Emma Greenwood

Emma Greenwood is a shoemaker and textiles artist. Emma has participated in several Craft Victoria exhibitions including Cut and Paste - Experimental Paper Footwear (enCOUNTER, 2007), In The Making (part of Craft Cubed, 2008) and most recently in Shoe Show (curated by Nella Themelios, 2009).

An experienced shoemaker, Emma has been working with shoes since 1997 and in 2005 she launched her accessories label Emerge. Emma is also the proud mother of Leo Jinks.

Carnivale Keychain, 2008, leather, wooden beads, nickel hardware

How often do you purchase junk food or drinks from a vending machine? Once the item is consumed, you’re left with rubbish to dispose of, and have nothing to show for it but an absence of change in your purse, and short relief from hunger.

Now picture a more satisfying vending machine, which gives limited edition fashion objects; a lucky dip, which delivers an unexpected yet hopefully much beloved item. Practical, functional adornment, at a great price!

So imagine this conversation:

A: Hey what’s this tassel hanging off your bag?

B: Well I picked this up at Fashion Week in 2010; there was a cool vending machine, which had limited edition fashion objects in those little capsules. I just put in $2 and got this leather key ring with tassels and wooden beads. I love it, I’ve been using it for years and it’s become like a talisman, or my version of worry beads!

A: Damn, I wish you had told me about that vending machine, I could use a new key ring.

www.apronsandhammers.blogspot.com

Estelle Dévé

French-born, Melbourne-based jeweller Estelle Dévé launched her first collection For J.D., with love and squalor in late 2009.

Her latest collection Lunar Mare is an exploration of cinematic space odysseys, ancient African tribes and Grecian myths.

Estelle is part of this year's Penthouse Mouse, a temporary fashion, art and events space that is part of the 2010 L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival cultural program, and her work is stocked at various international boutiques including Kabiri (London) and Blackmarket (Singapore).

'It's Alive!', 2010 ,pewter casting, metal chain, green fluorite crystals

“Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!”

Like a jewellery Frankenstein, this item is composed of a plethora of different unused materials: fluorite crystals, metal chains and pewter castings. Oddly reassembled, the different textures combine to form one futuristic pendant on a chain, creating a rough but delicate item as if out of a Mary Shelley novel.

www.estelledevejewellery.com

Leo Jinks

Leo Jinks is Insert Coin Here's youngest artist at the age of 6. The son of Emma Greenwood and sculptor Sam Jinks, Leo is currently enrolled at the East Brunswick Kindergarten. His recent creative endeavours include building waffle brick fort and cardboard box alligator (2009), and in 2010 he has constructed a cardboard castle, with some help from Granny.

Necklace of Bits, 2010, leather thonging, drinking straws, wooden beads

My Mum did tell me about this project with the vending machine, and she showed me a picture too. I did get a robot from a vending machine before, and so I know those capsule things are cool and that you can put all sorts of things in them.

When Mum did ask me if I wanted to make some things I thought it was a great idea, that’s because I really like making things. She did say that I needed ten – wow that’s so many!

So I did make these necklaces from leather, straws all chopped into pieces, and those colourful beads, which my Mum did say are wood. I said that we should sell them and Mum said that the vending machine does that for $2. I could even get one with my pocket money.

I don’t think boys would wear the necklaces except if they are dressing up, but I think that girls would love them, especially my baby sister, but she might want to eat them. They are all different colours and Mum did say that you can change how long they dangle, which is a good thing.

www.leoslegolab.blogspot.com