Hillerby graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in 1997 with a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Metalwork, and afterwards received a Start-Up Grant from the Scottish Arts Council to set up her studio and business in Edinburgh. She has travelled nationwide, across Europe and the USA for exhibitions and fairs, but is now mainly based in Manchester Craft and Design Centre, where she designs and makes her one-off jewellery pieces.
The metal aspects of her work are inspired by textures found
in the city’s urban environment and make reference to Britain’s industrial
heritage. Although British history is something I am really interested in, the
narrative in Hillerby’s work is what I am immediately drawn to and excited
about.
As well as jewellery, Hillerby creates beautiful, layered
paper collages from her collected ephemera. These nostalgic pieces immediately
set my imagination racing. They have a tactile quality and each layer reveals
more of the unknown, intriguing story. I can see these paper collages being
transformed into surfaces for ceramic pieces.
The main starting point for Hillerby’s work is handwriting –
like me, she is captivated by the ambiguity of old, handwritten documents.
Similarly to me, Hillerby collects old postcards (the one below is part of my huge collection) stamps, maps and photographs, then transforms them to create new, contemporary stories.
In a way, I become sentimental about the object’s original story being changed by Hillerby, but admire her ability to restore it and give it a new, beautifully communicated meaning.
In a way, I become sentimental about the object’s original story being changed by Hillerby, but admire her ability to restore it and give it a new, beautifully communicated meaning.
When I find discarded, unwanted photographs (like the one above which I found in a local antique shop) I feel
obliged to cherish them – my imagination runs wild and I invent stories about
the ‘characters’ in the image before me. This is something I think Hillerby
does, too. Each of her pieces is based on an unknown character - the fictional,
whimsical element of her work is what inspires me.
Some of my work is informed by ephemera I know a lot more about, such as my Grandma's postcards, photographs, recipe books and old letters. These things (shown in the image below) that my Grandma hoards are often the starting point for most of my pieces.
Some of my work is informed by ephemera I know a lot more about, such as my Grandma's postcards, photographs, recipe books and old letters. These things (shown in the image below) that my Grandma hoards are often the starting point for most of my pieces.
Looking at the starting point for Hillbery's work, it is clear to see that we are inspired by similar things. I find it interesting to see how a designer who works in a different discipline applies this nostalgia to her work.
I have come across Hillerby’s work several times, mainly at Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Craft and Design Centre - local places I often visit when I need some inspiration. Although I am not a jeweller and don’t often look into that aspect of craft, Clare Hillerby’s pieces have inspired me for several years. The way she transforms unwanted, unloved objects into something precious is something that inspires my practice as an aspiring designer maker.
Keep up with Clare Hillerby's work:
http://clarehillerby.wordpress.com/
http://www.clarehillerby.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/clarehillerbyjewellery?fref=ts
