Jewellery Making, Boundary Objects and Creativity in Social Work

Abstract

The use of the arts in social work is creating space to reimagine effective communication, meaningful relationships and social change. Peripheral to this growing body of knowledge is jewellery design and making, a lacuna that this paper addresses within the context of recovery journeys. The paper presents art as an activity which can lead to tangible outputs, understood as ‘boundary objects’ and as an embodied aesthetic and sensory experience, for building dialogical relationships. Using the concept of ‘boundary objects’ is a new, yet achievable ambition for social work. Insights are presented from a small qualitative study on the use of jewellery making for assisting women, who have experienced trauma, to develop a positive self-identity and confidence. Jewellery making is introduced as a method for reframing trauma narratives into tangible objects. Part of the women’s embodied experiences are situated in the jewellery, an object of adornment external to them, rather than remaining trapped inside their body. For social workers, identifying objects (a piece of jewellery, a photograph, or any range of items) that symbolises or contains meaning for service users, can unlock a conversation that can lead to a deeper understanding of the person, their past, present and future ambitions.