Kait Gallaugher

This small collection of work was made to capture places and sensory memories in steel that explore the difference between recounting memories and communicating experiences to other people. In the piece Brake Lines Brooch the brake lines, timing plug, and steel were taken from my father’s garage, where so many of my memories from home are intertwined with the sounds, smells, and tactility of a busy mechanic’s workspace. From a front view, the wire form is almost hidden and condensed into a two dimensional shape. But as the view is shifted, the vertical rise of the piece reveals itself. The form of the wire construction mimics and flows from the form of the brake lines. This shape is continued in the piece Roller Coaster Necklace. The gap between the brake lines creates a window to the back of the piece and the fragment of a timing plug used to hold the pin mechanism.

In Wool and Steel the overflowing form of the felted wool mimics early morning fog as it envelops everything and captures the light of sunrise. The wearer is afforded the experience of witnessing the sloping shape of this brooch, while the view is simplified and even flattened for whomever views the piece straight on.

Kait Gallaugher

BS Education, Metals

Wool and Steel, 2021. Steel, wool, sapphire (left) Brake Lines Brooch, 2020. Steel, found materials