I mean, just look at Phoebe Richardson's set of four stacking espresso cups. Practical individually, and they come together to form a skeleton that's cool enough for even the girliest homes.
I love Momocreatura's ever so cute gold bear necklace, but look up close and the poor bear's cuffed!
Taking the strange yet strangely sweet biscuit is this Cresshead Bottle - er, grow your super-healthy salad topping out of a porcelain baby's bonce.
Curious? Yes. Creepy? No.
I seriously love this shop. I always have a gander when I'm in the area.
ReplyDeleteYeah. I want that necklace. Sigh. Perhaps it can be a self-gift when I finish my bits of the DS book?
ReplyDeleteThat necklace is disgusting. Things like that shouldn't be sold or promoted in places like this
ReplyDeleteI love those espresso cups.
ReplyDeleteHowever I agree with Anonymous re: the necklace - just grisly, not gorgeous. It reminds me of Asiatic Black Bears, imprisoned in horrible conditions for their bile and gall bladders to be used in traditional Asian medicine. Plus there's also the dancing bears in India, and cubs in Cambodia who have their paws cut off for "delicacies" like bear paw soup (I know that sounds made-up, but it's not).
Sorry to be a downer, I just thought you'd want to know why Anon is pissed, since he/she didn't really elaborate and it's a pretty big issue for a lot of people.
I had a look at the designer's website (because I don't disagree with you, or on the face of it Anon's somewhat less eloquent comment) -
ReplyDeletehttp://www.momocreatura.com/index.html
"Her jewellery explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy through the depiction of fairy-tale inspired images. Influenced by European antique jewellery of the 16th-19th century and post-war Japanese sub culture, her references combine to create figurative macabreobjects."
I'm not saying that dancing bears or any kind of animal cruelty is OK, but I don't think that's what the designer is saying either. Some of her work depicts rings of metal straight through and owl's heart, or a pendant with a severed deer head. None of these things are OK, but it certainly pushes boundaries of what is 'beautiful' in art.
I'd feel the same way about a print depicting bull fighting, but that's something that's so widely accepted in certain cultures. I'm not saying that either are OK, but I don't think the motivation behind the piece is to glam up what's a very nasty truth.
Animal cruelty of any kind is wrong. I think there's more to this piece, but sorry if anyone got offended by the necklace.
But it's not been done thoughtlessly. Of course, it's not for everyone (my friend who I was with hated it too) but the jeweller does, as Siany says, specialise in things which highlight the barbarism of the past.
ReplyDeleteI think most people are aware of black bear soup, of dancing bears, and of all the horrible things we've done in the name of entertainment, but I don't see how a piece of jewellery that is not only beautiful, but helps to educate us about some of the atrocities of the past can be wrong in itself?
I'm sorry if anyone was offended! I just thought, personally, it was lovely and interesting..
I agree with you both. It doesn't seem to have been done thoughtlessly, and even though for a lot of people it evokes the bear trade issue, I can see how the designer would have come at it from a folklore/fairytale POV.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't offended at all, I just wanted to say that I understand why Anon got a bit up in arms about it (but I didn't think he/she had adequately explained why). I found it jarring more than anything. But I come from a zoo/wildlife conservation charity background, and have probably edited too many articles about wildlife atrocities. I guess it just gave me paws.
Haha. Geddit? Always end on a bad joke, that's my philosophy.
I don't see that having it as jewellery really helps raise awareness. To be wearing it, suggests an affinity with what it symbolises. I feel the same about the other rather grim items on sale, but seeing as chained/dancing bears are such a contentious issue, it's just wrong.
ReplyDelete