Lucinda Barrett
1. We know you visited Florence a couple of years ago with your daughters, and Fiona happened to be in the UK so was able to spend a few days with you there. It is so refreshing to visit new places, and experience cities with so much history. Was there anything creatively invigorating that happened or you saw while you were there?
LB: Pretty much everything in Florence is inspiring, it’s such a beautiful city. I was actually there for a month so I had lots of time to really explore. Obviously you have to see the classics but there are so many smaller galleries, and contemporary galleries that are worth visiting. A retrospective of the work of Lucio Fontana at The Museo Novecento was particularly inspiring for me, and we both loved the Archaeological Museum.
2. You seem to be drawn to symbols and meaning and this flows through to the types of things you choose to make, especially for this show. Where does this come from in you?
LB: It just comes from a genuine interest in ancient history, art history, women’s stories, myths and magic. If you consume enough of that information it’s hard to ignore the symbols that are carried through time and culture and I think this is just the lens through which I view the world.
3. What is it about making jewellery or working with metals that you love?
LB: I’m drawn to the process and the alchemical aspect of working with metals, the heating, and melting and forming is so interesting to me. And then that idea of adornment is just so familiar but so special. I really do feel quite honoured when somebody decides to go about their day wearing my work.
4. You are also a wonderful jewellery teacher! Does this work enrich your own practice in any way?
LB: Of course. I have been teaching at Workshop 6 for a few years now, and it has been such a good antidote to the aloneness of making art. The energy that teaching gives me and the endless discussions about process and technique have for sure made me a better maker. I’ve met some of the loveliest people and I feel lucky that I get to spend my days hanging out with others and making things.
5. Your paintings reference the varied patinas of Florence? What has the process been like trying to recreate those kinds of textures?
LB: The textures of the city, which have been created over time, have always struck me. Florence is such a visual city in a way that others just aren’t. The narrow streets really bring everything up close. I wanted my paintings to comment on this idea of time passing and incorporate the materiality of metal and clay, which Fiona and I have used throughout the rest of the exhibition.
6. Is there anything about Fiona, in her work or personality that has been inspiring for you as you work on this show together?
LB: Fiona and I have been friends for many years now and I have been such an admirer of her work. We both approach design and making from quite different places but it felt so special that we were able to spend time together in Florence and that despite all that there is to see there, we both fixated on the textures and patinas of the city streets. She’s helped me expand my practice, her clean aesthetic has really made me focus on technique and refinement. I love talking to her about process and it’s been such a privilege to be able to share ideas with this open ended expectation of the end result. I really feel like that has served us both so well.
Thanks, Lucinda!
Interviewed by Kristen Lindesay
Studio shots by Alexander Lindesay, gallery shots by Masami Ono
