Come in and get Lost Brooch, Fall 2011
Materials: Sterling silver, fine silver, pin-back, acrylic
Processesses: Fabrication including saw-folding, piercing of text, bezel set acrylic
Concept: I have chosen to honor Ed Mirvish with a brooch on the Hampton Court hedge maze turned into a game. The Hampton Court hedge maze was one of the first puzzle mazes designed to have choices of direction and dead ends. Previously, mazes were associated with spirituality and life journey. They did not have the element of confusion but rather a ritualistic movement.
The whimsical nature of this purposeful confusion relates to Ed Mirvish's store Honest Ed's and his appreciation of theatre. Theatre is an escape from reality into fantasy. Similarly, the Honest Ed's store is a unique experience with a fantastical sense of disorientation. The discount emporium is filled with wonders and offers savings not to be found elsewhere in the city. Ed Mirvish showed a special understanding for those in need - the restaurants he created for theatre goers to have an affordable meal to go with their show; and the turkeys the store continues to give away for free bring Christmas cheer to those who cannot afford it. These inclusive tendencies allow the average person to break from their reality and afford that which they desire. Honest Ed's does not fuss with fancy displays or sleek organization. The building occupies maximum space to pack in as many savings as possible in maze-like disarray. The fantasy and whimsy of Mirvish's store and theatres fit in nicely with the purposeful disorientation of visiting a hedge maze.
The top edge of the pendant reads “come in and get lost!”. This phrase is one of the quirky advertisements on the exterior of Honest Ed’s. The phrase gestures to the confusion of the store, as well as the departure from reality in theatre performances, further emphasized by the use of the disorienting hedge maze.
I have altered the Hampton Court maze to be more symmetrical and have multiple paths to get from end to end. I chose to eliminate most dead ends to account for the player seeing the aerial view (rather then being physically inside the maze) and instead supplemented lots of directional choices.
Materials: Sterling silver, fine silver, pin-back, acrylic
Processesses: Fabrication including saw-folding, piercing of text, bezel set acrylic
Concept: I have chosen to honor Ed Mirvish with a brooch on the Hampton Court hedge maze turned into a game. The Hampton Court hedge maze was one of the first puzzle mazes designed to have choices of direction and dead ends. Previously, mazes were associated with spirituality and life journey. They did not have the element of confusion but rather a ritualistic movement.
The whimsical nature of this purposeful confusion relates to Ed Mirvish's store Honest Ed's and his appreciation of theatre. Theatre is an escape from reality into fantasy. Similarly, the Honest Ed's store is a unique experience with a fantastical sense of disorientation. The discount emporium is filled with wonders and offers savings not to be found elsewhere in the city. Ed Mirvish showed a special understanding for those in need - the restaurants he created for theatre goers to have an affordable meal to go with their show; and the turkeys the store continues to give away for free bring Christmas cheer to those who cannot afford it. These inclusive tendencies allow the average person to break from their reality and afford that which they desire. Honest Ed's does not fuss with fancy displays or sleek organization. The building occupies maximum space to pack in as many savings as possible in maze-like disarray. The fantasy and whimsy of Mirvish's store and theatres fit in nicely with the purposeful disorientation of visiting a hedge maze.
The top edge of the pendant reads “come in and get lost!”. This phrase is one of the quirky advertisements on the exterior of Honest Ed’s. The phrase gestures to the confusion of the store, as well as the departure from reality in theatre performances, further emphasized by the use of the disorienting hedge maze.
I have altered the Hampton Court maze to be more symmetrical and have multiple paths to get from end to end. I chose to eliminate most dead ends to account for the player seeing the aerial view (rather then being physically inside the maze) and instead supplemented lots of directional choices.
