Rachael Colley
Senior Lecturer in Jewellery and Metalwork
- Department of Art and Design
- Art Design and Media Research Centre
- Lab4Living
- Culture and Creativity Research Institute
Summary
Based in Sheffield, the UK’s ‘Steel City’, famed for its metalworking heritage and cutlery industry, I explore its history, thinking through materials and making to create artefacts. Moving between the fields of craft and contemporary visual art, I produce jewellery, tableware and sculpture designed to play with associations and contexts around eating, challenging our collective connections with food.
About
I teach on the MA Jewellery and Metalwork course, leading the 'Critical Making' module, supporting our students to apply a range of research methods, design thinking strategies and to develop a rigorous approach to material experimentation.
I'm a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and gained a postgraduate certificate in higher education. I hold a BA in 3D Design, Silversmithing and Jewellery, from Loughborough University and an MA in Goldsmithing, silversmithing, metalwork and Jewellery from the Royal College Art. I exhibit my work nationally and internationally, with pieces from my 'Sha-green' jewellery series receiving awards in Italy and Japan and joining the permanent collections of the Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami, Archivo Negroni in Milan and Le Arti Orafe in Florence.
In 2021 I was awarded the QEST Howdens Scholarship by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust and a Career Catalyst Grant from the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London. In the same year, I was selected to participate in the 2-year Freelands Artist Programme residency 'Platform 21' at Site Gallery in Sheffield, which supported me to join the Yorkshire Sculpture International network for 2022 and to gain Arts Council England funding to develop my creative practice throughout 2022-23.
Teaching
College of Social Sciences and Arts
Subject area
Product / Interior / Jewellery / HDA PP
Courses
MA Jewellery and Metalwork
Modules
Critical Making
Research
Selected exhibitions 2022-23
2023 Radical Jewelry Makeover, New York Jewelry Week, USA
2023 Heirlooms of the Future II, Mobilia Gallery, Massachusetts, USA
2023 Swords into Ploughshares: Knives into Jewels, a touring exhibition, UK
2023 Watashi wo Yosoou - Beyond the Jewellery, Itami City Museum of Art, History and Culture, Itami, Japan
2023 In the Same Breath, Freelands Foundation, London, UK
2023 COLLECT, Somerset House, London, UK
2022 Itami International Craft Exhibition 'Shuki Shuhaidai', Itami City Museum of Art, History and Culture, Itami, Japan
2022 Craft Sustained, The Hub, Sleaford, UK
2022 New Gestures, Site Gallery, Sheffield, UK
2022 LEATHER : METAL : CLOTH The Art of the Exceptional: A Jubilee Celebration of Makers, Fortnum & Mason, London, UK
2022 Meanings and Messages, Association for Contemporary Jewellery 25 year Anniversary national touring exhibition, Gravesham, Exeter, Birmingham, Swansea, London and Cirencester, UK
2022 Craft of Convalescence, New Brewery Arts, Cirencester, UK
2022 Soft Loop, Site Gallery, Sheffield, UK
Featured research projects
https://rachaelcolleyartist.wordpress.com/
https://www.sitegallery.org/platform-21-rachael-colley/
Publications
Journal articles
Colley, R. (2018). Food-Metal Alchemy. How Fine a Mess, (6). http://howfineamess.com/issues/How-Fine-a-Mess-Issue-06.pdf
Colley, R. (2016). Two-fingered (salute). Feast journal, (1). http://feastjournal.co.uk/article/two-fingered-salute/
Conference papers
Colley, R. (2019). Re:mains - Art jewellery paired with ambiguous eating implements as a means to explore interoceptive sensory perception. In Culture Costume and Dress Conference 2019, Birmingham City University, 5 June 2019 - 7 June 2019. https://ccd2019.org/conference/
Colley, R. (2018). M(eat) et al: art jewellery as a means to explore body boundary? In Boultwood, A., & Hindle, S. (Eds.) Culture Costume and Dress, Birmingham City University, 10 May 2017 - 12 May 2017 (pp. 177-183). Birmingham: Gold Word Publishing: http://ccd2017.org/
Artefacts
Colley, R. (2019). Cutlery combs and For-K-andles. [Eating tools].
Colley, R. (2018). Sha-green. [Art jewellery].
Colley, R. (2017). Vanitas. [Art Jewellery].
Colley, R. (2017). M(eat) et al. [Art jewellery]. https://ccd2017.org/
Colley, R. (2017). Tongues. [Art jewellery].
Colley, R. (2016). Ambiguous Implements. [Eating tools]. https://ambiguous-show.tumblr.com/about
Exhibitions
Kullik, M., & Wijnsma, J. (2019). Steinbeisser - Experimental Gastronomy. [Eating implements]. Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Colley, R., Mansfield, L., & Clooney, N. (2017). Ambiguous Implements. [Visual arts - mixed media]. National touring exhibition, Sheffield, Folkestone, Birmingham and Rochdale. https://ambiguous-show.tumblr.com/
Colley, R., Mansfield, L., & Clooney, N. (2017). Ambiguous Implements. [Visual arts - mixed media]. National touring exhibition, Sheffield, Folkestone, Birmingham and Rochdale. https://ambiguous-show.tumblr.com/
Colley, R. (2017). Itami International Jewellery Exhibition 2017. [Art jewellery]. The Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami.
Colley, R. (2019). Itami International Jewellery Exhibition 2019. [Art jewellery]. The Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami.
van Kesteren, A.-.K. (2019). Body Control: Jewellery and Fashion at the Boundaries of the Human Body. [jewellery]. The Church, Museum Arnhem. https://www.museumarnhem.nl/tentoonstellingen/body-control/
Meany, T., & Steiner, H. (2019). Biodesign Here NOW 2019. [Jewellery]. Open Cell, London.
Colley, R. (2019). Arm Candy: The Art of Wearable Food. [Jewellery]. ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA. https://www.carolyntillie.com/bookshop/arm-candy-an-exhibition-of-food-as-jewelry-and-body-adornment-catalogue-1
Colley, R. (2019). Re:mains. [jewellery and eating implements]. Sheffield Institute of Arts Gallery, Sheffield Hallam University.
Tuupanen, T. (2018). KORU6 International Contemporary Jewellery Triennial. [Jewellery]. Imatra Art Museum, Finland. http://www.koru5.fi/index.html
Kėrienė, L. (2020). 'Eco Sight' Amber Trip XVII International Baltic Jewellery Show 2020. [Jewellery]. Litexpo exhibition and congress centre, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Colley, R. (2020). Preziosa Young 2020. [Jewellery]. Touring exhibition: Inhorgenta (14-17 February 2020), Munich, Germany; Palazzo Coveri Gallery (28 October - 9 November 2020), Florence, Italy; Hannah Gallery (13 January to 3 February 2021), Barcelona, Spain. https://www.preziosa.org/preziosa-young-2020/
Negroni, E. (2018). Gioielli in Fermento 2018. [Jewellery]. Touring exhibition: Piacenza and Padua, Italy; Joya, Barcelona, Spain.
Liu, H. (2019). Beijing International Jewellery Exhibition 2019. [Jewellery]. Zhongguancun Fashion Industry Innovation Park, Beijing, China.
Sun, H. (2020). Growth & Evolution International Jewellery Exhibition. [Jewellery]. Touring exhibition: Royal Venus Hotel, Kunming, Yunnan; Sanlitun SOHO, Beijing; Beijing Design Week, China.
Liu, H. (2019). Beijing International Jewellery Exhibition 2019. [Jewellery]. Zhongguancun Fashion Industry Innovation Park, Beijing, China.
Colley, R. (2019). Arm Candy: The Art of Wearable Food. [Jewellery]. ACCI Gallery, Berkeley, CA. https://www.carolyntillie.com/bookshop/arm-candy-an-exhibition-of-food-as-jewelry-and-body-adornment-catalogue-1
Laughlin, Z., & Worshipful Company of Cutlers, (2016). Cutlery Design Challenge. [Eating tools]. Cutlers’ Hall, London.
Speake, L., & Riusech, J. (2020). Precious Places. [Art Jewellery]. Alliages Gallery, Lille, France; Istanbul Jewellery Week, Turkey (online).
Bottomley, S., & Alexander, D. (2019). Handmade by Machines: Seized by the Means of Production. [Art Jewellery]. Vittoria Street Gallery, School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University.
Pina, A. (2019). Tincal Lab Challenge: Jewelry and Anatomy. [Art Jewellery]. Tincal Lab, Porto, Portugal; Romanian Jewellery Week, Bucharest, Romania. https://tincallab.com/collections/challenge-2019
Morawetz, S. (2019). Wearing Change: Not Only Decoration. [Art Jewellery]. Villa Bengel, Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
Speake, L., & Riusech, J. (2019). Precious? Précieux !? [Art Jewellery]. Column Bakehouse Gallery, Ocean Studios, Plymouth, UK; Alliages, Lille, France.
Gray, A., & Costa, L.M. (2019). Schmuck/Schmock. [Photography of Art Jewellery]. TempContemp gallery, Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia. https://klimt02.net/galleries/tempcontemp
Roth, S. (2019). Put it On. [Art Jewellery]. Innere Wiener Straße 24, Munich Jewellery Week, Munich, Germany. https://munichjewelleryweek.com/
Bottomley, S., & Turrell, E. (2019). FERROcity: A contemporary exhibition of iron in the city. [Art Jewellery]. Museum Reich der Kristalle, Munich, Germany; Birmingham and Glasgow, UK; Beijing, Shanghai, Guanzhou, China. https://www.journalofjewelleryresearch.org/current-volume/
Chan Yuk, B. (2018). The Five Elements - Journey of Creation. [Art Jewellery]. HKDI Gallery, Hong Kong Design Institute, Hong Kong.
Roth, S., & Collins, S. (2018). Selfie-ism. [Art Jewellery]. Innere Wiener Straße 24, Munich Jewellery Week, Munich, Germany.
Petry, M., & Jablonski, G. (2017). Nature Morte. [Art Jewellery]. Amber Trip 2017, Amber and Jewellery fair, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Colley, R. (2020). Preziosa Young 2020. [Jewellery]. Touring exhibition: Inhorgenta (14-17 February 2020), Munich, Germany; Palazzo Coveri Gallery (28 October - 9 November 2020), Florence, Italy; Hannah Gallery (13 January to 3 February 2021), Barcelona, Spain. https://www.preziosa.org/preziosa-young-2020/
Colley, R. (2017). Itami International Jewellery Exhibition 2017. [Art jewellery]. The Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami.
Colley, R. (2019). Itami International Jewellery Exhibition 2019. [Art jewellery]. The Museum of Arts and Crafts Itami.
Performances
Colley, R., & Clooney, N. (2017). BY|WITH|BY performance with Ambiguous Implements. Sheffield Hallam University https://www.acj.org.uk/index.php/archive/conferences/100-conference
Colley, R., & Nuala, C. (2016). BY|WITH|BY collaborative performance with Ambiguous Implements. Nottingham Contemporary https://indialogue2014.wordpress.com/indialogue-2016/
Other activities
2021-23 RCA jewellery and metal external examiner
Postgraduate supervision
I supervise and support doctoral research in Jewellery and Metalwork