Nora Fok Notes
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Biography
Born in Hong Kong, Nora had to leave school at 12 to work in a factory assembling
toys and
computer components. Nora says the experience gave her the structure and
discipline which still
underpins her work. “It also made me determined to leave the factory and have a
career in
art and design”.
1984 Nora married artist and lecturer, Frank Hills. After her first son was born, she
decided to work as a jeweller at home.using exclusively nylon monofilament – it
could be done from home using simple equipment and techniques.
Education
She studied in Hong Kong and worked there as a graphic designer.
In 1978 she was accepted on the three-dimensional design course a Brighton
Polytechnic, which emphasised an experimental approach to materials
doing several courses at the polytechnic in design and in advertising during the
1970s. But I always knew that graphic design wasn’t really for me – it was exciting
but there was something not quite right about it. So I decided to come to the UK to
find out what it was that I wanted to do and I ended up doing a course studying
Wood, Metal, Ceramics and Plastics at Brighton Polytechnic.
I spent a lot of time playing around with the fishing lines and experimented with
knitting and knotting it. I also learnt to use dye to colour it.
Influences
This was what started me on jewellery as I was very, very lucky to have two
inspirational teachers there – Caroline Broadhead and Susannah Heron – both
played a really important part in helping me develop my jewellery.
The new jewellery movement was gathering momentum when you were at Brighton,
did it influence your work at all?
The new jewellery movement was all about looking at and using different nontraditional materials and I was really taken with it. Lots of new, interesting materials
were being used on the course and we experimented with different materials like
resin, fibre glass and acrylic and one tutor, who was a keen angler, bought in some
nylon fishing line.
Inspiration
She is intrigued by the world around her; she also asks questions and tries to find
answers to them. She is fascinated by different aspects of nature, structure, systems
and order, and the mysteries and magic which she sets out to capture in her work.
insects are constructed with natural elements, seed pods, twigs etc
In 2004 I did a workshop at the Massachusetts College of Art and had the
opportunity to visit the Glass Flowers exhibition at The Harvard Museum of Natural
History. The exhibition marked a turning point in my creative work and I started to
study plants intensively – I dissect them and look at their geometry and underlying
mathematical order as well as their surface pattern. I had always enjoyed making
organic forms because the nature of the nylon thread made these shapes fairly easy
to produce, but since my glass flower experience I have spent a lot more time
studying the natural world and have found lots of things there that I’ve never seen
before. My Nylon Botanicus Collection was the result of some of my studies.
Chinese Heritige
When I was a child I was taken to Chinese operas and I loved the ‘bling’ of the
traditional costumes – they were colourful, glittering and fantastic. My early work was
related to these costumes, but instead of using gold and precious materials I
redesigned them in nylon. I was also influenced by the elaborate forms of the
costumes and to begin with I used shapes like the headpieces with dangling tassels
Style perhaps a lot of her work, even though it is often displayed as wearable is slightly impractical. It
would perhaps be better if it were shown in a gallery, which would make it exclusive. I also think that
because the pieces are so complicated, it's obvious they take many hours to create, which means the price
of the item must be quite expensive to make up for the materials and time she has used
Approaches
Techniques
She works at home in Hove, on the sunny south east coast of England, she uses no
mechanical equipment, all her work is carried out by hand processes, with only basic
tools.
I do lots of studies of a particular flower that interest me, and then I might scan the
flower so I can enlarge it on the computer, then I might leave it for a bit before
coming back to it and trying to construct a piece around its form. I quite often have to
make several test pieces, working out the colours and sizes as well as the
structures. There are always a lot of different possibilities, but I use my judgement to
work out where I want to go, making decisions as I go along. The majority of my
pieces are one-offs so the whole making process is very experimental and time
consuming.
Her designs are often quite complicated requiring many hours, days or weeks to
produce. using techniques she has taught herself:knitting, knotting, tying, weaving,
plaiting.
that she knits, knots, ties and weaves.
construction of circles again.
Choice of Materials and Techniques
Nora Fok creates wearable objects from dyed nylon microfilament. . She works with
this non-precious material to emphasize the craft and skill element rather than
choosing stones or precious metals that often dominate the high street market.
her chosen material of nylon monofilament is fine and hard to work but
her results are spectacular. These pieces are often very complicated and take many
hours, days or weeks
Fishing line is an uncommon material to use for body adornment, and they certainly think so at the fishing tackle
shop. Nylon monofilament, however, has been the unique material for me to capture my ideas with. It is delicately
lightweight, can be dyed into many colours, is warm to the touch and kind to the skin. It is a brilliant catalyst for
light; sparkles like diamonds in the sun. ."During the 27 years since graduation, I have spent my time
experimenting and transforming this material into a personal vision of wearable sculptural forms for the female
body.
I was told that I could make whatever I liked as long as it was woven. This was really
beneficial for me as I spent a lot of time learning how to weave properly – before that
I had just been playing around with weaving and afterwards I was able to create my
own jewellery using different weaving techniques.
dyed with Dylon dyes…used cold for very subtle colours, or hot for stronger hues
Achievements
“My major break through came in 1997 when
Jackie Binns curated, ‘Galaxies’, my first solo exhibition at Hove Museum and Art
Gallery
and Tim Wilcox reviewed my jewellery in Crafts magazine”. Since then her work has
been
widely recognized internationally by inclusion in exhibitions, collections, and gallery
shops.
asked to make something for Weaving Stories at the City Art Centre in Edinburgh in
2002
In 2010 she was one of 29 makers to be awarded the Jerwood prize for
contemporary makers.
Cloud Nylon - The Jewellery of Nora Fok - The Harley Gallery, Worksop, Nottinghamshire
(England) 2011 The first ever retrospective exhibition tour by the extraordinary jeweller,
textile artist and 3D designer Nora Fok.
2013
Perspectives -Patrons and Contemporary Objects CAA - Contemporary Applied Arts Gallery, London
(England)
Transforms organic forms into wearable, ethereal sculptures
Her work in several national collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum
The Crafts Council and the National Museums of Scotland
Legacy
She likes to draw attention to the very ordinary to make something special by
presenting it in her own way Nora Fok is an artist/ designer who expresses her ideas
in a personal and distinctive way. She has a unique ability to translate her ideas
into delightfully delicate and intricate designs pioneering maker
.. The Calculator neck piece (left) andMobius Fungus bracelet, demonstrate the
intricacy and creativity of Fok's work. Visit the Mobilia Gallery to see a collection of
Fok's inventive jewelry that was inspired by the glass flower collection at Harvard's
Museum of Natural History. Fok creates range from neckpieces and bracelets to an armadillo hood,
based on the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow.
... A sketch 2002
wrist piece
woven clear nylon with pvc lines
diameter: 17.5cm/7 inches
Abacus, a simple calculating device used by the Chinese thousands of years ago,
the oldest computer known to man. My interpretation is an organic woven one -
wearable and fully functional as a abacus.
is a piece of
jewellery or it can be converted into a private concert hall for listening to music.
Fountain 2004
body piece
beaded clear nylon with pearls
diameter:56cm/22 inches
Most significant during my study was the introduction to visual research as an important part of learning to be an
artist. I was very much encouraged to be free-thinking and an individual. It was unfamiliar territory as I was used
to working as a team member on advertising projects and now I had to make my own decisions about how I
approached my art.
"I was introduced to the 'new jewellery' movement where the experimental use of unusual materials, ideas and
expression were more important than the intrinsic value of materials. From then on I was determined to become a
'new' jeweller.
"Several years later, I was offered the opportunity to teach Plastics for a period on the WMCP course. I was also
invited to exhibit at the St Peters House Library and gave a talk at the School of Historical and Critical Studies.
These were valuable experiences that enabled me to gain confidence to work with people. Part of my current
practice is developing and presenting talks and running workshops."
http://www.norafok.com/archive/?p=4
http://www.norafok.com/nora/ designers website with lots
BBC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yZnf0sMd638
Nora Foks’ work is unique as she creates wonderful forms that are both solid and
transparent….lightweight yet durable