Introduction
to study
Gender studies refers to the
social process of dividing people as well as social practices along the lines
of sexed identities, which generally create hierarchies between the divisions
it enacts (Beasley 2005:11). According to Cudd, Andreasen & Barker (cited
by Judy Peter 2015:2), “…Sex refers to the biological functions of the body and
gender to the cultural assumptions that constitute the construction of men and
women.” Gender has been constructed with specific stereotypes associated with
masculine and feminine qualities or essentialist qualities. However,
contemporary readings on gender support a non-essentialist approach, which
allows for the redefining of gendered stereotypes. (Grove &Watt 2004:52).
These gendered stereotypes also influence the jewellery industry. This evident
in jewellery designed for women that uses design aspects of thin delicate
lines, shape and form which represented the feminine characteristics associated
with women and is still practiced today. Lines were curved, dainty and thin,
while the jewellery was delicate and filled with gemstones. Although these
characteristics have become non essentialist, it is still strongly embedded in
society which cannot be completely disregarded.
Bobbin
lace jewellery has been made in the jewellery discipline. However, a formal
analysis with regards to its meaning and effects are not fully explored or
documented. Jewellery has not been linked to theories of design because of its
relation to the broad aspects of craft and notions of adornment. Although it is
considered as part of adornment it represents important aspects of class,
wealth and power. Lace has been seen in the same context as jewellery, due to
its ability to be considered as an adornment and to represent the social
understanding of wealth, class and power by a feminine domesticated skill.
Jewellery and lace are strongly associated to female stereotypes and
femininity. After briefly understanding these ideologies associated to both
lace and jewellery. I identified my research problem which is a gap between
lace jewellery and its lack of representation in the academic literature of
design theories and ideologies of gendered roles and feminism in a jewellery
context.
Gender
theories have been discussed and explored in many art disciplines, however not
immensely in a jewellery specific discipline. The interest in gendered theories
led me to linking it with jewellery and in doing so I discovered the lack of
information in this regard. The lack of published academic writing in the
jewellery discipline allows for the building of academic literature. The main
reason as to how I identified the gap in literature for the jewellery
discipline was due to the magnitude of research related to lace and textiles in
a gender specific context.
The
purpose of this study is to examine and investigate the gendered identities of
feminism and its associations with metallic and lace inspired jewellery. This
will be achieved by creating lace jewellery pieces and providing a semiotic
analysis on each piece. This research provides a comparative analysis between
the alternative material of lace and lace jewellery, and explores the
associated gendered assumptions. However, my main focus would be to analyse whether the material and context used plays an
important role in feminine inspired designs of lace jewellery.
Beasley, C. 2005. Gender & Sexuality: Critical Theories,
Critical Thinkers. London: Sage Publications.
Childers, C. 1999. Haute
Jewelry. New York: BW Publishing Associates Inc.
Evans, J. 1970. A History of Jewellery, 1100-1870.
London: Faber & Faber.
FADA BA Honours Learning
Guide, 2015.Johannsburg: University of Johannesburg.
Lauran Sundin. 2015. [O].
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Lenka’s Way of Lace. 2014.
[O].Available:
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Mariambibi Khan. 2015. [O].
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Meyers, M. 1999. Mediated Women: Representations in Popular
Culture. New York Hampton Press, Inc.
Montupet, J & Schoeller,
G.1990. Lace: The Elegant Web. New
York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
Parker, R. 1996. The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making
of Feminine. London; The Women’s Press Ltd.
Peter, J (lecturer). 2015.
Gender: Feminism/s lecture notes. UJ Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture.
Woodward, K (ed). 2004. Questioning Identity: Gender, Class,
Ethnicity. London: Routledge.
Woodward, K & Woodward, S.
2009. Why Feminism Matters: Feminism Lost
and Found. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Wives of Henry. 2015. [O].
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