spring exhibition

RACHEL DARBOURNE

small pendant

bracelet

Rachel’s work is driven by the desire to reclaim and use a much undervalued material. She views polythene as a ‘fabric’ and whilst on her degree developed a folding technique which turns this two-dimensional, slippery, colourful material into objects that are very intricate, robust and three dimensional. “I wanted to use the material in a way that changed its physical appearance without actually chemically altering it.”

Rachel believes it deserves a much better future than snoozing in landfill sites. Its light weight and beautiful colours make it a perfect material for jewellery and she has created a range of work from small everyday pieces to large one-off statements. Rachel's pieces are all individually handcrafted and rely on the time-consuming precision with which the material is worked.