Pierce Healy
These days acclaimed Dublin artist Pierce Healy can be found solving his world’s problems creating subversive jewellery and objects, often layered with intricate engravings. A skilled draughtsman just like his grand-uncle stained glass artist Michael Healy (1873-1941) Healy refers to himself as a human Swiss army knife; not in an Edward Scissorshands way but in the way he toils in an array of materials and disciplines in addition to the numerous skills he has acquired throughout his life so far.
Within his practice there is no “master plan”, each piece is an experiment driven by curiosity; a study that informs the next piece in perpetuity. He is fascinated by the capacity of jewellery to embody our stories and to facilitate storytelling. He believes jewels are portable altars, vessels for our most intimate secrets and stories to be protected, cherished and adored. In addition he is interested in the idea that jewellery is our second skin, everyday armour that when worn becomes something bigger, something other worldly as it takes on the scratches, dings and stories of the wearers adventures.
In short, Pierce Healy conjures visual incongruities, manifested as jewellery and objects, in an attempt to make sense of the nonsense of the everyday and to question common values and what is valuable!
Biography
Pierce Healy has being making and exhibiting his work internationally since 1997. He studied jewellery and hand engraving in Dublin, London, Stockholm and San Francisco. In between his studio work and attending artist residencies he teaches engraving and jewellery workshops. He is a storyteller his work acts as a critique on contemporary life and the history of jewellery. Healy has won numerous scolarships and awards, the most recent being the RDS craft award. In addition, Healy was commissioned to design and make ten rings for Peter Jackson of Lord of the rings fame, movie ‘Mortal Engines” Does that make him the Irish Lord of the rings?
About the piece for the show
Name: Einsteins hairdresser
Year: 2013
Size: 25 x 25 x 2.5 cm
Materials: wood panel, plastic, acrylic, fine/sterling silver, copper, enamel
Einsteins hairdresser
I remember throwing stones at aeroplanes
Building fires on wastelands
There was no tomorrow
just you and me
Carved on an old oak tree
you know the one with the swing
over the river