copper, enamel, synthetic hair, 76 x 185mm, 2026.
dried cockroach specimen, enamelled copper, brass, 90 x 70 x 80mm 2026.
'Hair Pin plays with how value is assigned to materials, objects and forms of making. Using copper, enamel and synthetic hair rather than precious metals, I deliberately work with materials that are inexpensive and often overlooked. The synthetic hair is woven using traditional bobbin lace techniques, referencing women’s craft practices that have historically been devalued. By placing these cheaper and unconventional materials within the context of jewellery, I give them a different kind of value, questioning whether an object’s worth comes from its material cost; from the labour, skill, intent and meaning invested in it; or from the context in which it is displayed and viewed. This approach reflects the future of my practice as precious metals become increasingly inaccessible to makers and artists, particularly students and those early in their careers.
Remote Worker explores the value that can be created from unconventional and inexpensive materials. As part of my Model Society series, the dried cockroach is placed at the centre of a miniature workplace, while brass and enamelled copper are used to construct the surrounding home-office environment. The cockroach is an anonymous, faceless and disposable actor in the working-from-home vignette. Its absurdity creates humour while commenting on human labour and the strange realities of working from home. I deliberately avoided precious metals, instead working with materials that are cheap, accessible and often considered disposable or without value. By carefully crafting and contextualising these materials within jewellery and sculpture, I give them new significance. This reflects how I see my practice developing as the rising cost of precious metals encourages me to find value beyond material expense.’
Lulu Rivera-Grey’s practice is grounded in a background of large-scale sculpture and fashion, with jewellery emerging as an extension of these disciplines. She approaches jewellery as wearable art, existing in relationship with the body rather than as purely decorative forms. Her work explores how jewellery activates movement, weight, contract, and presence, drawing on themes of body art, the abject, and the grotesque. Through discomfort and vulnerability, she creates sites of meaning. Materiality is central, combining contrasting substances to challenge ideas of value, while blurring boundaries between sculpture, adornment, and the body itself.\
@_lulurg_
copper, enamel, synthetic hair, 76 x 185mm, 2026.
dried cockroach specimen, enamelled copper, brass, 90 x 70 x 80mm 2026.
'Hair Pin plays with how value is assigned to materials, objects and forms of making. Using copper, enamel and synthetic hair rather than precious metals, I deliberately work with materials that are inexpensive and often overlooked. The synthetic hair is woven using traditional bobbin lace techniques, referencing women’s craft practices that have historically been devalued. By placing these cheaper and unconventional materials within the context of jewellery, I give them a different kind of value, questioning whether an object’s worth comes from its material cost; from the labour, skill, intent and meaning invested in it; or from the context in which it is displayed and viewed. This approach reflects the future of my practice as precious metals become increasingly inaccessible to makers and artists, particularly students and those early in their careers.
Remote Worker explores the value that can be created from unconventional and inexpensive materials. As part of my Model Society series, the dried cockroach is placed at the centre of a miniature workplace, while brass and enamelled copper are used to construct the surrounding home-office environment. The cockroach is an anonymous, faceless and disposable actor in the working-from-home vignette. Its absurdity creates humour while commenting on human labour and the strange realities of working from home. I deliberately avoided precious metals, instead working with materials that are cheap, accessible and often considered disposable or without value. By carefully crafting and contextualising these materials within jewellery and sculpture, I give them new significance. This reflects how I see my practice developing as the rising cost of precious metals encourages me to find value beyond material expense.’
Lulu Rivera-Grey’s practice is grounded in a background of large-scale sculpture and fashion, with jewellery emerging as an extension of these disciplines. She approaches jewellery as wearable art, existing in relationship with the body rather than as purely decorative forms. Her work explores how jewellery activates movement, weight, contract, and presence, drawing on themes of body art, the abject, and the grotesque. Through discomfort and vulnerability, she creates sites of meaning. Materiality is central, combining contrasting substances to challenge ideas of value, while blurring boundaries between sculpture, adornment, and the body itself.\
@_lulurg_
