Wearable art begins with creative design ― the kind found in every thoughtful piece of clothing or jewellery. It’s the premise of Art for the Body, a discussion taking place at the Bermuda National Gallery tomorrow night. Melanie Eddy, Jordan Carey and Courtney Clay will talk about “the intersection of art and fashion, the impact of commerce on their process, and how Bermuda has inspired their designs”.

Mr Carey designs clothes and accessories under the banner of his brand Loquat; Ms Clay’s accessories were worn by the Bermuda Olympic team at the 2024 games in Paris.

The talk is part of Meditations on Form: The Sculptural Jewellery of Melanie Eddy, a BNG exhibit of designs by the “renowned sculptural jeweller” whose work has been featured in Vogue and been in demand by Swarovski, De Beers, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Council, the Aga Khan Foundation and other well-known institutions.

Art for the Body takes place ahead of the exhibit’s closure on Saturday.

“[Jordan and Courtney will] be speaking from the broader fashion and wearable clothing side of things whereas I’m going to be [speaking] from the jewellery side,” Ms Eddy said.

“I think there’s lots of interesting connections across fashion, design [and] art. And I think this is really taking it into the context of where these mediums straddle those areas.”

She’s been thrilled to see her jewellery presented in an art gallery setting.

“Jewellery as art in Bermuda isn't as big of a topic as fine art, visual art, in terms of fashion and design, it’s not as much of a topic of discussion.

“This is the first jewellery exhibition that the Bermuda National Gallery has had; I think it's the first large-scale national jewellery exhibition in Bermuda. So, it's just about reframing that and thinking a bit more about it.”

According to Ms Eddy, this is in part because jewellery, despite its ancient artistic roots, is not commonly treated as an art form.

“We think about it more in regards to cultural heritage, or as a signifier of identity, or adornment. It's not always framed within the art context; it's just not always talked about in that way,” she said.

“I think there's a perceived hierarchy within the arts. And I don't think people think about jewellery as being in the same space as some of the other mediums.”

The irony is that as an industry, jewellers are well represented, she added.

“We have big jewellery companies, jewellery brands that get a lot of attention but in terms of more independent, one-off pieces that are essentially like sculptures to wear, there’s not as much coverage of that.”

Ms Eddy completed her undergraduate degree in an unrelated subject; she worked as a jeweller at Gem Cellar and Crisson Jewellers in Bermuda before studying at Central Saint Martins, an art university in London, England.

“That didn't even really embed with me until my pieces started to be collected by public collections like the V & A, [The Worshipful Company of] Goldsmiths, and also being in exhibitions that had an art focus, there was an exhibition that I was involved in 2021 that had jewellers showcased next to fine artists, visual artists that also make jewellery.”

In that setting it wouldn’t be surprising to find a pair of her earrings next to a ring made by Ai Weiwei, a Chinese contemporary artist, or the late Frank Stella, a fine artist who also made jewellery.

“I think part of that made me challenge my own perceptions and really understand where I sat.

“I think I acknowledged that there was a spectrum within jewellery – that there was art jewellery, and then there was more commercial jewellery, but I don't think I took ownership of my space in that until a little bit later in my practice.

“That for me, was like 20 years ago. Now I'm coming to a different part in that journey than I was when I first left Bermuda.”

Ms Eddy finds it interesting how fashion, design and jewellery are more closely linked to industry than many other art mediums.

“We have that aspect that's to do with commerciality,” she said. “I have pieces that are very accessible, in terms of price points, but I also have pieces that are more art, pieces that are more labour intensive, that maybe would be purchased by a collector or by an institution.”

As such, wearable art is about “how we traverse that space … in terms of people being able to purchase their own aspect of that and wear it in their daily life”, Ms Eddy said.

“I'm really interested in making pieces that people wear in their life. A lot of my clients, they have jewellery that they live in. I'm interested in that aspect of jewellery as well.

“It's not about a piece that's going to be sitting in a gallery, it's about making pieces that are art, pieces that are wearable, that are out in the world.”

She continued: “I'm sure Courtney will talk about making pieces that our Olympians wore, and making pieces that people wear in their professional lives, and Jordan, making pieces that carry aspects of our cultural heritage, and gombey prints. I'm sure they'll talk about their approach to it as well.”

Having had success in museums that typically showcased design, applied arts, and decorative objects but were also known for exhibiting jewellery as an art form, it was a meaningful shift to be displayed in a traditional art gallery.

“Some of the early recognition was very exciting, but it definitely came from institutions that were known for recognising jewellery... [places that are] known for decorative art, for applied art, for design and for recognising historical as well as contemporary examples of that,” she said.

“But showing at the Bermuda National Gallery and then having later commissions that are resolutely in an art space, I think that's really where the penny dropped in terms of the wide appeal, and I think it was significant for me as a jewellery artist because it gives a wider platform.

“You’re not speaking to a silo group that's already interested in contemporary jewellery, you're introducing your work to people who might not think about jewellery in this way and allowing them to form their own opinions and engage with it, find things that are interesting about it. And I think that's what's been really interesting about having it at the Bermuda National Gallery.”

• Art for The Body takes place at Bermuda National Gallery, 17 Church Street 2nd Floor, City Hall & Arts Centre, Hamilton, tomorrow at 5.30pm. Tickets, $20 for BNG members, $30 for non-members, can be purchased at www.bng.bm. Each ticket includes complimentary drinks courtesy of Goslings Ltd. Meditations on Form: The Sculptural Jewellery of Melanie Eddy is on display through Saturday. Admission is free courtesy of The Christian Humann Foundation