Ben Cooke- Akaiwa - Plus One Collective
Ben Cooke- Akaiwa
Designer biography:
Ben is a jeweler and metalsmith in Bloomington, IN. He graduated from Indiana University in May of 2019 with his BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design. He is currently pursuing his MFA from IU. He has supplemented his education through workshops at Arrowmont Craft School, the Baltimore Jewelry Center, and an apprenticeship in Japan. He has participated in residencies at the Baltimore Jewelry Center and Arrowmont and has taught workshops at the BJC and Metalwerx. Ben has exhibited his work internationally in the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, and Canada.
Collection concept:
My work is constantly changing, moving in and out of wearables, vessels, and sculpture. My current body of work is informed by grief and loss that has put me on a journey of self-reflection and reconstruction. I am coming to terms with old wounds I previously was able to ignore. This process has pushed me both personally and artistically. I have found myself exploring different materials within the same form, bricks. Through the process of this exploration I am keeping my hands busy while giving my mind time to wander and reflect.
Bricks, quite literally, are building blocks, and I am using them to show the ongoing process of reconstruction. Each brick, whether made of resilient or pliable materials take on individual significance as I think about the structures I will use to hold myself up. This exploration centers around the fundamental question: What do I want my support, my foundation, to look like? Will it be solid and unyielding? Soft and embracing?
Brooch - Mild steel, sterling silver, vitreous enamel, powder coat
Brooch - Mild steel, sterling silver, vitreous enamel, powder coat