Dialogue Collective at Galerie Hell in Munich
While visiting Munich last month during Schmuck 2014, I came across a small gallery, Galerie Hell, featuring a group of contemporary jewelers who belong to the Dialogue Collective out of London. Each of the artists in the group made work specially for a concept:
It’s 1888. Whitechapel in London’s east end is gripped by the horrific aftermath of Jack the Ripper’s murderous campaign. Fast forward to the present. Standing outside The Cass, their spiritual home, in the pouring rain on a dark, dank and cold night, less than a hundred metres from one of the Ripper’s alleged victims, Dialogue Collective start their journey into ‘The Dark Side’. A journey that takes them into silvermithing and jewellery workshops via late night discussions in pubs. A journey that ends in Munich, at Galerie Hell.
The work was presented in a medical-like environment where the viewer gets to choose a “specimen” tray, view it under a lamp resembling an interrogation scenario and listens to the explanation and story of the narrative work in question, each about one of Jack the Ripper’s victims. When the viewer rings the bell, another tray is brought out. I find the group’s conceptual collaboration inspired by creative points of reference clever and interesting.
The Participants:
- Petra Bishal
- Isabelle Busnel
- Ellie Corp
- Sophie Hall
- Buddug Humphreys
- Vicky King
- Maarit Liukkonen
- Darja Kikitina
- Fiona Rourke
- Margo Sevadjian
- Rachel Terry
- Timothy Information Limited
- Helene Turbe
- Deborah Werbner
- Anet Wrobel
Dialogue Collective was formed by a London based group of artists with a background in jewellery and silversmithing. The Collective has presented twelve events to date. A changing group of artists participate in each event, as well as invited guests, all of whom have a connection to London Metropolitan University aka The Cass.
The remit is to develop different and interesting ways to create and show jewellery and silversmithing through collaborative making and discussion. Also, to develop ways of bringing contemporary jewellery and objects to a wider audience. Previous exhibitions have been inspired by Delia Smith’s classic book “Complete Cookery Course” (Dialogue 3) and the Renaissance (Dialogue 12). Exhibitions have taken place on a Route Master bus (Dialogue 5) and in a working foundry in Munich at Schmuck (Dialogue 8, Dialogue X and Dialogue 12). The process has acted as a catalyst for many of it’s members to develop new ways of working within their own individual practices.
