Areta Wilkinson

Citation

Thesis Title
Jewellery as Pepeha: Contemporary Practice informed by Maori Inquiry

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Contemporary jewellery is an international practice of making objects that are worn on the body, and which relate to the categories of heirloom and memento, and the idea of preciousness. Ms Wilkinson investigated the intersection of contemporary jewellery as a form of knowledge and practice with Maori philosophies, especially whakapapa and a worldview informed by Ngai Tahu perspectives. In doing so, she has developed a framework for contemporary jewellery that is distinctive and unique to Te Waipounamu/Aotearoa, and a way of thinking about making that negotiates the boundary between contemporary jewellery and taonga tuku iho, treasures handed down from the ancestors. Her PhD exhibition held at Koukourarata Marae was a first for Massey University.

Supervisors
Professor Bob Jahnke
Professor Huia Jahnke
Dr Bronwyn Campbell