Posted by Audrey Lee on November 8, 2010
Kluster are proud to feature a series of awe-inspiring designers selling wares at the Finders Keepers Spring/Summer Markets at Sydney’s CarriageWorks this December.
It's coming up to that time of year again. When dilegent individuals begin preparing a must-do list for 2011. Who says resolutions are redundant? Not Jen Allison, it was a new year’s resolution, circa 2002, that motivated her to start exhibiting her artworks in locations across the globe. Jen puts her innovative skills to good use, churning out a vast collection of one-of-a-kind, nifty origami designs. We check in with Jen as she walks us through her artistic journey thus far.
Covered: An art & craft disciple, 3D craft: origami, metaphoric BP predatory sea animals and going back to Sydney’s art scene.
Audrey Lee: Tell us a little about your design background. When did you first decide to venture down the path of producer of creative wares?
Jen Allison: I have always been an art and craft disciple, but I decided to start selling my wares in 2002 when a friend made a new year’s resolution for me. I was only 21 at the time and I suppose she had more confidence in my work than I did! Since then I have exhibited and sold my artworks in Sydney, London, Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I have always worked with paper and my early works were in the second dimension – collage. However for the past few years I have moved into the ridiculously exciting third dimension through the exploration of origami.
AL: What can visitors expect from your stall at The Finders Keepers Spring/Summer Markets this December? Is this your first Finders Keepers stall?
JA: It is my first Finders Keepers stall and I can’t wait! I haven’t been to one of their markets yet but I have heard great things. I will be selling works from various series that I have been working on for the past few months. The works all incorporate origami, but not in the traditional Japanese way that we are used to seeing it.
AL: Is there a common theme or focus in your designs and are they influenced by your personal style?
JA: I have a few recurring themes – celebrity obsession, repercussions of greed and big business, politics. I like to create works that make a statement about things that are happening in the big wide world. Today I am working on metaphoric BP predatory sea animals. I don’t always make works with a social bent, a lot of my sales are more whimsical pieces and I enjoy making these too, creating a moment of peace or beauty. I think my style is influenced by my ideas, rather than the other way round.
AL: What can we expect from you, post Finders Keepers Sydney Markets?
JA: A good night’s sleep… then big things hopefully! Having not lived and worked in Sydney for the past seven years, I am very much looking forward to getting involved in the city’s art scene again.
jen allison, origami, finders keepers, spring/summer markets, carriageworks