A new exhibition at The University of Nottingham Museum explores the concept of giving personal meaning to objects through the work of contemporary jewellery maker Lina Peterson.
The University of Nottingham Museum contains a wide variety of objects covering a 250,000 year period. One of the strengths of the Museum is that it displays everyday objects which help us to understand the daily lives of our ancestors. Lina collaborated with the Museum on the exhibition — Imagined Objects of Desire — which sees her interpret the collections to create her unique modern jewellery.
Lina is also interested in the personal meaning people give to objects and has looked at the Museum collections, both the complete objects on display and the unrecognisable fragments in the basement, and created her own ‘hybrid-artefacts’. This jewellery is part ancient and part new and offers a new and individual interpretation of the objects in The University of Nottingham Museum.
The exhibition also displays the craft work produced by local people. Their work brings together a combination of the groups’ interests in the Museum objects along with their own personal stories.
Clare Pickersgill, Curator at The University of Nottingham Museum said: “Their work provides an insight into the many ways archaeological artefacts, produced and made by people in the past, can influence, inspire and have meaning for people today. It has been really interesting to see the connections people have made.”
This project is part of museumaker, a national partnership between makers, museums and visitors involving 16 museums across the country supported by Arts Council England (ACE), Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and its Renaissance Programme.
Imagined Objects of Desire takes place at The University of Nottingham Museum in the Archaeology Building, University Park, from Friday 1 October to Friday 17 December. The Museum opens Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm and admission is free.
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