Maria Hammond is a mixed media contemporary jeweller, passionate about sustainability and our relationship with the environment.
She has been awarded this spotlight exhibition from a range of makers who exhibited at the 2023 MMU School of Art Graduate show. Her work was chosen for it’s creative use of materials and the innovative making and design qualities. By using materials that go unnoticed, or go to waste, she seeks to create pieces that are both beautiful and responsible.
This collection is inspired by an abandoned, derelict industrial building and its decayed materials, which have a unique beauty and character that reflect local history and experiences of life. As it is reclaimed by nature, she is reminded of the cycle of life and death, and is filled with a sense of hope and possibility.
To understand her attraction to the transformative process of time and the representation of memory in buildings and objects, her practise includes burning, patinating, oxidising, and carving. Through these techniques, she aims to create pieces that catch a snapshot of disappearing industrial sites and the beauty in the textures and patterns of their decaying materiality.
Her work is on display ‘In the Window’ on College Lane, and available to purchase in the gallery and online, throughout June 2024.