Chaper 1— Beginning the project : 1. Why I Began Hand & Algorithm

Why I Began Hand & Algorithm

For seventeen years, my contemporary jewellery practice followed a familiar rhythm: I cut, filed, soldered, and repeated while others managed the sales. But earlier this year, after suddenly losing my primary Melbourne stockist, that comfortable system collapsed. I realized that despite seventeen years of exhibitions, my work was scattered with no clear archive that I owned. I felt vulnerable, starting again from zero.

Curiosity and Unease

At the same time, the rise of artificial intelligence felt like inescapable noise. Out of curiosity, I enrolled in an AI course called "Plushuman". The core idea—that AI is not separate, but can extend what we already do—intrigued me. Could this clinical technology help me rebuild?

I began using AI as a studio assistant to analyze seventeen years of sales invoices, revealing patterns I had never seen. Yet, when I prompted Google AI Studio to visualize making a perforated mild steel ring, the results looked bizarrely industrialized. It lacked the organic hesitation and dirty fingers of handmaking.

At the bench.

Screenshot to show me studying Google Flow

Embracing the Studio Tension

This frustration sparked a major realization: my hands think. The tactile, embodied making of a craftsperson holds a slow, material intelligence that no algorithm can replicate. This tension became the foundation for my upcoming project for Radiant Pavilion 2026, titled Hand & Algorithm. I am documenting my learning journey with radical transparency—testing where AI can support my business, and where it fails to touch authentic craft knowledge.

My Hands think!

Join the Journey Hand & Algorithm runs online until November 2026, culminating in a window installation at Small Space Jewellery in Fitzroy North. Subscribe to my mailing list to follow the live studio experiments and be the first to know about the upcoming ring collection.

Imaginary display at Small Studio Space Jewellery Window.