Scrimshaw- 10.18.06
Over at Barney’s Co-op in SOHO this weekend came across Jessica Kagan Cushman’s Scrimshaw bangles… and was torn… thinking she was still doing them on pre-ban ivory. They are beautiful pieces of fossilized mammoth ivory with engravings of quotes and phrases from movies, literature, and more. Fascinating part? “As the daughter of renowned furniture designer Vladimir Kagan and needlework queen Erica Wilson, design runs in her veins. Having learned scrimshaw from her father, who took up the craft in the 1960’s in Nantucket, Jessica has taken the artform to a new (and slightly un-orthodox) level - creating scrimshawed antique ivory bracelets that lie somewhere between a tattoo and a bumper sticker.”
Read the comments - Jessica left us a really nice note explaining the humane nature of these bracelets, further explaining how fossilized mammoth ivory is obtained as well letting us in on the secret that she will have resin bangles coming soon exclusively to her website!
This makes me feel more than a little bit uncomfortable. I’m afraid that the ‘vintage, pre-ban’ tag doesn’t cut it. The bangles are beautiful and the contemporary scrimshaw is inspired but by making these items a ‘product’ the artist is making ivory ‘desirable’. The artist may not have been directly involved in the killing of elephants, but she is exerting an influence on a (possibly less scrupulous) market. I would urge an investigation into the amazing possibilities of contemporary plastics. And I would urge NOTCOT to be aware of their responsibilities when promoting items that “makes them feel a little uncomfortable”.
----- Anna Davern 19.10.06 02:27