dried fruit rings

Pear.

The dehydrator is my new favorite toy. With it, I began to dry fruits and incorporate them with my work in metal.  And what better way than to combine two things I love: jewelry and food. No more cheerio necklaces, I wanted something better! These rings are completely edible, except for the silver part of course. So if one is ever desperate for a munch… and not just any munch, a very delicious and healthy munch!

The perishable fruit contrasted against the permanent silver ring became my main motif as I experimented with different ways of manipulating such a delicate material. More art talk at the end.

Plum.

Granny smith apple.

Granny smith apple.

Beet.

Pear.

Orange.

Orange.

Kiwi.

Plum.

  Plum.

  Burnt granny smith apple.

Burnt granny smith apple.

What will be fun is to see how these rings hold up over the next few months – I plan on making another set of photos later on to see how they decay. Already the Texas humidity is making them a bit soft, which I don’t mind – the only thing I really fear are maggots. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen!

(And on a related note, you can check out the fresh and dried photo series here. I’m not done with it yet, but it’s my growing collection of photographs of food freshly sliced and freshly dried. it was a way to document the changes fruit go through before all the water is removed.)

 

ART TALK (for those who care, feel free to skip)

-Redefining Jewelry: Does all jewelry need to comprise of precious metal and gems? What is it about silver, gold, diamonds, rubies, etc. that have made them the ultimate representation of jewelry?

-Preservation: I realize drying the fruits are a form of preservation, but I did want the rings to last beyond two days. Often I’m annoyed on the archival process in art – acid-free paper, archival pigments, fiber paper in photo which lasts 50 yrs versus the RC paper which only lasts 10 yrs… I really don’t like the emphasis on saving something forever when you haven’t even made it yet. Also it’s a bit haughty to me when someone considers their work important enough to save forever. For me, it’s just about creating. If it lasts, it lasts. If not, then oh well.

-Memory: How we attach meaning to items and how those meanings fade once the person passes away. Most objects we treasure have sentimental meanings attached, but once we pass, so does all knowledge of why that object is important fades as well.