Whale Brooch, 2023
Pink Wally Dug Earrings, 2023
Discovery Neckpiece, 2023
Rachel Larkins
‘For the September ‘Folk at Heart’ exhibition, I made a small collection inspired by the mystery of the seventeen miniature coffins found by a group of boys in a small cave at Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh in late June 1836. Eight of these coffins survive to the present day and are displayed in the National Museum of Scotland. The pieces I have created are a response to the theories and related folklore which have evolved since their discovery.’ Rachel Larkins
Rachel Larkins is a designer maker whose practice has focussed on creating jewellery with a strong sense of narrative and a nod to the tradition of miniatures. Larkins works primarily in resin, brass and wood, often encapsulating imaginary scenes and figures which are hand modelled and painted. Based in the village of Sopley, Larkins’s influences range from the surrounding rural landscape and seasonal folklore to magical realism in literature and painting.
‘I have always been drawn to objects behind glass, perhaps in recognition that someone from the past has preserved those things considered precious and ephemeral; mourning jewellery holding hair; bell jars holding birds, insects or dolls; dioramas and ships in bottles. The wearable pieces I make are influenced by the intimacy and hidden stories of small scale miniatures as well as by folklore and fairy tales.’ Rachel Larkins