Jill Platner
Photograph by Juliana Sohn.
Ever since the 1950s, when jewelers began applying the theories of Surrealism and Constructivism to their work, the idea of “small sculpture” has been important to this field. The work of Jill Platner, however, suggests the opposite train of thought: that sculpture could be understood as “big jewelry.” Platner works in both disciplines, transposing a shared vocabulary of form between the two. Typically, she builds her work at whatever size from modular elements, either of identical or graduated scale. The components are made using various metalworking techniques, among them casting, forging, and simply cutting profiles from sheet.
The rhythmic compositions she constructs from these parts recall the hanging works of Kay Sekimachi or Ruth Asawa—or, a particularly intriguing connection, the bells of Paolo Soleri, which anticipate Platner’s interest in kinetics. “Even if you are not touching it,” she says, “I definitely strive [to make] work feel ‘alive’ in some way, which is whyI especially love outdoor installations. I make the work thinking about how it will move in the wind.”¹
River sculpture in steel. Designed and made by Jill Platner, USA, 2011.
363" L x 2.5" W x 11.75" H
922cm L x 6.4cm W x 29.8cm H
SP1349
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