The sea has always been at the heart of my jewellery, but I’m excited to be starting a project that invites me to look a little deeper.
I’m taking part in Undercurrent: Giving the Ocean a Voice, a creative project led by MAKE Southwest in partnership with Devon Wildlife Trust and the Green Maker Initiative.
For me, it brings together so many things I love: our Devon coastline, discovering the small details that are easily overlooked, and exploring how to capture something of them in silver and enamel.
As a swimmer and beachcomber, I spend plenty of time beside and in the sea. There is still so much for me to learn about the life beneath its surface. Through this project, I’m hoping to develop that understanding and allow it to shape a new body of work.
These diaries will follow the whole process: coastal discoveries, photographs, sketches, experiments and, eventually, jewellery. I want to share the uncertain stages too — the ideas that change, the samples that don’t quite work and the unexpected results that suggest another direction.
After writing recently about becoming a MAKE Southwest Associate Member, this feels like an opportunity to put those thoughts about experimentation into practice. To keep learning, ask questions and try something before I know exactly how it will turn out.
The work I develop will be considered for the Undercurrent exhibition at MAKE Southwest in 2027. For now, I’m enjoying the research and giving ideas room to grow.
In the next diary, I’ll share how an extreme rockpooling session at Wembury and an enamelling workshop have begun to connect.
Charlotte x
Follow The Undercurrent Diaries as I explore the Devon coast and bring those discoveries into my making.
