“Te Papa is delighted to acquire the Smiley Series
by Peter Deckers, an influential teacher and contemporary jeweller who lives in
Wellington, New Zealand. Deckers, in this series, uses visual art and
manipulation techniques to query perceptions in value through the individually
made brooches produced between 2009 and 2015.
Deckers is also important as a senior jewellery tutor at
Whitireia since 1989; his influence has helped push the new generation of
jewellers forward through direct contact and engagement with senior
international jewellers through the ‘Handshake’ Projects."
http://handshake2.com/
http://handshake2.com/
The Smiley series expresses the concepts of perception
in ‘value’. This is a reoccurring strand in my work. It relates to how ‘value’
is perceived, mediated and utilised. In jewellery this is one of the aspects
that separates the monetary from the artistic. The ’smile’ has many societal
values. The ‘mouth gestures’ in this series came from famous icons that were
manipulated and deconstructed. Its original ‘value and its representation’ has
been altered through different set of circumstances: time, politics,
investments, provenance and ownership, general appreciation, its reputation and
fame, its souvenir status and now this with its digital and physical
manipulation, function and (dis-)placement. This series reads as
semi-recognisable narratives. Some of the questions I explored are how much a famous
image or icon can be reduced or manipulated without losing its recognition or
(de-)value and therefore its meaning…. In general my work scans ideas around
the use and misuse of “value” in particular how it is moderated and
manipulated. My work uses mixtures of non-valuable and valuable materials in
order to reformulate and/or disrupt its value’s hierarchy. Peter Deckers
2015
