Anna Deacon

Alternative Giving 07

Jewellery/Textiles

Graduate Focus

Anna graduated from the Jewellery department of the Glasgow School of Art with a First Class Honours degree this summer.

Artist Statement

I happen to be a turnupstuffer so of course I never have a free moment.

What’s that? asked Tommy.

Somebody that finds the stuff that turns up if only you look of course, what else would it be? said Pippi. The whole world is just filled with things that are just waiting for someone to come along and find them and that’s just what a turnupstuffer does.

Astrid Lindgren

‘Pippi Longstocking’

I spent last summer picking up rubbish that I found on the ground, or being a "turnupstuffer" as Pippi Longstocking puts it. I didn't pick up any old rubbish. I found a lot of washers and nuts and bolts but I also found some really interesting stuff, for example a piece of plastic that looks like a skull and a bit of metal that resembles a monkey's face.

I used the junk I found to make toys - funny little people and animals and robots. Then, inspired by my mother's craft books from the 70's, I decided to make my own soft toys, which I later developed to make fashion accessories.

Jewellery & Quilted Fashion Accessories

Being a "turnupstuffer" was the main objective of this project. I like the idea that you can make use of almost everything that surrounds you, that nothing has to go to waste, that you can turn old rubbish into new treasure.

For these reasons I explored traditional craft techniques that make use of scraps of fabric, for example patchwork and rag-rug making. All the fabricthat has been used in this project is either second-hand, from remnant bins or friends scraps and leftovers.