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Betony Vernon Closet Interview for StyleLikeU.com from StyleLikeU on Vimeo.

Philip IV of Spain in his parade armour. Gaspar de Crayer. 1620′s

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I NEVER ASKED YOU

I never asked you to remove your shoes.
I asked you to leave them on your feet,
as evidence that you were always so busy crossing a bridge.
I asked you to tie your shoes with leather strips.
And then tie the leather strips together into the side of a ball.
I didn’t ask you to kick the ball.
But I did say rather conclusively
that if you didn’t kick the ball when I gave the signal,
meetings to be arranged on your behalf might be cancelled,
candlelight might be drawn for the sake of your feet.
And clouds, kissed with my lips, might actually
bother to originate in the heart of a struggling world.

text by Lee Stern

One who fingers savagely at a material knot and yet cannot undo it. To myself adding: “Have I?” A task in part the tissue of doubt.

I speak, too, of multiple larynxes.

Am I now happy to be able to tell stories and surround others with knotted space and endangered equilibrium?

Talk is conditional.

When do I ever suppose that my words sustain themselves within inner multitudes?

Reflective anonymous designs contribute to the development of one sweet sum which expresses itself as a bursting forth flame in the shanty a voice telling of them.

tracing of a genital tattoo taken from the body of Rangi-Tea-Pakura, a Maori woman of rank
(drawing by Dr. Shortland)

left: tattoos on the right arm of a French thief expelled from France.
right: tattoos on the body of a French sailor and deserter.
(ink drawing 19th century)

inside pages from ‘Chodo Zue’, a book showing a collection of monochrome decorative designs for ‘tansu’ and acessories like boxes for combs and writing sets.
(the compiler Aoki Hisakuni is otherwise unknown)

illustration showing white magnolia blossom (Magnolia altifima) and its seed pod.
(18th century)

oriental Manuscript in Burmese-Pali

New Zealand: Maori wooden club (mere).
(albumen print, 18th century)

plaster cast of the face of Tauque Te Whanoa, a Rotorua native, of the Arawa tribe showing Maori tattooing, ‘Moko’, performed with a serrated chisel and mallet with soot rubbed into the open wound to provide colouring.
plaster cast taken by Sir G. Guy (?)
(1851)

tattoo on a piece of human skin showing a female face
(late 19th century)

tattoo on a piece of human skin showing a male bust and a flower stem
(late 19th century)

Taawattaa, the Priest from Madison Island (Nuku Hiva)
(engraving c. 1813)

human head containing jostling human figures.
(crayon drawing, 1929)

Yantra mediation uses shapes and symbols engraved on to plaques to focus the mind. Mediation and yoga are recommended as part of an Ayurvedic lifestyle. Ayurveda is a Hindu medical traditional that aims to preserve and restore balance in the body through holistic treatments including diet and exercise.
(unkown maker, made bwn 1801-1900 in India)

Te Kuha: a carver and warrior
(watercolour by H.G. Robley)

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captions coming later

Beautiful limited edition leather, rubber and silver handmade jewellery designed by longtime Sang Bleu conspirators Graham Tabor and Miguel Villalobos under their 1-100 name in New York. Will have to track them down and grab some quotes soon.

Jonathan’s approach to jewellery is as much about design as it is a way of cultivating identity and personal history. Having started at Eugene Lang with a joint major of philosophy and psychology and religion and finished with a degree in menswear at Parsons School of Design, Jonathan’s work comes from a strong intuitive core. “Ball Game” is the first collection under the Bevel line.

Mayan mythology seems to be at the centre of this collection- with a story behind each piece of jewellery- was that a starting point for the design process?

I was adopted at three months old, and felt an intense need as I grew up to construct my own cultural ancestry. The tale of Mayan civilization is something that resonated with me very early on and has since become a central element in my life, and the idea of a civilization that held so much power so long ago is another source of inspiration in my “States of Being…” to not only capture the human life cycle but one of a once-great civilization, from its inception to its ruin.
I feel like with this first collection, I am cementing my own identity. It feels very grounding. One’s choice in jewelry is by nature very personal, and to be able to create something and give it meaning and heritage is very satisfying. 

Which materials are you interested in exploring?

I’m starting to explore gold as a medium, in the future I would possibly like to work with stones. I like working with silver because the material is like a person, if you don’t love it, it will become blackened and dark, but with care and attention the brighter and the more lustre it will have.

Which are some of the artist or designers that inform your work?

I’ve always loved Francis Bacon. He’s always returning in some way or another. I love a lot of the visuals for Marilyn Manson, Ramnstein. The dark side of mythology is intriguing for me. And my motto has always been ‘dark things breed bright ideas’.

How would you like people to approach your jewellery pieces?

Jewellery is a very personal thing; overtime it can hold a lot of history. I love how things grow. You’ll start with anything perfect or what the person who’s telling you is considering to be perfect and then the more you wear it the more flavour it develops, the more it becomes a part of you and in that way it becomes more personal. For instance silver blackens overtime. Some pieces in the collection are intentionally blackened so the reverse process will happen; where the pieces will become brighter with wear; essentially polishing themselves overtime.

How do you see yourself evolving for the next collection?

The pieces from this collection just came into being, so if this is any indication, the designs for the next collection will just appear. My work grows from an organic process; I started doing jewellery because I had fallen in love with a jewellery designer. Love leads you in these different directions and can be a positive influence, if you let it.

Homegirl’s album drops on the 13th and if Teqkilla’s any indication, we’re shakin’ in our boots.