Statement

Through her practice, Imogen Hales explores her fascination with dying rituals and their role in preserving the collective memory of places that have transformed or no longer exist. Her current body of work centres on rural landscapes, where life was once deeply connected to the cyclical rhythms of the seasons. Drawing on endangered straw-braiding techniques traditionally used in harvest rites to mark the passage of time, Imogen’s work reflects on these vanishing annual practices. Through the repetitive and meditative act of braiding, she attempts to temporarily bridge the gap to a slower, more deliberate way of life, evoking a sense of temporal intimacy with the past.

Originally trained in painting, Imogen approaches jewellery as a form of wearable drawing. Her pieces are sketches in metal and glass, exploring the dynamic relationship between two and three-dimensional making. By applying straw-braiding techniques to silver and copper, she combines wirework with vitreous enamel to create painterly, detail-rich surfaces. Forged wire mimics the fluidity of hand-drawn lines, while techniques like cloisonné, champlevé, and basse-taille add depth, colour, and luminosity reminiscent of layered inks. As the surface of the enamel is slowly ground back by hand, colours and patterns emerge like the strata of an archaeological excavation. Each piece becomes a quiet meditation on discovery and loss, material memory, and the act of transformation.