; this is the first. The concrete is cast in a mold made from styrofoam, with the forged copper wire legs cast in place. You usually think of concrete as being a solid casting. Here the concrete is hollow, allowing it to become a box. At first glance the box does not appear to be made of concrete as I patinated the surface green and black and gold-leafed the inside surfaces.

Slot Box 2:
Concrete, copper, patina, gold leaf, 1996. About 6 in (23 cm) high. ©Andrew Goss
This is the second box-like form for the Box exhibition. Again the concrete was cast in a mold, but with only one wire piercing the form. It can stand in many positions, tilted as shown, or upright and symmetrical, with the opening at the top, or at the side. I like the tension of the mass of concrete resting on the single metal point, and the contrast between the preciousnesss of the gold leaf and the roughness of the concrete. Concrete, almost by definition, says 'heavy' or 'coarse' while metal says 'elegant' and 'sophisticated.'

~Andrew Goss

CONTACT + LEGAL
Last update: June 16, 1998.