"Signs of Life is a contemporary jewelry art show and companion jewelry art catalog/literary journal. The show features work by nine artists. The catalog/literary journal pairs these jewelry artists with nine writers in a unique publication that celebrates both literature and jewelry art. Show opening and catalog publication date: October 5, 2011. This is the seventh year of publication of Signs of Life, a literary magazine. This project combines the owner's love of literature with her passion for jewelry art. Only 1000 copies are printed. Order from Facere Jewelry Art Gallery by e-mail or phone." Copyright 2007-2011 Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery All Rights Reserved
Facere Art Gallery, City Centre 1420 Fifth Ave. Seattle WA 98101 206.624.6768
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2011 Sterling silver, 14K gold, fresh water pearls, cultured pearls, glass head quilters pins Pattern spells ‘Left/Right” in the braille alphabet. 4” x 4” x 1” Photo Hap Sakwa Copyright Jack da Silva 2011
2003 Sterling silver, pearls, cork, glass head quilters pins. Pattern spells ‘Remember’ in the braille alphabet. 4.5” x 4.5” x 2” Photo M Lee Fatherree
2011 Sterling silver, 14K gold, fresh water pearls, cultured pearls, glass head quilters pins Pattern spells ‘Left/Right” in the braille alphabet. 4” x 4” x 1” Photo Hap Sakwa Copyright Jack da Silva 2011
Jack da Silva, a celebrated metalsmith and jewelrymaker who works in California, is likely the first artist in any of the Signs of Life exhibitions to make a piece in response to a writer. Da Silva submitted his first piece, a bracelet called Remember Braillecelet, which inspired writer Alice Derry, of Washington State, to write a poem about wearing a bracelet as a child to help remember which side is left and which is right. Da Silva’s Braillecelet is a sterling band punctuated with small corks, like tiny wine bottle stoppers, that spell the word “remember” in Braille.
In a telephone interview da Silva said he became interested in Braille several decades ago as
a way to visually show the idea that communication comes in many forms. He added “there are ways of communicating that may not be quickly understood. But that doesn’t mean the information isn’t there. So it’s incumbent on the other person to figure out how to understand that information.” But after reading Derry’s poem a few times, da Silva decided to make another silver bangle bracelet, this time with the words “right” and “left” spelled out in Braille in tiny pearls and glass head quilter’s pins. The piece is engaging—a spare bracelet decorated with little pearl pop-ups—even before you understand that the pearls and pins are encoded with language. Like the Signs of Life project, da Silva’s bracelets communicate in more than one way.
Excerpt from Review of Signs of Life Exhibition, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA
Signs of Life at Ornament Magazine - The Art and Craft of Personal Adornment, Ornament Magazine
by Robin Updike issue 35.1 Review of Signs of Life Exhibition, Facere Gallery, Seattle, WA