'Ageeth's Dowry is a very special piece, not only to the husband and wife to which it belongs, but also for me' wrote Noten in his book Ch2=C(CH3)C(=O)OCH3 enclosures and other TN's (2006). Through this statement Noten identifies that even though it was made for someone else Noten still had his artist touch and made it his own at the same time, which makes it special to Noten as well since he was apart of it. Also it was special to the owners through the previous connections the jewellery had to their loved ones. Therefore it is special to the husband, wife, Noten and the loved ones of the couple, which I feel is mostly due to the personal memories and emotional connection through the jewellery, this seems quite touching as it seems as if all those people would feel a very strong connection to 'Ageeth's Dowry'.
'They are attached to jewellery, but no longer to the stuff we think is interesting' wrote Noten in his book Ch2=C(CH3)C(=O)OCH3 enclosures and other TN's (2006). Noten has grasped the natural connection of his audience; the coupes loved ones and the couple which Noten feels most contempoary jewellery designs do not do. As Noten got his audience involved through using their jewellery to put into Noten's jewellery piece. Yet Noten's jewellery was not the only outcome, as through the involvement of the couple's loved ones Noten got anecdotes from them about the specific piece of jewellery that they gave to contribute into Noten's design. Therefore the other outcome from this was a book of the personal/emotional connection each jewellery had to the couple's loved ones. Noten collected over 50 different unique stories for each piece of jewellery. I like how there were two outcomes, from the piece of jewellery, to the stories behind it, I would feel this would make the audience not involved in this piece to understand it more especially with the anecdote book, to help give a greater understanding of how much the couple's loved ones felt connected to the artwork.
'Ted Noten creates compelling, high profile jewellery that strays from the beaten path of accessories design' wrote JC Report on facebook. As Noten does have very unconventional designs like 'Ageeth's Dowry' he is pushing the boundaries of what jewellery can be, as handbags are normally considered as an accessory, but Noten made 'Ageeth's Dowry' as a handbag with the strap, even though it can not be opened it would still be considered as a handbag, yet it is a jewellery piece. Therefore the function of the handbag has been changed in this piece, from being commonly known for it's practical use of carrying belongings to becoming more of a display. Most art is normally made for a display, that is why this piece inparticular is so unconventional as it is used as a handbag yet without the normal handbag function. I find this fascinating as the handbag is rendered useless yet still an intriguing sight to look at. Noten seems to be able to create beauty in the obscure.
I can conclude that Noten has interesting unconventional designs that grasp the natural connection of his specific audience; the couple's loved ones and the couple, as they understand what he is doing and them themselves have a connection to his jewellery through their own jewellery being involved. It also helps, especially in this jewellery piece, with the other outcome of the anecdotes in the book for the outside audience to understand and feel the connection the couple's loved ones would of felt to the jewellery piece, therefore Noten is very capable in grasping the attention of all audiences. I am interested in these certain aspects that Noten has displayed as I love the idea of people, other than just the artist, get involved in the artwork aswell. It also interests me in the way the jewellery looks in the handbag as it looks quite elegant and mystical and intriguing which are aspects that I admire and look for in all art.
