Debbie Adamson

Debbie Adamson grew up in Central Otago and moved to Dunedin to study Jewellery and Metalsmithing at Otago Polytechnic School of Fine Arts, under Johanna Zellmer and Andrew Last in. She graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. 

Debbie's work uses steel, forged and carved to create a series of needle like pendants, depicting the leaves and stems of various species of NZ native plants. Some of these are from trees that have become popular in urban design - such as the lancewoods with their very distinct juvenile and adult forms - and some of these are endemic leguminous plants - many of which are vulnerable, and grow slowly in fragile habitats.

My work is informed by the natural world and our relationship to it. Through the lens of craft based skills I like to observe and explore my surrounding environment, playing with the transformative properties of materials to explore questions about identity, sustainability, and the human experience. I like to incorporate traditional jewellery making as well as a broader approach within my practice.