Bronwen makes statement jewellery from recycled plastics and silver. She chooses to call herself a plasticsmith and is interested in how we might use waste plastic as a raw resource for making. She picks up on its intrinsic colour, texture and form by using only hand tools to cut, file and scratch its surfaces. Her plastic saw dust is then mixed with binders and used to create a new composite material, so very little is wasted. This slow and very considered approach is inspired by the natural processes of wear and weathering and her shapes resemble those found on a beach or dug up from the ground. Trained as a jeweller and silversmith, she juxtaposes waste with recycled silver and, in so doing, seeks to challenge our perceptions of ‘preciousness’ and to reappraise plastic as a precious material to be used thoughtfully, sparingly and with its whole life cycle in mind.
