Jewellery & Metal (MA)
Adam Henderson
Adam Henderson was born in 1992, in Glasgow, Scotland. He studied his BA in Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art, where he later returned as an Artist in Residence and eventually became a Visiting Lecturer. During the five years between his BA and MA at the RCA, Adam continued to create work from his studio in the East End of Glasgow whilst exhibiting his works internationally. At this time, as well as organising several contemporary jewellery exhibitions in the city, he also worked as a craftsman, using experimental techniques with a Glasgow watchmaker to develop their own vitreous enamel watch dials. Adam sees no discernible difference between much of contemporary jewellery and other more commonly recognised contemporary art forms and strives to blur that boundary further.
Adam currently lives and works in London, assisting other artists in the production of their work and continuing his own studio practice.
Exhibitions
2020- Beige curated by Helen Clara Hemsley, Mette Saabye, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019- Brexhibition, Courtyard Galleries, Royal College of Art, London, UK
2019- One Man Band, The Horniman Museum, London, UK
2017- ACC Baltimore, Craft Scotland/ American Craft Council, Baltimore, USA
2016- Hothouse, Craft Council, UK
2016- One, Garnet Collective, The Lighthouse, Glasgow, UK
2016- Elements 2, Lyon and Turnbull/Incorporation of Goldsmiths, Edinburgh, UK
2015- Zero, Garnet Collective Exhibition, Barras Art and Design, Glasgow, UK
2015- Talents 2015, Tendence, Messe Frankfurt, Germany
2015- RE:VALUE/Reciprociti, Saltmarket and Edinburgh College of Art, Royal Bank of Scotland, Edinburgh
2015- Fresh AIR, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, UK
2015- One Year On at New Designers, London Exhibition Centre, UK
2015- Fresh AIR, Glasgow School Of Art, UK
Sponsors
The McGlashan Charitable Trust
Adam Henderson is a conceptual jeweller/ maker whose work has covered a range of topics from peoples’ dependency on social media, deconstructing the concept of money and questioning gender stereotypes. Rarely inspired by visuals, it is a drive to communicate his musings on his sociocultural surroundings through the physical act of making that keeps his work progressing forward.
Whilst studying at the RCA his work has focused on dismantling social structures through the lens of ‘Ipse Dixit’, a Latin phrase whose definition is “a dogmatic and unproven statement” as well as a study on national identity, specifically looking at patriotism and nationalism.
Since the COVID-19 lockdown, Adam has set up a makeshift studio in his garden shed in London. With his work being strongly studio based and reliant upon experimenting with techniques and specialist equipment, he has necessarily shifted his focus into making secondary supporting structures that help to inform the narrative behind his work.
Ipse Dixit Tableaux 1 — A series of distorted steel I-beams and concrete objects (available as print)
Ipse Dixit I beam 1 — Distorted steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit I beam 2 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete pillars
Ipse Dixit I beam 3 — Patinated distorted steel I-beam and concrete object
Ipse Dixit I beam 4 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete pillar
Ipse Dixit I beam 5 — Distorted steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit Royal Warrant Detail — Detail of steel Ipse Dixit Royal Warrant embedded in concrete
IPSE DIXIT: “a dogmatic and unproven statement”
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
Medium:
Mild Steel, ConcreteSize:
Profile of I-beams: 8mm x 10mm
A Beige Palate — Leather and stainless steel sausage roll brooch
A Beige Palate — Leather and stainless steel sausage roll brooch
Created for Beige, an exhibition of contemporary jewellery restricted to a beige palette. Using the wordplay between your food palate and the beige colour palette set for the exhibition, a beige British snack staple, the Greggs’ sausage roll, is recreated in stainless steel and leather.
“I like my jewellery like I like my food, beige.”
“I like my jewellery like I like my food, beige.”
Medium:
Leather and Stainless SteelSize:
55x150x28mm
Ipse Dixit Tableaux 2 — A series of distorted steel I-beams and concrete objects (available as print)
Ipse Dixit I beam 6 and 7 — Distorted steel I-beam and milled steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit I beam 8 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete pillars
Ipse Dixit I beam 9 — Distorted steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit I beam 10 — Distorted steel I-beam
IPSE DIXIT: “a dogmatic and unproven statement”
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
Medium:
Mild Steel, ConcreteSize:
Profile of I-beams: 8mm x 10mm
ReMemberance Poppy
My altered poppy came about after a visit to Boston, Lincolnshire (the county with the largest vote “Leave” percentage in the EU referendum) on November 1st 2018. Whilst there I began to think about the symbols we use to represent nations. The motifs of the Remembrance Day Poppy and the EU star could be found throughout Boston. I am really interested in how two symbols of unity and peace, whose origins come from war have now been twisted into nationalist symbols. I believe the altered poppy that I made in response to this research effectively conveys my political opinion whilst also challenges the idea of nationalism in the UK.
Medium:
Paper, PlasticSize:
1:1
Ipse Dixit Tableaux 3 — A series of distorted steel I-beams and concrete objects (available as print)
Ipse Dixit I beam 11 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete objects
Ipse Dixit I beam 12 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete objects
Ipse Dixit I beam 11 back — Ipse Dixit steel I-beam brooch back
Ipse Dixit I beam 14 — Distorted steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit I beam 15
IPSE DIXIT: “a dogmatic and unproven statement”
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
Medium:
Mild Steel, ConcreteSize:
Profile of I-beams: 8mm x 10mm
Ipse Dixit Necklace — Distorted steel I-beams with silver links
IPSE DIXIT: “a dogmatic and unproven statement”
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.
Medium:
Mild Steel, SilverSize:
Profile of I-beams: 8mm x 10mm, Chain length: 880mm
Tableaux 4 — A series of distorted steel I-beams and concrete objects (available as print)
Ipse Dixit I beam 16 — Distorted steel I-beam in concrete and concrete pillar
Ipse Dixit I beam 17 — Distorted steel I-beam
Ipse Dixit I beam 18 — Distorted steel I-beam and concrete object
Ipse Dixit I beam 19 — Patinated steel I-beam with silver solder and concrete object
Ipse Dixit 20 — Distorted steel I-beam
IPSE DIXIT: “a dogmatic and unproven statement”
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.*
*In light of the recent protest around the world after the murder of George Floyd I feel that in continuing this project I should use it to make bolder statements and address more specific issues in the world which I care about.
This phrase and its definition have been the basis of my studio practice throughout second year. When googling “it is because I say it is” Ipse Dixit is the first result to appear. Typically used in law, the concept behind this phrase illustrates authoritarian structures and brings to mind political power, arbitrary rules and puts the person on the receiving end of the “it”, in the phrase, in the position of a young child being given into trouble by a parent or teacher. The sentiment behind this phrase seems to be the basis for how most of us learn the rules of the world. It can make you feel helpless and ingrains a subconscious mentality to do what you are told and fall in line.
On the other hand, the phonology of Ipse Dixit recalls a children's Saturday morning TV character; “Mr. Blobby and Ipse Dixit” or “Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa Laa, Ipse Dixit and Po”.
Combining the connotations of the phonological and literal definitions has led me to create a body of work highlighting that those “things” (rules, political systems, capitalism, LGBTQ rights, systemic racism, gender norms, etc.) do not need to be the way that they are simply because our current social structures have made them so or how they reinforce these ideas.
I aimed to create work which demonstrates the absurdity of Ipse Dixit, pairing strong physical objects that could be used to represent authority/control and distorting these objects as an allegory for resistance and the questioning of rules set in front of us. The concept behind my work could address a myriad of issues but I wanted to create objects that illustrate the point I am trying to make in a broader context, allowing the viewer to apply their own context/analysis, with the hope that each person's background will change how they can relate to the topic of questioning authority in their own lives.*
*In light of the recent protest around the world after the murder of George Floyd I feel that in continuing this project I should use it to make bolder statements and address more specific issues in the world which I care about.
Medium:
Mild Steel, ConcreteSize:
Profile of I-beams: 8mm x 10mmThe McGlashan Charitable Trust
The McGlashan Charitable Trust kindly awarded me partial funding for both years of my degree. I am incredibly grateful for these awards and the opportunities they have given me.