Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

Jewelbox: Dharma is the latest presentation of Y Art Gallery and runs from May 5 to 25. It explores the various meanings and interpretations of dharma through the work of six jewellers.

The featured artists are Jade Drakes, Janice Derrick, Mairi Millar, Rachel Ross, Barbara Jardine and Sonya Sanchez-Arias. Dharma is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Dharma means to do whatever you do very practically and skillfully and for the benefit of all beings. Each artist expressed their concept of dharma differently.

Sanchez-Arias said in her work she deals with transformation and possibilities in making jewellery. “My experimentation with alternative materials frees my imagination and provides many opportunities for wonderful accidents and new techniques that influence the finished product. Dharma states that the potential for awakening and perfection is present in every human being and is a matter of personal effort to realize that potential. My object is a small six-inch ring bowl made from paper, cracked open and sewn together with red, white and black threads, each of which hold a different meaning. For me, the act of using thread, sewing, knotting and tying things together, is an act of emotional repair – taking things that are damaged and fragmented and making them whole again.”

Drakes particularly gravitate towards found objects, like interesting pieces of steel from construction sites or wood she finds at vintage markets. “I like to collage these together and mix in metals such as gold and platinum. I keep working on a piece until it has expression, until it speaks and tells me it’s done, and sometimes the work only makes sense much later on. My body of work is about healing. In these pieces, the gems are exposed almost all the way around, easy to see and feel and more accessible. I focused on the tactile experience.  I want the wearer to find a connection to the stones and textures, discover what attracts them to the piece in the first place and let them be grounded. I don’t feel right if I’m not making. It is my natural way, my Dharma.”

Millar works with a mixture of conventional and unconventional materials, including precious metals usually paired with natural objects such as porcupine quills and beetle elytra. She’s fascinated with making beautiful jewellery which also exudes strength. “In my work I incorporate the protective instruments used by prey. I aim to elevate these materials to emphasize not the creature’s vulnerability but their strength, as of the people who wear them. A big part of the concept of dharma is following a set of values to achieve “the right way of living”. For my work, emphasizing empowerment is crucial to dharma, however, I enjoy that the “untraditional” materials add a small sense of rebellion against the idea of a set path for all.”

Ross said light and dark is a spectrum in itself, whose meaning is vast and encompasses both black and white, the visible and the invisible. “The extremes are what pushed me forward with these new pieces. I used primarily oxidised silver with pearls, crystals, slate, black coral, materials that appear to have no colour and yet evoke strong moods. Although we often think of a spectrum as an array of colour and light, what I have sought to capture is the infinite array that exists beyond the conventional spectrum.”

Jardine combines traditional precious metals and stones with natural and recycled ones such as horn, beetles, sea urchins, and mother-of-pearl, along with pigments, metal leaf and resins. “All my pieces are handmade. I design to order or create pieces of my own choice using whatever materials that inspire an idea to that moment in time.”

Derrick’s work is made of gold, sterling and oxidised silver as well as combinations of these metals within the same piece, along with different colours. “I try to create jewellery that is contemporary yet lasting and is not dictated by trends. My wish is that my jewellery becomes personally precious to its owner.”

Melissa Miller of Y Art Gallery said “the effort to find more balance led to research into Ayurveda and Tantra, sister sciences of Yoga, in which dharma came up. There is where we discovered its beautifully deep meanings, as there are a plethora of interpretations. It has great significance in so many eastern religions and languages and its broad yet personal scope made it a suitable overarching concept for a group show where each designer’s story, inspiration, background and style is so distinctly theirs.”

Dharma is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. There is no single-word translation for dharma in Western languages.

In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviours that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta, the order that makes life and universe possible, and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and “right way of living”.

In Buddhism, dharma means “cosmic law and order”, and is also applied to the teachings of the Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/dharma is also the term for “phenomena”.

Dharma in Jainism refers to the teachings of tirthankara (Jina) and the body of doctrine pertaining to the purification and moral transformation of human beings.

For Sikhs, the word dharm means the path of righteousness and proper religious practice.

The word dharma was already in use in the historical Vedic religion, and its meaning and conceptual scope has evolved over several millennia.`

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Dharma means to do whatever you do very practically and skillfully and for the benefit of all beings.

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Dharma is the innate characteristic of any being . Eg The dharma of fire is to burn.

The dharma of humans is to do more than animals (i.e.. more than eating, sleeping and procreating) -To become one with infinite consciousness.

Human Dharma:

Vistara- Expansion of mind

Rasa- Cosmic Flow/divine rhythm of the universe that is constant, and to which we must learn to dance .

Seva- Selfless Service

Brahma Tadsthiti- Merging with supreme consciousness .