BAJ Hosts Bobby White ‘Motion’ Live Project Awards Night
25 Oct 2023
On Wednesday, the 18th of October, students, staff and industry professionals attended the Bobby White X BAJ ‘Motion’ Live Project Awards Night to celebrate design excellence, innovation and craftsmanship.
The Live Project at BAJ is an extraordinary initiative that has enabled us to forge collaborative partnerships with distinguished jewellers, including Theo Fennell, Alex Monroe, and Alighieri. Now, we're thrilled to welcome Bobby White into our creative fold, a perfect addition to this project that’s become a beacon of excitement within our Level 4 curriculum.
Bobby White's story deeply resonates with our students, embodying the spirit of entrepreneurial success as he, in partnership with his brother, diligently nurtured his jewellery business from its humble beginnings. He, like many of our students, honed his craft at the jewellery bench during his apprenticeship, making his journey to success a source of inspiration for all.
Phoebe Coleman (Subject Lead, Design FE) explained more about the collaboration,
“Bobby White was the perfect fit for this project, as our students admire his inspiring journey, and he’s previously reached out to us for assistance in finding skilled individuals to join his rapidly growing company.
"The design brief that Bobby gave the 60 students that took part, titled 'Motion,' pays homage to his iconic Motion ring that he created two decades ago. Each jewellery piece that our students have meticulously crafted for this project incorporates a dynamic element - be it spinning, rotating, swinging, or opening. The students dedicated several months to the development of their designs, employing both traditional handcrafting techniques and computer-aided design (CAD) to bring their visions to life.”
At BAJ, we take immense pride in our unwavering commitment to traditional craftsmanship, a commitment that aligns with Bobby's expertise as a master jeweller. Under Bobby's visionary guidance, our students embarked on the creative journey of a lifetime, fueled by the 'Motion' design brief.
Bobby and his team then had the difficult task of choosing three winners from an array of impressive pieces. After much consideration for design innovation, craftsmanship and ‘Motion’, Bobby announced the second runner-up as Ferdinand Gamper, first runner-up Eniko Farkas and the winner, Luke Phillips.
Winner: Luke Phillips
First Runner-Up: Eniko Farkas
Second Runner-Up: Ferdinand Gamper
Bobby commented on his experience with the project, saying,
“It was a pleasure working with the students from BAJ on this project. I was impressed by how they each had an individual take on the concept of ‘motion’; every piece had clearly been crafted with considerable skill, so it made it quite a hard decision to choose the winners. Ultimately, I chose Luke’s piece to win as it had multiple moving elements that ticked the box of what we were looking for.”
Luke’s Hades & Persephone pendant, which features a selection of moving elements all handcrafted from scratch, earned him the incredible prize of spending a day in Bobby’s professional workshop.
Following the awards, Luke said,
"A huge thank you to the staff and students at BAJ; I learnt loads and made some wonderful friends. I'm so grateful for the tutor's wonderful feedback and direction, and of course, to Bobby White for recognising the time and effort which went into the piece. I can't wait to see where we all go in the future!"
The Live Project is a true testament to BAJ’s steadfast commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering creative exploration while preserving the rich heritage of jewellery craftsmanship. We are deeply honoured to have had Bobby White on board for this remarkable journey and we eagerly await the unveiling of the extraordinary creations that have emerged from this inspiring collaboration.
View British Academy of Jewellery
Source: British Academy of Jewellery