LUCI JOCKEL
LECTURER, ART + DESIGN- METALSMITHING & JEWELRY, TOWSON UNIVERSITY

Azurilium, 2021
azurite, animal pelvic bone, fly tying thread, steel

Phosphosibia, 2020
phosphosiderite, animal tibia bone, steel

Jasperius, 2020
jasper, rabbit radius bones, fly tying thread, steel
(all are from the Poisoned Soil series of brooches)

This series imagines what will grow from toxic, poisoned soils enriched with greed, violence and disregard. It morphs the charred remains of our environment into new species. Pipelines and mining sites continue to pump toxic sludge into our waters and soils. What will become of these poisoned soils?

“I chose these minerals and remains to find connections between them, to tell stories of their previous lives, and reflect on our relationship to them. One of my first memories is going fishing with my father. As we fished, we combed the wrack line for special rocks, snail shells, or even good lures. It was often a jumble of fishing line, algae, and the occasional fish skeleton. I would gather any stones or bones that I found special to remember that trip by and to keep a piece of that land’s story.

“While the stone and bones in this series preserve those stories, the fly tying thread references those polluted shore lines and our entangled relationship with our surrounding environment. To wear these fossils is to acknowledge their history and the complicated role we play within them in the hopes of mending our severed ties.”