A Grammar of Sentiment Bharti Parmar A GRAMMAR OF SENTIMENT thinking about sentimental jewellery towards making new art about love and loss Bharti Parmar BA (Hons), MA (RCA), SEDA (University of Plymouth) October 2008 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy This work or any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purpose (unless otherwise indicated). Save for any express acknowledgments, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Bharti Parmar to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. At this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature............................................. Date..................................................... 1 A Grammar of Sentiment Bharti Parmar 2 A Grammar of Sentiment Bharti Parmar This written thesis is accompanied by four artworks. These artworks comprise half of this PhD submission. The author wishes to discuss these artworks with the examiners during the viva in the form of a presentation. The artworks are illustrated and discussed throughout the written thesis. 3 A Grammar of Sentiment Bharti Parmar Contents Illustrations of artworks (Gems, Hairworking, Emblems, Words) 6-10 Abstract 11 1. Chapter one: Introduction 1.1. The research, its aims, objectives and outcomes 13 1.2. Analytical and intellectual frameworks 31 1.3. Methodology 45 2. Chapter two: Research contexts 2.1. Reviewing the existing literature 57 2.2. Parameters of the research 87 2.3. Contemporary art practice as context 99 3. Chapter three: ‘The Language of Stones’ 113 3.1. Artefact 115 3.2. Artwork 131 3.3. Taxonomies 137 3.4. Summary 149 4. Chapter four: Hairworking 151 4.1. Artefact 153 4.2. Artwork 169 4.3. Taxonomies 181 4.4. Summary 195 5. Chapter five: Amatory lockets 197 5.1. Artefact 199 5.2. Artwork 205 5.3. Taxonomies 215 4 A Grammar of Sentiment Bharti Parmar 5.4. Summary 225 6. Chapter six: Mourning cloth 231 6.1. Artefact 233 6.2. Artwork 243 6.3. Taxonomies 257 6.4. Summary 267 7. Chapter seven: Conclusions and contributions to knowledge 269 7.1. Research aims and objectives 271 7.2. Research outcomes 277 7.3. Material memorialisation 281 7.4. Codified taxonomical dialogue and the mirror 281 7.5. Analytical and intellectual frameworks 287 7.6. Discussion of methodology 295 7.7. Contributions to knowledge 299 7.8. Final reflections 303 Bibliography (key texts) 307 Appendix: A. Contributions to knowledge (supporting material) 322 B. Research strategies 327 C. Bibliography (supporting texts) 332 5 A Grammar of Sentiment Illustrations of artworks Bharti Parmar GEMS Fig. 1 . REGARD:LOVE ME. Page layout for artist’s book spelling ‘regard’. Inkjet print on Somerset Velvet Enhanced paper, 12”x14” each page. 6 A Grammar of Sentiment Illustrations of artworks Bharti Parmar Fig. 2. REGARD:LOVE ME. Page layout for artist’s book spelling ‘love me’. Inkjet print on Somerset Velvet Enhanced paper, 12”x14” each page. 1 1 Addendum. Following examination of the thesis, the author acknowledges incorrect attribution of the gem ‘opal’ which should be captioned ‘onyx’. 7 A Grammar of Sentiment Illustrations of artworks Bharti Parmar HAIRWORKING \ÅÑÄtÇàxÜ 2 Fig. 3. Plocacosmos . From series of hairworking trials, cotton twine. 2 Creer (1886) Lessons in Hairdressing : To knot. Collins Gem French:English Dictionary: To establish. 8 A Grammar of Sentiment Illustrations of artworks Bharti Parmar EMBLEMS Fig. 4. The Cyanotypes: Taizez Vous One from series, variable sizes, cyanotype on Arches Aquarelle. The complete series of prints are illustrated on page 196. WORDS 9 A Grammar of Sentiment Illustrations of artworks Bharti Parmar Fig. 5 . Widows Weeds . Triptych, each panel 35”x42”, large format inkjet print on Concord Natural White. 10 A Grammar of Sentiment Abstract Bharti Parmar Abstract This practice-led research project explores English and French sentimental jewellery of the Victorian period. ‘Sentimental jewellery’ or ‘message jewellery’ denotes jewellery created to function as a tangible expression of feeling between donor and recipient, mediated through complex narratives relating to its exchange. These artefacts codify emotion through use of complex visual languages, employing the symbolic and coded use of gems, human hair, emblems, words and wordplay. The research has expanded to encompass memorial garments known as ‘widows weeds’. The aims of the research have been threefold: firstly, to add to understanding and interpretation of aspects of Victorian sentimental jewellery and associated craft practices; secondly, to explore the metaphors and narratives inherent within them; thirdly, to test the visual and technical possibilities of knowledge thus gained to address human feeling through art. Outcomes take the form of a body of new artwork and a written thesis, which are designed to be mutually informing. Together, they articulate my response to the project’s central question: can consideration of the ‘grammar of sentiment’ at work in Victorian sentimental jewellery yield new possibilities, through fine art practice, for communicating love and loss in the 21st century? The four artworks that are a main output of the research take the forms of: REGARD:LOVEME , an artist’s book exploring gem codes and wordplay; Plocacosmos , a set of hairworking trials; The Cyanotypes, which reflect upon the materiality and aesthetic of the amatory locket; and Widows Weeds , a large format photographic installation, which considers the materiality and lineage of mourning cloth. Collectively, they explore the typology of the sentimental artefact through development of text/image vocabularies that are conceived as providing a ‘grammar of sentiment’ through which to articulate aspects of human feeling. It is this exploration that constitutes my main contribution to knowledge. 11 A Grammar of Sentiment Chapter one: Introduction Bharti Parmar Fig. 6 . Hairworked jewellery. ©Dawes and Davidov (1991) Victorian Jewelry, Unexplored Treasures. 12 A Grammar of Sentiment Chapter one: Introduction Bharti Parmar 1. Chapter one: Introduction 1.1. The research, its aims, objectives and outcomes The project explores elements of the material culture of the 19 th century, primarily English and some French sentimental jewellery, but also extending to mourning dress. 3 The prism through which these artefacts are viewed, refracted and analysed is provided by contemporary fine art practice. My own creative output over the past fifteen years - particularly its concern with remembrance, and with exploring memory through the material and the aesthetic - provides the primary point of focus within this broad field. My research of historical jewellery does not propose the production of new jewellery but, rather, new artworks which reference sentimental jewellery and its themes, either through its materiality, contexts or processes of production or consumption. Thus, my intention has been to bring the perspectives, knowledge and approaches of an artist to bear upon the study of objects of material culture. 4 The written thesis and the artworks are designed to be mutually informing, with research for both being conducted in parallel. The historical research has fed production of the artworks and development of the artworks has, in turn, informed my thinking and understanding of the jewellery that I have studied. The project has three aims: firstly, to add to understanding and interpretation of aspects of late Georgian and Victorian sentimental jewellery and associated craft practices (such as hairworking, lapidary, and emblem design) 5; secondly, to explore and test the potential of metaphors and narratives produced by coded use of precious gems, hair, emblems and cloth to create text/image vocabularies with which to reflect upon historical, material artefacts relating to remembrance; thirdly, to explore the visual and technical potential of these artefacts to provide a source of allusion, metaphor and symbol for art’s communication and exploration of aspects of felt experience, today. 3 In my abstract I have used the generic term ‘Victorian’ to describe my date parameters. For further discussion see 2.2. ‘Parameters of the research’. 4 I discuss the significance of the artist’s approach on the following page. 5 My project explores largely British and some French jewellery and has been conducted through museum-based and archival study of collections (particularly taking advantage of privileged access to the jewellery collections of the V&A). 13 A Grammar of Sentiment Chapter one: Introduction Bharti Parmar Fig. 7 . An amatory artefact. ©BBC News 24 website. 14 A Grammar of Sentiment Chapter one: Introduction Bharti Parmar The project’s central question – can consideration of the ‘grammar of sentiment’ at work in sentimental jewellery yield new possibilities, through fine art practice, for communicating aspects of felt experience in 21 st century culture? – is embodied within these aims. 6 My enquiry has been structured by two, secondary questions: 1. Using my experience as an artist, how can I expand understanding and interpretative insight within the field of sentimental jewellery studies? 2. Through exploitation of Victorian and contemporary