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a lesson in dying? it may sound macabre but the notion of 'remembering your death' or 'learning to die' are ancient ideas to remind us of our own mortality. in victorian times mourning jewellery made particularly from beautiful jet were commonly worn to commemorate a death of a loved one, often encasing a lock of their hair. ideas of remembering the brevity of human life can be clearly seen in many art works in the form of vanitas, motifs of timepieces and human skulls particularly in Flemish paintings. while the idea may seem creepy, there is a certain logic and esotericism behind embracing the certainty of death in order to live your life to it's fullest.
in light of the huge popularity surrounding pamela love jewellery, i've decided to post about a very talented melbourne jeweller/taxidermist, Julia de Ville who shares a similar aesthetic. her pieces trace a wonderfully fine line between gothic, delicate and edgy. Julia believes that by using even the lowliest of animals juxtaposed with precious and semi-precious stones demonstrates that any life is a worthy treasure. She is a vegetarian and only uses animals that have already died from natural and unavoidable causes. though many people will find dead animals and cast skeletons confronting and disgusting, julia believes there is much to be appreciated in their beauty even after death, and preserving them is a way of respecting and honouring life.
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