Johanna Zellmer
Protean Beings
2021-2023
The word protean describes things that are unstable and in flux. In this work I compiled and fused the variety of materials that make up Illumina flow cells onto each other. Illumina flow cells are waste products of the data collection technology known as DNA sequencing. Instruments for measuring biological data transformed into an organic state of their own, in which DNA traces are erased, barcodes discolour and distort, and RFID chips sear, rendering them inoperative. These adornments were part of an interactive exhibit in Nelson, New Zealand, in 2023. The jewellery was anchored to wearer’s necks with the silicone bio-adhesive SkinTite, used for skin effects in movies and stage design. Discussions on biopolitical governance, constructed identities and resisting conventional standards ensued.
The Body is a Draft – Nelson Jewellery Week 2023: This debate-like event was designed to question perceptions of identity informed by art, genomics and jewellery in Aotearoa. Two debating teams reacted to the proposition that the body is a draft. Identity is complex and so any fruitful discussion requires an interdisciplinary approach. The debaters were: Artist, educator and geneticist Craig Hilton, health and physical performance educator Ihirangi Heke, biochemist Andrew Shelling, contemporary jeweller and educator Andrea Daly, speaker, author and performer Ian Chapman and artist and forensic facial approximation researcher Louisa Baillie. There were few rules as the conversation was paramount; panel members swapped teams and changed their argument. This event was produced and convened by jeweller, educator and Massey University PhD candidate Johanna Zellmer and hosted by the Arts Council Nelson at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology as part of Nelson Jewellery Week 2023.
When DNA sequencing meets contemporary jewellery
When DNA sequencing meets contemporary jewellery
removing SkinTite adhered jewellery
The making of My Great grandmother's Bones
