Simon Cottrell, was born in Melbourne Australia and currently lives, and works in Canberra. Simon is a Lecturer and Researcher in the Gold and Silversmithing Workshop at the Australian National University, in Canberra.  He completed a Bachelor or Arts, in Fine Arts with Honours at RMIT University Melbourne, Australia in 1996, and Masters of Arts Research at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMITU) in 2010. Awarded in 2011 The National Contemporary Jewellery Award; 2012 the Ronnie Bauer Research Alumni Prize, RMIT Gold & Silversmithing, Australia and has works at the following collections:  National Contemporary Jewellery Collection at Griffith Regional Art Gallery, Griffith Australia; Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; E'Space Solidor, Ville de Cagnes-Sur-Mer, France; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia; Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; Pinakothek de Modern, Munich, Germany, among others.


Simon on his work:
My work is often gently ambiguous with a very careful balance between many possible readings. In essence my work doesn’t aim to tell the wearer anything specific; more simply I aim to give the wearer a personal sensory experience, in an unfolding, quiet but resonant manner. I have no interest in evoking clear resolved perceptions. If there is a line between this work being perceived in either one way or another, I will usually try to sit on that line.
Generally, I prefer to build jewellery with a monotone surface colour and texture as it does not allow any one detail to dominate and draw attention above all others. Of course there are certain elements which are more dominant in their forms than others, but these interrelationships and dynamics between forms will shift dramatically depending on the angle of viewing. While building these pieces I am always watching for familiar visual allusions/representations which gently arise, and then deliberately redirecting the forms to suggest a contradictory subject. Considering the three dimensional volume of my jewellery the same piece will often feel visually very different depending on the way it is worn. The pins are carefully integrated into these brooches so that there is no need for me to declare which way is ‘up’, this is the wearer’s choice. I have no interest in treating wearers like pedestals.
A wearer’s relationship to their jewellery can be a very intimate kind of engagement. If we consider the amount of time that any wearer spends with a piece of jewellery they wear, this relationship is potentially very lengthy, especially when compared to the often momentary engagement of those who only view the wearer. For me, the relationship between wearer and object is the primary consideration. When experiencing these objects which represent nothing specific but remind us of many many different things, our curiosity is further extended in an attempt to clarify our perceptions. My hope is that this personally experiential engagement can continue to unfold for the wearer for a long time.